Swiss Stories

90% less herbicide thanks to the robot’s targeted weeding © ecoRobotix

Swiss start-ups at the forefront of ‘green tech’

Science & Education
ecoRobotix, Vivent and AgroSustain all began life in Switzerland but have set their sights beyond our borders. These start-up companies have been working with the scientific community to develop technological innovations that enable more sustainable farming practices. This is a portrait of three Swiss start-ups at the forefront of ‘green tech’.
Sofia de Meyer

Reaping the fruits of success

Society
Swapping her business suit for an apron, Sofia de Meyer abandoned her career at a corporate law firm in London and founded an eco-responsible juice company in Switzerland. This is the remarkable story of a Swiss woman who has made a success of more than one business idea.
Matterhorn © Ivo Scholz/ Switzerland Tourism

Symbol of solidarity

Environment
Amid the COVID-19 crisis, images of the Matterhorn have been broadcast around the world. The legendary Swiss mountain has been beaming messages of solidarity and hope for the pandemic.
Solarkiosk © Andreas Spiess, SOLARKIOSK AG / ZHdK

Can Swiss design save the planet?

Environment
Social design looks beyond the material nature of an object in order to tackle the major economic, environmental and societal challenges of today and tomorrow. The practice is taking off in Switzerland and changing the face of design.
Törbel

Sharing water the Swiss way

Environment
A small Swiss mountain village in the beautiful Upper-Valais region near the Matterhorn enjoys the unique distinction of having helped changed ecology - twice. It's all down to its good record-keeping and clever management of its scarce water resources.
Élise Chabbey

Swiss pro cyclist and doctor, the double life of Élise Chabbey

Society
At 27 years old, Élise Chabbey from Geneva is already an accomplished multidisciplinary athlete. In 2012, she competed in canoeing and kayaking at the London Olympics. In 2017, she finished best Swiss female runner in the legendary Sierre-Zinal mountain race. In 2020, she worked as a doctor at the Geneva University Hospitals at the height of the coronavirus crisis, but this did not prevent her from becoming Swiss road cycling champion a few weeks later. Quite a double life.

by Bertrand Monnard

James Bond aka 007 on his quest to hunt down Goldfinger in his Aston Martin DB5 in Switzerland.

The Spiez laboratory

Science & Education
4 March 2018 – A man and woman are found unconscious in Salisbury, England. After a while it becomes clear who they are: Sergei Viktorovich Skripal and his daughter Yulia. The world's press gets its hands on a story worthy of James Bond. And the Spiez lab gets a job... But what is this laboratory exactly?