From Ideas
TO IMPACT
42hacks is a Swiss cooperative closing the gap between climate promises and protests. We are entrepreneurs and experts turned climate hackers — building ecosystems for scalable solutions.
We are focused on three ecosystems with the biggest leverage.
HOME
We help homeowners move away from fossil heating through practical support and simpler ways to switch to greener alternatives. This includes initiatives like 100in100.
MOBILITY
We help people move differently through better options, stronger incentives, and smarter planning. This includes initiatives like 31DAYS, Pacer, my-mo, and Pacer.
MOBILITY
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15–30% sell their car after a one-month public transport trial
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60–80% sustainably change their mobility behaviour
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Reducing congestion, avoiding infrastructure costs
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Liechtenstein: avoiding a CHF 160M bridge widening
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St. Gallen: avoiding a third tunnel tube (≈CHF 1B)
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Real-time traffic patterns and congestion hotspots
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Proposes and evaluates measures to reduce traffic volume
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Employer mobility solution: hackathons, app, real-time data
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Partnerships with public transport for corporate licenses
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Helping employees switch to public transport, last mile included
FOOD
We help children and communities cut food waste through playful formats that make waste visible and change habits. This includes initiatives like the Food Waste Challenge.
FOOD
Crop Protection AI
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WhatsApp-based AI helping farmers decide what and how to spray
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Crop protection guidance, easily accessible
All4Two
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A regulatory sandbox hacking for two groups: farmers and consumers
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Unique co-creation setting with farmers and environmental groups — with retail working alongside
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Bringing lean startup methods into agricultural policy making
OUR ULTIMATE GOAL
We aim to only take on projects that can reduce
Switzerland's total CO2 emissions
by at least a full
ONE percent
by 2030
01
Find opportunities with data
We use data to understand where change can have the biggest impact. It helps us focus on the opportunities worth acting on.
HOW WE WORK
Data show the opportunity.
People make it real.
02
Build with partners
We work with partners and communities to shape solutions around real needs. That makes them stronger and easier to scale.
03
Make it stick through adoption
We design solutions people can actually use. Because real impact happens when better choices become part of everyday life.
01
Find opportunities with data
We use data to understand where change can have the biggest impact. It helps us focus on the opportunities worth acting on.
HOW WE WORK
Data shows the opportunity.
People make it real.
02
Build with partners
We work with partners and communities to shape solutions around real needs. That makes them stronger, more practical, and easier to scale.
03
Make it stick through adoption
We design solutions people can actually use. Because real impact happens when better choices become part of everyday life.
Our Impact
WHAT'S A HACK
Two hours. Real ideas. Working prototypes.
A hack is a short, focused collaboration: in about two hours, we build on each other's ideas and shape concrete prototypes — mostly online, sometimes on site. Right after, we test as fast as possible whether they spark real interest in the market.
01
Analyze: Start with a question worth solving
Together with partners, teams, or target groups, we refine the initial situation, needs, and potential. Instead of rushing to provide answers, we identify the most exciting search areas, hypotheses, and opportunities for concrete hacks.
02
Engage: Hacks with the right people
We design and facilitate short, focused hackathons with people who truly understand the problem. In about two hours, real ideas, initial prototypes, and tangible solutions are developed—no coding experience required. We create a safe space where experimentation is encouraged, small teams can act quickly, and new perspectives can emerge.
03
Optimize: Test, Learn & Scale
The best approaches are quickly tested in the market, within the organization, or with real users. We help make feedback visible, develop prototypes further, and derive viable next steps from initial impulses: What works is refined, what doesn't work is used as a learning opportunity. In this way, concrete solutions emerge from voluntary momentum, which partners can then develop, pilot, or scale.
Trusted by partners across Switzerland
GET IN TOUCH
We welcome all questions, feedback, and collaboration opportunities.
