L’Oréal has unveiled the 13 startups and SME’s to join the second edition of its sustainable innovation program, L’AcceleratOR. Backed by €100m, the program aims to support scalable sustainable solutions for climate, nature and circularity.
L’Oréal has expanded the geographical footprint for this year’s program, with the companies selected coming from eight countries. It has also broadened the scope of sustainability challenges addressed, including its first selection focused on water technology.
In packaging and materials, the companies are:
- Arda Biomaterials (UK): Creates a plant-based leather alternative for premium materials.
- Bormioli Luigi (Italy): Produces light and resistant glass packaging.
- Auressens (France): Creates metal-free, recyclable reflective pigments for packaging.
- Newlight Technologies, Inc. (US): Converts methane into packaging.
In ingredients and formulas, the companies are:
- Bioweg (Germany): Uses fermentation for new raw materials.
- Envision Energy (China): Develops green ammonia for hair colorants from renewable energy.
In industrial processes, the companies are:
- Without (India): Recycles technology for hard-to-recycle flexible packaging
- HCpect (China): Treats plastic waste through chemical recycling technology.
- MacroCycle (US): Recycles Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) through a low-carbon solution.
- Nexus (India): Produces batteries using agricultural waste through a circular technology.
- Upheat Solutions Oy (Finland): Promotes energy efficiency through novel industrial heat pumps.
- Laminar (US): Improves industrial water management through intelligent sensor technology to reduce overall usage.
In data intelligence, the companies are:
- Waterplan (US): Addresses water and biodiversity risks to drive local action through an AI-native platform.
The companies will be supported by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and will have access to L’Oréal’s resources to prepare and launch six-to-nine-month pilot projects. They could potentially have their solutions scaled across L’Oréal’s global operations.
L’Oréal has also unveiled a new docuseries called Entering L’AcceleratOR, which follows three of the companies selected for last year’s program. It shows how the startups and L’Oréal’s teams worked to pilot solutions for commercialization. The series can be found on the company’s YouTube channel.