American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation PepsiCo has on Thursday announced the launch of the second Greenhouse Accelerator program in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.
Following the success of last year’s program, PepsiCo said in a statement that it is looking to make an even greater impact on the food and beverage sector in the region by collaborating with and supporting entrepreneurs who are developing innovative solutions in sustainable agriculture, climate action, and the circular economy.
As the Asia Pacific experiences a notable shift towards more sustainable supply chains in an effort to reach net zero, PepsiCo said it understands its position to influence and be a part of this transition.
It is noted that the Greenhouse Accelerator APAC Sustainability Edition is an initiative to partner with innovative entrepreneurs in the region to advance the company’s goal to be net zero by 2040.
As part of the program, PepsiCo will select up to ten applicants to receive $20,000 in grants as well as mentoring from subject-matter experts from PepsiCo’s executive bench and broader leadership team.
The final winner of the $100,000 prize will be announced in Thailand in September 2024.
Applications for 2024 are now open, and APAC startups with solutions in the sustainable packaging, climate action, and sustainable agriculture spaces are eligible to apply.
The shortlisted applicants will be selected based on the degree of innovation, business model scalability, uniqueness, disruptive potential, and a mission to drive emissions reduction and circularity.
“Last year, we initiated seven pilot projects, each contributing to our sustainability goals and demonstrating the power of partnership,
“APAC is a focal region for agri and food tech innovation, and with new partners joining us, we aim to use our reach to positively influence the food ecosystem.” said Wern-Yuen Tan, PepsiCo, Chief Executive Officer of APAC.
Since its inception in 2017, the Greenhouse Accelerator has included over 86 companies across the Middle East and North Africa, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, the United States, and APAC.
To date, the collective revenue of the emerging startups has exceeded $20 million.
Last year, the program received over 100 applications across the APAC region, with Powered Carbon delivering the winning solution.
Powered Carbon’s low carbon fertilizer solution which uses carbon dioxide to cultivate bacteria, has since been tested on potatoes in PepsiCo’s China Shandong Farm.
For the second edition of the program in APAC, PepsiCo has partnered with Suntory PepsiCo Beverage Thailand, Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage, and Circulate Capital with an
aim to address a comprehensive range of environmental challenges and to cultivate a generation of entrepreneurs who can drive positive impact across multiple facets of
sustainability.
“As a leader in the beverage industry, Suntory PepsiCo Thailand is proactively addressing environmental challenges through an unwavering commitment to sustainability, innovation, and compliance,
“We are dedicated to optimizing internal processes and reducing greenhouse gas emissions across our entire value chain while collaborating with other stakeholders to achieve a net-zero carbon society,” said Ashish Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, Suntory PepsiCo Beverage (Thailand).
“We clearly define priority issues, including achieving water conservation and replenishment, fostering a sustainable packaging management for the circular economy, and greenhouse gas reduction throughout our operation,
“Emphasizing the importance of collaboration, we are pleased to participate in this program to build a sustainable society that prioritizes environmental responsibility,” he added.
Meanwhile, Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Chief Executive Officer and General Director Jahanzeb Khan said that the company’s sustainability strategy and goals align with the Vietnam government’s commitment, especially its pledge to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.
“We have collaborated with strategic partners to implement multiple initiatives in realizing sustainability goals, notably, our phasing out of fossil fuel in manufacturing plants and reduced virgin plastic consumption leading to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” he added.
The Seven Pilots From Greenhouse Accelerator 2023 APAC Sustainability Edition
1. Adiona
Adiona’s software as a service (SaaS) solution focuses on last-mile delivery-route planning and optimization, based on real-time data.
They worked with PepsiCo mentors to identify opportunities for optimization in our Australia value chain.
Their Tingalpa plant was identified for strong pilot potential due to its location and availability of data, which was used to assess routes and deliver optimization strategies using the SaaS platform.
The data pilot showed route optimization could lead to 19.4 percent reduction in both distance traveled, and carbon dioxide emitted from Tingalpa’s logistics routes.
2. Aspiring Materials
Aspiring Materials captures carbon dioxide emissions using existing materials occurring in nature.
Mentors worked with Aspiring Materials on marketing material and identified an opportunity to pilot the proof of concept. Now, Aspiring Materials are partnering with the PepsiCo Wiri site in Auckland to pilot a carbon capture structure.
3. REMAKEHUB
REMAKEHUB drives circularity of packaging through upcycling low-value plastic and consumer education.
PepsiCo mentors identified an opportunity to replace secondary cardboard packaging sold to customers with upcycled polyethylene bottle caps, resulting in an estimated cost savings.
The pilot started in the third quarter of 2023.
4. Powered Carbon
Powered Carbon converts carbon dioxide into useful chemicals using clean energy.
With mentors, they identified applications for probiotics in agriculture, a field the team had never explored prior to the Accelerator.
They partnered with PepsiCo’s agriculture team and fertilizer supplier in China to develop a fertilizer component.
Powered Carbon’s low carbon fertilizer solution has since been piloted on PepsiCo’s potatoes grown in Guangdong, China.
5. HRK Group
HRK Group is working against plastic pollution by developing waterproof paper food packaging that is 100% biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable.
HRK explored the process of transforming potato starch from PepsiCo’s potato chips lines into secondary packaging. Currently, assessments are focused on optimizing the conversion process to reduce moisture content in potato starch used in packaging.
6. MEDS Ventures
MEDS’ DECAPLAN tool is the only digital platform in the world that allows end-to-end multi-energy and multi-objective optimization and decarbonization of industrial sites.
As part of the pilot, MEDS is working with PGCS Singapore to assess energy savings on plant equipment.
7. Green2Get
Green2Get’s digital platform and application promotes the circular economy by connecting stakeholders in the recycling value chain, facilitating efficient trading of materials, and encouraging sustainable recycling behavior modification.
Green2Get’s pilot involved a social media campaign with Lays in Thailand to drive collection of flexible film packaging.