Deadline: 31-May-21
100+ Accelerator is accepting applications for its Circular Packaging Challenge from startups that have solutions to these challenges and can help in innovating exciting ways to close the loop on packaging.
The future will depend on a circular economy in order to create long-term, sustainable value for everyone. They are constantly on the lookout for new ways to increase the amount of recycled content in the packaging and eliminate weight and other components. They believe there is potential for creating completely, or near-completely, circular packaging across the entire supply chains.
The 100+ Accelerator delivers 6 months of remote programming and training to accelerate the collaboration and growth of cohort companies in addition to a pilot/alliance with their partner companies. You will receive support from a global team champion, access to mentor networks and up to $100K toward pilot execution.
What They Offer
The 100+ Accelerator will provide support, guidance and access to potential funding through:
- Pilot customer opportunities with the four corporate partners: AB InBev, Unilever, Coca-Cola, and Colgate Palmolive (including the potential to scale company-wide)
- Active mentorship, training and programming in product development, go-to-market, operations, sales and more
- Top mentor network of scientists, academics, domain experts, venture capitalists, corporate sustainability leaders, etc.
- Potential funding from Partner Companies and their networks
Challenges
- Recycling, Reuse and Returnability
- Recycling and reuse schemes in distribution centers and wholesalers.
- Innovations to increase returnability with consumers (convenient waste).
- Post-consumer recycling (one-way cans, kegs and returnables) including more efficient and convenient logistics system, collection points and separation of materials on-site.
- New technologies to recycle materials (beyond chemical recycling).
- Re-introduce returnable/reusable packaging into developed markets.
- Aluminum can & PET recycling, with a focus on China.
- Tube collection infrastructure and processing.
- Glass recycling infrastructure e.g. get container spec cullet glass out of the single stream recycling more cost effectively and cheaply, new scalable technologies in glass cleaning and sorting, solutions for recycled mixed glass (amber and green).
- Develop new technology to allow for more reuse of recycled colored glass like amber & green into new flint and Georgia Green bottles.
- Replacement for crowns and plastic crown liner.
- Plastic free or recycling solution for labels.
- Solutions to recycle amber PET.
- Eco-friendly, recyclable or biodegradable branding and marketing materials such as cups for events, furniture for bars & restaurants, racks, shelves, posters, printed material, textiles and clothing and any other material used to communicate.
- New technologies or schemes for waste collection systems.
- Shared reusable infrastructure, possible JV, for collecting/cleaning bottles prior to returning them to the filling line.
- Packaging Material Alternatives & Innovations
- Food Grade rPP and rPE.
- PET Bottle Ultra-Light Weighting, beyond gram reduction and focusing on optimization.
- Coating for paperboard bottles that allows recycling and meets shelf-life quality standards.
- A multi-pack made of recycled paper.
- Recycled/Recyclable secondary and tertiary packaging materials.
- Can of the future where lid and body are all made from the same alloy for 1-1 recycling and increased recycled content in can sheet.
- Sachet film technology to advance recyclability, biodegradability/compostability.
- Shrink-wrap alternatives OR reusable secondary packaging/shrink OR new sustainable solutions for secondary packaging.
- Fiber Primary Packaging (Bottles, Pouches, Pods, etc), that are recyclable/repulpable.
- Recyclable tubes.
- Palletization improvement to maintain transportation quality and remove plastic/stretch film.
- Alternatives to small size plastic thermoform blister packs (e.g. toothbrush clear blister packaging)
- Materials Tracking & Tracing
- Solutions to track packaging materials through the entire circular economy. Better tracking and reporting of recycle content across all materials.
- Visibility and traceability of input materials for packaging.
- Reuse marketing materials in different points of sale, increase marketing materials traceability to know where and what are they using or storing and reduce, eliminate, reuse and/or recycle materials that are used to pack marketing materials.
Eligibility Criteria
The 100+ Accelerator challenges were developed with input from subject matter experts and partner companies to ensure both global and local issues are addressed.
For more information, visit https://www.100accelerator.com/en/challenge/circular-packaging