100+ Accelerator’s Circular Economy – Apply Now!

The 100+ Accelerator is launched by AB InBev to help the company reach its ambitious sustainability goals faster by finding startups that could deliver breakthrough advancements across five key sustainability pillars—water stewardship, smart agriculture, circular packaging, climate action and upcycling. In its first two cohorts, more than half of the startups secured long term contracts with AB InBev.

Solutions

They are looking for the following solutions:

• Recycling, Reuse and Returnability
  • Sorting, recycling and reuse schemes in distribution centers and wholesalers
  • Innovations to increase returnability with consumers (convenient waste/return & refill)
  • New washer machine/rinser solution to increase bottle life cycle
• Packaging Material Alternatives & Innovations
  • Plastics
  • Fiber Packaging
  • Cans (Aluminum/Steel)
  • Glass Bottles
  • Generic
  • Palletization
• Packaging New Forms
  • Novel ways to concentrate products including low water content forms that are reconstituted or used directly by consumers, CPG focus
  • New product ideas involving re-fillable/replacement product that is stored or otherwise used with a permanent/durable container while addressing hygiene challenges for refillable
• Materials Tracking & Tracing
  • Solutions to track packaging materials through the entire circular economy. Better tracking and reporting of recycled content across all materials
  • Visibility and traceability of input materials for packaging
• Upcycling
  • Marketplaces for upcycling co-products from CPG industry
  • Processing technologies that turn the co-products into ingredients for various food applications
• Chemicals and materials from renewable resources and designed for a circular end of life
  • Renewable and biodegradable water soluble polymers with functionality for use in home care, personal care and cosmetics products
  • New biodegradable platform and specialty chemicals from renewable sources for a range of applications

Benefits

The 100+ Accelerator will provide support, guidance and access to potential funding through:

• Pilot customer opportunities with the four corporate partners: AB InBev, Coca-Cola, Colgate Palmolive, Danone and Unilever (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

Criteria

• Open to all: challenges were developed with input from subject matter experts from the partner companies around the world to make sure they are focused on local issues that need to be addressed. They are seeking startups from around the world to answer the challenges and are eager to identify technologies and best practices that can be shared across the businesses and beyond.
• Other companies that share the common vision are welcome to join the 100+ Accelerator as a partner in the future. They want to become the leading Accelerator for sustainability, driving innovation and value creation, and this can only be achieved by true collaboration with others.

For more information, visit 100+ Accelerator.