Pharem declared global winner and City Solution of the Year in the 2021 QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge

The 2021 QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge, hosted by Leading Cities in partnership with QBE North America concluded that the City Solution of the Year will be awarded to Pharem and their highly efficient and sustainable approach to water treatment, Zymatic.

In June earlier this year, Pharem was selected into the program as one of 50 companies presenting their Smart and Resilient City solutions. The program continued with high pace the following 3 months and ended with 10 companies being selected as finalists to enter the AcceliCITY Bootcamp. Two intensive weeks in the bootcamp was summed up with a live pitch to a five-person panel made up of Jeff Merritt of the World Economic Forum; Katja Schäfer of UN-Habitat; Truett Tate, Chairman of the QBE North America Board; Eleni Myrivili of the Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center; and Daniel Wypler of QBE Ventures. During the live broadcast held last Friday, Pharem was announced as winners and awarded 100 000 USD.

Zymatic presents many opportunities for cities seeking greener and more sustainable solutions. By combining advanced enzyme- and material development together with immobilization methods, Pharem have created a flexible water treatment material. The new approach is perfect for applying a wide range of treatment mechanisms for treatment of organic micropollutants (such as pharmaceutical residues, pesticides, plastic chemicals etc.). Using enzymes, the installations are more compact than many other technologies, which is beneficial when looking into expanding wastewater treatment within cities as they are faced by limited land to expand on. Zymatic have products for both broad treatment effects needed in municipal wastewater treatment plants, but also tailored solutions for industries with challenges caused by organic compounds.

“Pharem are extremely honoured to be awarded the City Solution of the year by such a respected and international organisation. The team at Leading Cities have been amazing in their coordination and execution of the program” says Christian Ryen, COO and co-founder of Pharem. ”As a team, Pharem have worked hard to create new solutions for wastewater treatment. Receiving this kind of recognition really confirms that the company have created something with great impact.”

As City Solution of the Year Pharem will continue to work close together with Leading Cities to setup a pilot project.

About Leading Cities
Leading Cities connects cities across the globe with innovations and insight to drive resiliency, equity, and sustainability. This is achieved by cultivating a global network of forward thinkers from the public, private, academic, and non-profit sectors as well as delivering advanced research, emerging trends and vetting solutions that will address urban challenges. The AcceliCITY program aims to de-risk innovation for cities by sourcing and vetting solutions that will answer their most pressing challenges. Additional information can be found at www.LeadingCities.org or by following Leading Cities on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

About QBE
QBE North America is a global insurance leader focused on helping customers solve unique risks, so they can focus on what matters most. Part of QBE Insurance Group Limited, QBE North America reported Gross Written Premiums in 2020 of $4.775 billion. QBE Insurance Group's 2020 results can be found at www.qbe.com.

Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, QBE operates out of 27 countries around the globe, with a presence in every key insurance market. The North America division, headquartered in New York, conducts business through its property and casualty insurance subsidiaries. The actual terms and coverage for all lines of business are subject to the language of the policies as issued. QBE insurance companies are rated "A" (Excellent) by A.M. Best and "A+" by Standard & Poor's. Additional information can be found at www.qbe.com/us or follow QBE North America on LinkedIn and Twitter.