Oxyle wins Green Business Award 2026

(CONNECT) The Schlieren-based start-up Oxyle has been honored with the Green Business Award 2026. The spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, founded in 2020, has developed a technology that not only removes PFAS from water, but also destroys them completely.

"The classification of PFAS contamination is still new and much is unclear," jury president and former Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard was quoted as saying in a press release. "One thing is certain: In addition to political solutions to prevent PFAS, we also need approaches like those of Oxyle, which permanently break down chemicals that are already in circulation."

PFAS are odorless and tasteless, but highly toxic chemicals that are extremely persistent. Due to their water-, grease- and dirt-repellent properties, they are used in countless everyday products, such as outdoor clothing, cosmetics, Teflon pans, dental floss and toilet paper. Studies show that PFAS can be detected in over half of Switzerland's groundwater monitoring wells and in people's blood, even on the Matterhorn.

"Water conservation has long been a personal concern of mine," says founder and CEO Dr. Fajer Mustaq, who grew up in the Indian capital of Delhi. Her entire team, which now numbers 30 people, shares this concern with conviction.

The Green Business Award is regarded as the most prestigious sustainability prize in Switzerland and offers the finalists a unique opportunity to finance their growth, according to the press release. "With the Green Business Award, we want to give visibility to companies that show that sustainability is a business opportunity," says Cédric Habermacher, Director of Green Business Switzerland. "Our finalists show what is possible when business takes responsibility." ce/mm