The Smart50 2023 Sustainability Award winner: Goterra

A more-than-worthy recipient of the Sustainability Award at The Smart50 Awards 2023, Goterra is a name that’s synonymous with making the world a healthier, more liveable place. To thwart the inherent challenges of traditional farming, founder Olympia Yarger has made it her life’s work to tackle waste management and enhance sustainability prospects in every region.

Given the rising costs in conventional farming, with 70% tied to feed, coupled with volatile prices driven by external factors such as climate change, Yarger saw an opportunity in the insect industry. This led to the development of her autonomous insect robot, a mobile insect feedlot, designed to process waste.

“Goterra’s units can revolutionise the waste industry by reducing emissions and creating a circular economy,” said Yarger. “It’s world-first technology that creates access for organic waste management in locations that have not previously been serviced.”

Goterra has already commercialised its technology and expanded to seven locations across four states in Australia. Yarger’s remarkable journey in waste management and sustainability demonstrates her trailblazing capabilities and total belief in her product.

Goterra is preparing for global expansion in 2024 while continuously innovating to harness insects for sustainability purposes. This is only the beginning for Yarger and her insect-powered creations.

“Every tonne of food waste that goes to landfill creates 1,700 C02 eq kg emissions,” she says. “Goterra’s process reduces this to just 35 C02 eq kg emissions. At scale, our solution has a significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally. Since January 2022, Goterra has prevented more than 4.1 million kgs of CO2-e from entering the atmosphere.”

Michel Hogan, brand counsel, SmartCompany columnist and Smart50 guest judge for The Sustainability Award, said “Tackling industrial food waste with wonderful wormy ingenuity is a standout innovation. In two years, the modular waste ‘robots’ have won the support of big players such as Woolworths. Food waste is a significant and growing problem… and by-product fertiliser and protein-laden meal-worm food for animals closes the eco loop.”

Goterra placed 47th on this year’s Smart50 List.