From a cleaner freight train to an automated beehive, a way to recycle fabric, and other bold, new technologies, the 5th annual awards honor the products, concepts, companies, policies, and designs that are pursuing innovation for the good of society and the planet.
LATHAM, NY — May 4, 2021 — The winners of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring the businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving health and climate crises, social injustice, or economic inequality.
Vyv, a female founded and led health-tech industry leader and pioneer of antimicrobial LED technology was selected as Honorable Mention in the Wellness category for its patented UV-free Antimicrobial Light technology that creates inhospitable environments for viruses, bacteria, mold, fungi and yeast to grow and survive.
Unlike UV light, Vyv light meets international standards for unrestricted and continuous use around people. This makes antimicrobial light important for applications that need 24/7, around-the-clock protection, across the spectrum — from transportation and healthcare, in factories and food processing, hospitality, athletics, public spaces, offices and elevators, and in our homes — anywhere there are germ challenges.
Vyv’s patented white and violet antimicrobial LEDs are inside LED overhead lighting fixtures and are being embedded behind elevator buttons, inside Broan-Nutone’s SurfaceShieldTM residential bath and kitchen ventilation fan (launched March 2020), Safety 1st Stay CleanTM nursery humidifier (launched October 2020), Delta Airlines 757 lavatories (launched November 2020) — all delivering continuous antimicrobial action in both large areas and inside the smallest spaces.
“Climate change, the loss of habitat and the growth of the human population are compounding the very real health challenges we all have faced for many years now. The question set before us is how do we bring new innovations to successfully address these planetary and societal changes,” said Vyv co-founder and CEO Colleen Costello. “The adoption of Vyv’s patented and sustainable antimicrobial LED technology (405nm) for the inactivation of viruses, antibiotic-resistant superbugs and other microorganisms, we believe, positions society to directly and effectively combat these threats while moving us toward a much cleaner 21st century.”
“There is no question our society and planet are facing deeply troubling times. So, it’s important to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, impact, design, scalability, and passion to solve these problems,” says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “Our journalists, under the leadership of senior editor Morgan Clendaniel, have discovered some of the most groundbreaking projects that have launched since the start of 2020.”
Now in its fifth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 33 winners, more than 400 finalists, plus 800 honorable mentions—with Health and Wellness, AI & Data among the most popular categories. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 4,000 entries. Plus, several new categories were added, including Pandemic Response, Urban Design, and Architecture. The 2021 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Brazil to Denmark to Vietnam.
Showcasing some of the world’s most inventive entrepreneurs and companies tackling exigent global challenges, Fast Company’s Summer 2021 issue (on newsstands May 10) highlights, among others, a lifesaving bassinet; the world’s largest carbon sink, thanks to carbon-eating concrete; 3D-printed schools; an at-home COVID-19 testing kit; a mobile voting app; and the world’s cleanest milk.
About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.
About VYV
Vyv is a health tech company and creator of a new kind of continuous cleaning protection using visible light.Vyv, formerly Vital Vio, offers proprietary UV-free antimicrobial LED technology that creates environments inhospitable to the growth of viruses, bacteria, fungi, yeast, mold, and mildew. Unlike UV-C light, Vyv meets international standards for continual and unlimited use around people in homes, public places and across industries. As antimicrobial overhead lighting, Vyv can be found in homes, factories, offices, healthcare facilities, transportation and hospitality, and many other places. Vyv technology is also embedded within commercial and consumer products and applications. For more information, visit vyv.tech.
*Testing on a non-enveloped virus (MS2 bacteriophage) showed a 99.985% reduction in controlled laboratory testing in 6 hours on hard surfaces. MRSA and E. coli showed 90%+ reduction in controlled laboratory testing in 24 hours on hard surfaces. Results may vary depending on the amount of light that is reaching the surfaces in the space where the product is installed and the length of time of exposure. Use of Vyv antimicrobial light is not intended to replace manual cleaning.
