Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $2.8 million in funding for seven small businesses across the country to advance and commercialize their environmental technologies. The initiative is part of EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which supports projects aimed at addressing significant environmental challenges such as PFAS destruction, indoor air purification during wildfires, recycling enhancement, food waste reduction, and disaster response improvement.
Among the recipients is Greenlife Tech Corporation from Banner Elk, North Carolina. The company has been awarded approximately $400,000 to further develop its autonomous system designed to regulate oxygen levels in refrigerators to extend the shelf life of produce.
Maureen Gwinn, Acting Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development, commented on the awards: “Congratulations to these small businesses for continuing to pursue innovative solutions to some of our most pressing environmental challenges. EPA is proud to invest in these small businesses as they work to help protect human health and the environment across many sectors and help grow the American economy.”
Acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle of EPA’s Southeast Region also praised Greenlife Tech Corporation: “We congratulate Greenlife Tech Corporation for developing this promising new technology to prevent and reduce food waste, which is a significant problem in our country and the world.” She highlighted a 2015 goal set by EPA and USDA to halve food waste in the U.S. by 2030, noting that innovations like Greenlife Tech's could contribute significantly toward achieving this target.
The SBIR program has been supporting small businesses for over four decades by funding environmental technology development through a phased approach. Phase I provides up to $100,000 over six months for proof of concept, while Phase II offers $400,000 for further development and commercialization.
Other companies receiving similar Phase II awards include DiPole Materials Inc., Fourth State LLC, Holochip Corporation, KLAW Industries LLC, Valis Insights Inc., and Water Illumination Inc., each working on unique projects ranging from biodegradable filters for wildfire smoke purification to AI-driven metal recycling optimization.
