In mid-January, the L’Oréal Group unveiled the first cohort of its AcceleratOR program, a unique initiative dedicated to supporting startups offering sustainable innovations.
From among a thousand applications from 101 countries, the L’Oréal Group selected 13 startups and SMEs to make up the first cohort of “L’AcceleratOR.”
These “change makers” are expected to contribute to “accelerating the emergence and large-scale deployment of sustainable solutions capable of responding to the major challenges facing the climate, nature, and circularity.”
L’AcceleratOR, a unique sustainable innovation program set up by the world leader in beauty, has a budget of €100 million over five years and is managed in partnership with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) at the University of Cambridge.
Next-generation packaging and materials at the forefront
From wooden packaging to ingredients made from waste, the first 13 members of the AcceleratOR program have demonstrated great potential to meet the needs of the next generation in terms of packaging, natural ingredients, circularity solutions, and predictive intelligence tools.
Among the eight nationalities represented in this first panel of innovative companies, the United Kingdom stands out with three leading players (Kelpi, Pulpex, and Neutreeno) in both innovative packaging/materials and data intelligence. The United States—champions of natural ingredients—Sweden, and France each have two representatives. Alongside them are a young Estonian startup, a Belgian startup, a Japanese startup, and a Brazilian startup.
With no fewer than six representatives, the field of “Next-generation packaging and materials” is by far the most represented. This includes recyclable, low-carbon packaging made from algae (Kelpi), shock-absorbing packaging made from natural wood (Raiku), paper packaging made using low-carbon processes (Pulpac), and upcycled bottles (Pulpex). Other alternatives to plastic are also making their debut, such as innovative bioplastics made from sugar cane and other plant materials (Bioworks) and fiber caps and lids (Blue Ocean Closures).
The “Natural Ingredients” and “Circular Solutions” sectors are not to be outdone. French company Biosynthis is involved in manufacturing renewable and biodegradable raw materials, while American companies P2 Science and Oberon Fuels are respectively responsible for marketing products derived from green chemistry and bio-based materials and converting wood and pulp waste into renewable ingredients for spray formulas. In terms of circularity, Belgium’s Novobiom uses the natural power of fungi to transform complex waste into high value-added products, while France’s Replace manages to transform complex, multi-layered waste into new sustainable items in a single step. Latin America is also represented by Brazil’s Gàs Verde. The latter produces biomethane that can replace fossil fuels in industrial processes and transportation.
Finally, the British company Neutreeno stands out as the sole representative of the Data Intelligence section. It has developed a digital system that can help companies calculate and reduce emissions in their supply chains.
All 13 partners will enter a phase of “intensive” support lasting 6 to 9 months, led by the CISL innovation team (University of Cambridge), focused on preparing pilot projects. To carry out their pilot projects, these innovative partners will have access to L’Oréal’s global resources. They may eventually see their solutions deployed internationally within the group.
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Featured photo: Getty Images/Unsplash+
