Nivogo Named Start-up of the Year

Nivogo, Turkey's pioneering circular transformation movement with sustainability and circularity at its core, won the Startup of the Year category at the Sustainable Business Awards, held for the ninth time this year. In an era of escalating consumption where 85 billion products are discarded annually, and within the fashion industry—the second largest polluter of our planet after oil—Nivogo was established as a sustainable alternative. The startup was nominated for Startup of the Year among hundreds of ventures at the Sustainable Business Awards due to its business model centered on sustainability and circularity, its transformation of shopping into a circular experience, and the positive impact it creates as a social enterprise. The Sustainable Business Awards, by highlighting projects that create environmentally and socially significant impacts for brands and enabling these projects to be shared with wider audiences, selected Nivogo as Startup of the Year through its structure that promotes sustainability and change in this field. Focusing on "Responsible Consumption and Production" from the Sustainable Development Goals and working toward a sustainable world, Nivogo has collected over 500,000 products from partner brands and individual users that were designated for disposal for various reasons, subjected them to refurbishment processes, and integrated them into the circular economy through its proprietary technological infrastructure, reconnecting them with new users. In doing so, it has prevented the release of 3 billion liters of water and thousands of tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, by providing employment to over 45 people—55 percent of whom are women—at Turkey's first and largest refurbishment center, which it has grown 36-fold in 1.5 years, Nivogo operates not only for the sustainability of fashion but also for the sustainability of women's employment.

Co-founder Arnas Akbaş and Vice General Manager Responsible for Marketing and Growth Strategies Tunahan Kafa attended the award ceremony. Following receipt of the award, the team made the following statements:

"Being the recipient of the Startup of the Year award at the Sustainable Business Awards—where we share the same conviction as Nivogo and work to spread to a wider audience the belief that a sustainable world is possible—serves as validation that we are taking steps in the right direction. Being among the award winners of this prestigious evening is truly a matter of great pride for us. As the Nivogo family, we will continue with full dedication to transform brand partners and individual users operating with linear business models, as well as expanding our impact through our awareness initiatives, into part of the circular economy. We are very pleased to crown our work with this award."