Coming from a background in science, Tulone decided to pursue her passion for digital entrepreneurship by setting up ecoSurge in late 2019. From her base in Bologna, she brought together various experts from different countries, united by a common vision of helping businesses to operate more sustainably.

EcoSurge’s initial progress faced an immediate, formidable hurdle in early 2020: the outbreak of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. “As you can imagine, the pandemic was a challenge for a project that was about to start at the beginning of 2020,” Tulone remarked drily.

Where possible, ecoSurge has adapted to the new, (hopefully) temporary reality of COVID-19. The team modified an ongoing study of circular economy benefits to focus on the virus’ impact on plastic waste disposal. EcoSurge has also emphasised research-based, “think tank” activities during 2020, when team members cannot easily implement initiatives in public.

In other respects, Tulone’s team has needed to simply be patient. EcoSurge has not yet been able to register as an innovation-based social enterprise in Italy, which would greatly assist with attracting external, long-term funding. To date, Tulone has funded ecoSurge from her own pocket, while her team members have worked as volunteers.

For now, the pandemic has obstructed an even more fundamental aspect of ecoSurge’s plans: the appetite for many businesses to embrace operational change. “EcoSurge is a new type of enterprise, based on innovation and cooperation, which requires an open mindset.” said Tulone. “The pandemic has caused uncertainty and fear for businesses, which is a normal human reaction.”

Fortunately, Tulone’s sunny disposition will not let her dwell on last year’s turmoil. She expects ecoSurge to obtain its legal registration in January 2021, with various funders already interested in the project. And as COVID-19 slowly recedes into our collective memory, businesses can return to the much longer term challenge of environmental degradation.

“At ecoSurge, our motto is how to transform challenges into opportunities,” said Tulone. “The pandemic can be the starting point for businesses to adopt a new platform.” Indeed, with a little help from ecoSurge’s team of experts, companies may find that going green can be good for business as well. 

Learn more about ecoSurge through the website.

Photos courtesy of Henry & Co. and Artur Lysyuk (via Unsplash) and ecoSurge