Nairobi, 23 September 2025 The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and American cleantech CEO Chris Kemper announced today the selection of three environmental entrepreneurs from India, Kenya and the United States as the 2025 Young Champions of the Earth.
Winners are recognized for groundbreaking contributions that advance a global circular economy and improving environmental outcomes by treating wastewater, expanding access to clean water, tackling plastic pollution, and creating sustainable alternatives to conventional materials. Award recipients will receive seed funding, mentoring, communications support, and a global platform to showcase and scale their solutions.
The Young Champions program, which UNEP founded in 2017, was re-launched this year in partnership with Mr. Kemper, who in 2023 was designated as UNEPs Advocate for Partnerships to mobilize resources and action around todays most urgent environmental issues. Mr. Kemper is the Chairman, Founder and CEO of U.S. climate tech company Palmetto and a climate philanthropist. Through the support of The Christopher Kemper Foundation, this year Mr. Kemper co-founded Planet A, a new YouTube channel to drive environmental awareness and action.
This years Young Champions of the Earth winners each received US$20,000 at todays event. Then tomorrow, the three will have an opportunity to compete in the first-ever Planet A pitch competition for a business growth grant of US$100,000 and a possible seed investment of US$1 million committed to a future fundraising round. Planet A is filming the competition, and the Young Champions leading up to it, to be released on Planet As YouTube channel in October.
The 2025 Young Champions of the Earth are:
Jinali Mody (28, India): Jinali is a biochemistry graduate from St. Xaviers College in Mumbai and the Yale School of Environment. She founded Banofi Leather, an India-based women-led company aiming to make the fast fashion business by producing leather alternatives made from banana crop waste. Compared to conventional leather, Banofi drastically reduces water use, toxic waste, and CO emissions.
Joseph Nguthiru (27, Kenya): A climate-tech engineer, Josephs company HyaPak converts the invasive species hyacinth in Lake Naivasha into packaging bags and biodegradable seedling wrappers. By replacing single-use plastic products, HyaPak makes agricultural lands healthier and offsets CO emissions.
Noemi Florea (24, US): Climate innovator Noemi has founded Cycleau, a compact water reuse system, in consultation with dozens of marginalized communities. The company transforms greywater into drinking water. Retrofitted under sinks, showers, and laundry units, Cycleau significantly reduces wastewater, using much less energy than alternative systems.
The lives of our children and our childrens children are already being dramatically impacted by the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution and waste. I commend these inspiring Young Champions of the Earth for their innovations, for the benefit of this and future generations, said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.
The Young Champions of the Earth prize is UNEPs flagship initiative on youth engagement. Since 2017, it has recognized 30 young trailblazers activists, entrepreneurs, and environmental innovators under the age of 30 for their outstanding ideas to protect the environment.
Im honored to support the Young Champions program in my philanthropic role with the United Nations; over 5,000 amazing entrepreneurs around the world were interested in the program - all of whom are seeking to make a positive impact on the planet. It was difficult to select only three winners for the 2025 Young Champions program, but these three leaders stood out for their passion, drive, execution and innovation , said Mr. Kemper, who participated in the selection of this years winners. A huge congratulations to Jinali, Joseph, and Noemi for their successful achievements and in winning this highly competitive award.
