Tokyo, Japan, Release: 15 April 2020. For Immediate Release.

mymizu, the Tokyo-based initiative reducing the consumption of single-use plastics, has been named the Japan finalist of the highly coveted Chivas Venture Competition. As part of this prestigious award, mymizu will receive $40,000 in funding to accelerate its growth and impact.

“We are honoured and full of gratitude for all of our supporters who have pushed us forward since day one. This prize will help us to elevate our fight against plastic waste to a whole new level, and we promise to do everything in our power to take the challenge head-on with our partners and friends around the world,” said Robin Lewis, co-founder of mymizu.

The Chivas Venture is an annual competition that sees entrepreneurs compete for a share of $1 million in funding for their world-changing startups. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, each of the winners from 26 countries will be awarded $40,000 to be put towards creating positive change at a testing time for people across the globe, instead of pitching at the Chivas Venture Global Final event in Toronto this year as originally planned.

In addition to mymizu, 25 other social enterprises were honoured from around the world, from countries including Poland, Thailand, Colombia and the United Kingdom. Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting the lives of millions globally, these social enterprises will be able to continue to touch countless lives thanks to the generous support of Chivas Venture.

About mymizu:

mymizu (“mizu” means water in Japanese) is a platform connecting people to 5,500+ free water refill stations (water fountains and partner cafes, shops, hotels) across Japan and 200,000 globally. Using mymizu, it’s possible to refill your water bottle anywhere – it’s good for the planet, the body and the wallet! Since launching in September 2019, the mymizu app has had 25,000+ downloads across 40 countries and, since launching its refill tracker feature in early 2020, has tracked the reduction of over 9,000 PET bottles and over 3,000kgs of CO2 emissions.

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The mymizu app is internationally available for download on iOS and Android.

For information on mymizu: Visit mymizu.co to find out more and to download the app. mymizu is borne out of Social Innovation Japan, a registered non-profit organisation with a mission to activate greater social innovation in and out of Japan.

For information on Chivas Venture: The Chivas Venture is an annual competition to find and support the most promising social entrepreneurs, who use business to solve social and/or environmental issues. For more information, visit their official website.

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For media or partnership enquiries please contact media@mymizu.co

一般社団法人Social Innovation Japan
〒151-0062 Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Motoyoyogicho, 4-5
Phone: +81+80-3470-8859

mymizu joint recipient of $1 million Chivas Venture prize as Japan Finalist