Irish green tech company MyGug targeting European expansion
Irish green technology company MyGug is setting its eyes on European markets for its system which turn food waste into renewable energy and fertiliser.
Founded and headquartered in Ireland, MyGug designs and manufactures small-scale anaerobic digesters aiming to help address the 59 million tonnes of food waste generated annually in the European Union which contribute nearly 10 per cent of total carbon emissions.
'We are acutely focused on the fact that food waste is created in the largest amounts in the smallest settings,' said MyGug chief executive and co-founder Fiona Kelleher. 'That is where our product is having the biggest impact.'
The business, which was an Irish Times Innovation awards finalist in the
sustainability
category, are aiming to give individuals more 'agency and control over their own food waste, and using it to generate energy'.
READ MORE
MyGug's digesters convert food waste into a biogas mostly made up of methane for cooking with just 1.5kg of food waste fuelling 10 hours of cooking time, according to Kieran Coffey, the company's chief technology officer and the designer of the digesters. The technology also produces a nutrient-rich liquid byproduct that can be used in gardening as fertiliser.
'As a start up, one of the big things for us with a new product is trying to find the right fit in terms of market suitability,' said Ms Kelleher, as she showcased the product at the Airfield Estate in Dundrum as part of an initiative to promote sustainable energy use and food waste reduction within educational and community settings.
The company has been targeting the education market, with units now in schools and universities in Ireland and the UK, such as University College Cork, University of Limerick and Bishop Burton College.
'What we are seeing is multiple units being bought by universities,' she said, with their product being used as part of 'living lab' and environmental initiatives in various universities which is driving sales.
[
Cork waste-to-energy start-up raises €900,000 in seed funding
Opens in new window
]
Now the company is looking more widely and is looking to scale into the education sector in the UK and Germany, while targeting sales in Northern Ireland, where the company sees potential for adoption of its technology across education, hospitality and small commercial sectors. The product line includes digesters scaled for households, schools, and small institutions, and the company is set to launch them on its website next week.
Long term, they envisage their product in the household market. 'B-to-C [business-to-consumer] is a much bigger market,' Ms Kelleher said. 'If you want to scale a technology like this, you need to be looking at that household market, but we still see that there is a huge amount of application in the education ecosystem.'
'The joy of getting into education first, is that you then develop a product pathway to B-to-C because those people you are dealing with in schools are the young people who will be the change makers of the future and will be incorporating this technology.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
43 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
UK court orders costs payment to unit of Irish leasing giant AerCap
The costs are linked to a $203m dispute over jets that were lost after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Volga-Dnepr has raised concerns that if it makes any payments, the company could be in breach of Western sanctions that were imposed on Russia after the 2022 invasion. However, the court has refused to postpone the 14-day deadline for payment to Celestial Aviation Trading, rejecting a proposal that it be paid whenever Volga-Dnepr secures a licence from the UK's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, or when it is no longer subject to sanctions. Last month, the UK High Court refused a request from the Dutch arm of Volga-Dnepr Logistics to vary an order that it make a $203m payment to the Irish bank account of AerCap's Ireland-based Celestial unit. The court ruled that the court order did not breach sanctions imposed on Russia. After the order was made, the Volga-Dnepr unit was deemed liable for Celestial's £245,000 costs in relation to the failed request to vary the $203m payment order. Last month, Celestial agreed to accept a lower payment of £134,000. However, the sum was not paid within the stipulated 14 days. Irish units of AerCap's Celestial Aviation, which were formerly owned by Gecas, sued Volga-Dnepr in May 2022 claiming that events of default or events of loss had occurred under the lease agreements for eight aircraft. The Dutch subsidiary had guaranteed the obligations under the leases. Following a hearing last February, the Dutch arm of Volga-Dnepr was ordered by the UK court to make an interim payment of $202.8m to Celestial in respect of its liabilities under the guarantees it made in relation to the leasing of the eight jets. The company was also ordered to pay £50,000 in costs to Celestial. Both payments were to be made by February 25 into a bank account in Ireland, but had not been made by that time. In relation to the costs associated with the failed effort to vary the order, High Court deputy judge Nigel Cooper said he was not persuaded that there were any good reasons why he should make any order other than one requiring Volga-Dnepr to pay the assessed costs within 14 days.
The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Ireland seeking that EU avoid implementing counter tariffs on the US, cabinet to hear
The potential US response to the EU's tariffs poses a great risk to lucrative Irish businesses. Alamy Alamy POTENTIAL EUROPEAN TARIFFS on American-made goods and the possible impact they could have on the Irish economy are a cause of concern for the government, the cabinet will hear today. European countermeasures, announced last month , seek to place tariffs on goods such as US-made aeroplanes, alcohol, pharmaceutical products and items in the agri-food sector. Should a trade deal not be reached next month, the EU will implement the measures, the European Commission, the institution responsible for trade between member states and other countries, has said. There are serious concerns that the US's response to the EU's countermeasures could impact Ireland's lucrative aviation, pharma, drinks and agri-food industries. Tánaiste and trade minister Simon Harris will update cabinet on Ireland's position today. In a letter to European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, Harris will outline the position of the Irish government. He will say that any EU countermeasures against the US should not harm European businesses. Advertisement The Fine Gael leader will also tell the Slovak politician that Ireland is seeking that the Commission avoid escalating economic tensions between the EU and US, at all costs, and avoid imposing the tariffs at all. Counter tariffs should also not have a 'disproportionate' impact on one country, Harris will also say. Trade negotiations between the two blocs are 'advancing', cabinet will hear this morning, as the July deadline approaches. Should a mutual agreement not be reached, the EU has said it will impose its countermeasures on the US on 14 July. Similarly, American President Donald Trump has said he would implement 50% on European member states if there is no deal . Updates on special schools Also before cabinet today, education minister Helen McEntee will tell her colleagues that 399 special classes have been sanctioned for the upcoming school year. Admissions commenced for spaces in April. McEntee will tell cabinet that her department and the National Council of Special Education have been directed to ensure that children are accepted into new classes much earlier for the 2026/27 school year. Junior minister for special education Michael Moynihan has given assurances that special school spaces will be made available to all students in need . Hundreds of children with additional needs in recent years have been left without a school place or certainty of enrolment due to a shortage in the necessary spaces in the Irish education system. Parents will be invited to notify the National Council of Special Education in October if their children will be in need of a special school place in September 2026. Places for those students will be allocated by the end of the year. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on Ireland's budget policy: betting on a tax boom
The latest report from the Irish Fiscal Advisory council (Ifac) neatly sums up the difficulty of forecasting what happens next in the Irish economy. Facing significant uncertainties, most notably from the policies of US president Donald Trump, the economy could take a hit, or could hold on to most of the gains of recent years. One thing is for sure, however. Ireland is relying ever more heavily on corporation tax. And the report from the budget watchdog suggests how the Government should respond. These recommendations are, by now, familiar, but that does not mean they should be dismissed. The Government has, wisely, started to put cash aside in case of a downturn. And this should certainly help if any reversal was temporary. However, Ifac points to structural issues too – longer-term trends which need to be addressed. One, a common theme of these reports, is Ireland's reliance on just a few major US companies for a significant amount of corporate tax revenue. When the part of corporate tax revenues relating to tax planning is factored out, Ifac estimates that the underlying budget position is in deficit. There are also problems on the spending side of the budget, which have received little attention to date. Ifac criticises the Government for its budgeting for this year, saying that it failed to take into account overruns for 2024 which had increased the spending base. As a result, spending for this year could be €3 billion above budget, it estimates. READ MORE Significant overruns have become common, but have been offset by tax also coming in ahead of target. Relying on this continuing is unwise. To combat this, Ifac calls for better spending control and a clear target – or anchor – for the level of spending increases which is then adhered to. As the report points out, corporation tax could grow further, helping to underpin the public finances. But the risks, too, are obvious. Either way, the lack of control on day-to-day public spending is notable and does not suggest proper management, or a focus on value for money.
