L’Oréal announces the first 13 startups selected to participate in the Sustainable Innovation Accelerator program with a budget of €100 million dedicated to supporting sustainable innovation

The program, which has a budget of €100 million over the next five years, is being implemented in partnership with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Development (CISL), with the aim of stimulating the development and scaling of solutions that can help solve the most pressing climate, environmental and circular economy challenges in the future.

From developing packaging from wood fibers to transforming waste into ingredients for cosmetic products, the solutions proposed by the 13 startups that were first selected to participate in the program demonstrated the highest potential in providing the beauty industry with fundamentally new packaging materials and ingredients from natural raw materials, implementing the idea of ​​a circular economy, and developing predictive analytics tools.

The first group of 13 winners

Next generation packaging and materials:

• Kelpi, UK: Harnessing seaweed as a raw material for low-carbon, recyclable packaging.
• Bioworks, Japan: Using sugarcane and other plant-based raw materials to produce innovative bioplastics.
• Blue Ocean Closures, Sweden: Technology for manufacturing lids and caps from cellulose fiber as an alternative to plastic lids in packaging.
• Pulpex, UK: Developing next-generation paper bottles suitable for recycling.
• Pulpac, Sweden: An innovative company specializing in low-carbon paper packaging production processes.
• RAIKU, Estonia: Transforming natural wood into premium protective packaging with shock-absorbing properties.

Ingredients of natural origin:

• Biosynthis, France: Production of renewable and biodegradable raw materials.
• P2 Science, USA: Commercialization of bio-based materials and products obtained through green synthesis.
• Oberon Fuels, USA: Upcycling wood and cellulose into renewable components for aerosol products.

Circular economy solutions:

• Novobiom, Belgium: Harnessing the natural potential of mushroom mycelium to transform mixed waste into premium raw materials.
• REPLACE, France: One-step technology for processing multi-component and multi-layer waste into new wear-resistant products.
• Gàs Verde, Brazil: Biomethane production as an alternative to fossil fuels for the decarbonization of industry and transport.

Data analytics:

• Neutreeno, UK: A digital carbon footprint management system for companies working towards decarbonizing their supply chains.

All 13 selected startups will move on to the next phase of intensive support from the CISL Innovation Team, focusing on pilot readiness. Along the way, they will have access to L’Oréal resources globally to launch 6 to 9 month pilots, with the potential to scale their technologies across the L’Oréal Group’s global operations.

«We are expanding our ecosystem of partnerships, making it more inclusive, to commercialize sustainable innovations as quickly as possible through the Sustainable Innovation Accelerator support mechanism,» said Ezgi Bárcenas, Group Corporate Responsibility Director, L’Oréal. «We are excited to be co-creating the future of beauty, alongside the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability and 13 selected changemakers.»

«CISL is proud to partner with the L’Oréal Group, which has a long history of delivering innovation at scale,» added James Cole, CISL’s Chief Innovation Officer. «By identifying and scaling promising eco-innovations globally, we are transforming sustainability from an ambitious goal to a tangible result.»

You can get additional information about the progress of the aforementioned startups and the start of accepting applications for the next competition at the link: https://www.loreal.com/en/commitments-and-responsibilities/for-the-planet/accelerator/