A sustainable helmet in a double sense

Your company "Lokatt" is supported by KTH Innovation and has received funding from Vinnova in the call for "Innovative startups". What is special about your helmet?

- The sustainability mindset permeates everything we do, but the innovation is primarily the material. Lokatt is the first helmet made of bio-based materials without compromising on its performance. If you ride at a high level, you don’t compromise on safety. But a sustainable mindset is about so much more than just material choice. We also look at the possibility of having a "return system" for the helmet, which gives a discount on the next helmet purchase when you return the old one – and we recover the materials. We do all of this to reduce the negative impact on our environment that material consumption leads to.

Why an extreme helmet?

- We were a group of students at KTH who were curious about what new, fossil-free materials could achieve. For me, it is important to work with something that goes in line with my values. And with a background in the ski and snowboard world, outdoor gadgets are close to my heart. Skiers at this level are an eco-friendly customer group, and the outdoor industry is good at sustainability, with sustainable textiles and sustainable production. But no one makes eco-friendly protective equipment, mostly because it has not been possible before. But with new high-performance biomaterials, new opportunities have appeared.

You have over 3000 followers on Instagram who follow the project. When will we see the helmet in stores?

- We hope to reach the market in the winter of 2019/20.

How much KTH is in your company?

- All of the company’s founders have a master's degree in Innovation Management and Product Development from the Department of Machine Design, KTH. My main gains from my education were a mindset to always look for these kinds of ideas, the tools for evaluating them, and a belief that anything is possible.

Text: Anna Gullers, translated by Ulrika Georgsson

Facts

Vinnova's call for "Innovative startups" has been aimed at small and newly started companies that need financing to develop their innovative, sustainable solutions with market potential. The idea is that the companies' services and products should contribute to Sweden's development and competitiveness. The projects receive up to SEK 300,000 each in order to develop prototypes and to develop their business models and strategies to protect the company's intellectual property.

The call for "Innovative startups" is two-part, and the 12 KTH companies that have been successful in step 1 can apply for up to SEK 900,000 in the second phase. The deadline for applying for this was April 9, and decisions are made on May 29.

• Follow the project here