1.NoPalm: An alternative to palm oil
NoPalm, a Netherlands-based biotech startup founded in 2021, raised its first funding in 2022 and raised €5 million this year. It uses microbial oil instead of unsustainable palm oil and can be added to a variety of products, foods and cosmetics.
Palm oil is used in about 60% of FMCG products, and the growing demand for palm oil has brought a host of environmental concerns. The company uses a unique fermentation process that uses non-GMO proprietary yeast to convert uprecycled local produce byproducts, such as potato skins and whey penetrate, into yeast oils and fats. This technology can not only reduce the waste of raw materials, but also reduce carbon emissions and land use in the production process. Compared to conventional palm oil production, its carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by 90% and land use can be reduced by 99%.
Blue Stripes, a food brand focused on the utilization of the whole cocoa fruit and dedicated to the development of sustainable, nutritious and antioxidant-rich foods, recently closed a $20 million Series B funding round.
The US company recycles whole cocoa pods to make sustainable, nutritious and antioxidant-rich foods, including cocoa water, cereals, nuts, whole cocoa bars, chocolate-covered cocoa beans and dried cocoa fruit.
The company's raw materials and production methods utilize 70% of the cocoa fruit that is normally discarded during traditional chocolate production, reducing cocoa waste while increasing the value of the cocoa fruit and creating income growth for cocoa farmers.
3, NotPla: environmentally friendly plastic packaging
NotPla is an innovative company focused on developing sustainable packaging solutions. At a time of growing environmental awareness, the company is committed to replacing traditional plastic packaging with bio-based materials to reduce the negative impact on the environment. It raised £20 million in Series A funding this year.
NotPla's core technology is to use plant-based materials, such as seaweed, to develop packaging materials with plastic-like properties. This material not only has good flexibility and barrier properties, can effectively protect the product, and can be degraded in the natural environment. For example, the packaging film it produces can be used for food packaging like traditional plastic film, but it can decompose naturally within a certain period of time after waste, and will not remain for a long time like traditional plastic, causing white pollution. Its products are widely used, covering food packaging, catering packaging and some consumer goods packaging.
4. E.V.A. Biosystems: decomposable plastics
E.V.A. Biosystems is a startup company that originated at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Building on academic research, it focuses on developing innovative plastics technologies aimed at solving the global environmental problem of plastic pollution.
The company has developed a unique plastic product that integrates special bacteria into conventional plastic. When the plastic comes into contact with seawater, the bacteria can detect the seawater environment and activate enzymes to break down the plastic. Compared with traditional plastics, its biggest advantage is its ability to self-decompose in the Marine environment and does not produce microplastics. The company has received commercial support from industry partners for further technology development.
5. Vtal: Reusable packaging system
Vytal is a company based in Cologne, Germany, founded in 2019, focused on developing software-driven reusable packaging solutions. The company recently raised more than €6 million in a funding round led by Emerald Technology Ventures.
The company focuses on developing software and data-driven products. Smart reusable cups and food containers are equipped with RFID tags that can be tracked individually, improving checkout efficiency at the point of sale and simplifying the return process after use with an unattended return process. In addition, professional cleaning centers can benefit from automated container counting, replacing manual counting. Vytal's technology platform uses QR codes and RFID chips to efficiently track reusable packaging. The open reusable packaging system allows consumers to borrow and return high-quality reusable containers for free from thousands of partner locations.
