Amazon Sustainability Accelerator rewards reusable e-commerce packaging | Article

Fifteen European startups have been selected for mentorship and a potential pan-European trial as part of this year’s Amazon Sustainability Accelerator program; among them are five companies providing reusable packaging for the e-commerce sector.

Start-ups will take part in a four-week program of expert-led workshops, specialist mentoring and a tailored curriculum, as well as access to a network of entrepreneurs in the sustainability sector.

Experts from Amazon’s sustainability teams, the Climate Pledge Fund and Climate Pledge Friendly will work with participants, who will also receive AWS Activate credits worth £10,000 (€11,743.50).

For the first time since the start of the Sustainability Accelerator, companies will also have the opportunity to present their solutions in order to test them at Amazon’s European branches. The three successful startups will participate in another eight- to 10-week program to scope the pilot with a view to launching.

Depending on the scope and duration of the trial, Amazon will provide funding of between £50,000 (€58,717.50) and £2 million (€23,48,700) for this research.

Later-stage startups have moved from testing prototypes to working towards generating initial revenue and growing their business. These companies were selected from the key areas of the circular economy, energy in buildings and packaging.

Successful startups include Hipli, a packaging provider for e-commerce companies where used, empty delivery bags can be returned for cleaning and reuse. Each package includes a QR code for tracking and reuse.

The company has already signed agreements with over 220 French and European e-commerce companies, including Bpost, the leading Belgian postal operator.

RePack provides retailers with recycled polypropylene shipping bags that consumers can fold into a letter format and return via any post office box around the world at no additional cost. RePack will check, clean and prepare the packaging for further use – this process is intended to eliminate waste and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80%.

She has already collaborated with Royal Canin, Zalando, Otto and other consumer brands and e-commerce portals.

Meanwhile, Re-Zip rewards customers for returning reusable e-commerce packaging. Consumers can use the app to find the nearest drop-off point and scan the packaging label, after which they will receive a voucher for the online store where they ordered.

Apparently, this process increases customer retention and reduces CO2 emissions by up to 88%, while helping customers reduce packaging costs by 100%.

Opopop has developed “100% French” reusable and returnable packaging for e-commerce. Surplus waterproof materials from the textile industry are added to the packaging, and parcels are collected from consumers via the La Poste network. The packaging is designed to be easily repaired and last up to 100 uses.

Additionally, KIUD’s packaging solution made from recycled textile fibers is designed to be reused and recycled in conventional textile streams. Striving for durability, it claims to reduce water consumption by 60%, CO2 emissions by 46% and land use by 68% compared to cardboard alternatives.

The company adds that its solution is consistent with the European Green Deal and helps combat 78% of textile waste in the EU currently landfilled, incinerated or exported to African countries.

Since the Accelerator launched in 2022, it is believed to have supported over 25 start-ups across Europe and the UK. Amazon believes the initiative has helped participating companies increase their total sales by an average of 700%, has raised over £15 million (€17,615,250) to date and provided over £1 million in grants and loans.

“I’m very excited to welcome the 15 ambitious startups that joined the Amazon Sustainability Accelerator this year, including our first-ever Climate Tech pilot,” said Zak Watts, international director of sustainability at Amazon. “The range of businesses involved means we can support even more entrepreneurs to realize their potential.

“Not to mention the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to test their technology directly with parts of Amazon’s business. Our mission is to make the Amazon Sustainability Accelerator the best program of its kind in the world, enabling entrepreneurs to pioneer and scale cutting-edge sustainable solutions.

Climate innovation agency EIT Climate-KIC and innovation strategy consultants Founders Intelligence have also partnered with the Sustainability Accelerator this year.

Ezra Konvitz, director and head of accelerators at Founders Intelligence, commented: “We love finding ways for large companies to partner with leading startups that are creating the future. The incredible startups and technologies participating in the Pilot Challenge cohort give us cause for hope – if we help them find the best ways to work at Amazon scale, we will have a game-changing impact.”

In related news, Google recently announced the winners of its Single-Use Plastics Challenge, which sought more sustainable packaging solutions for its own food spaces and aimed to reduce the footprint of plastics in the foodservice industry. Winning candidates included suppliers of edible cutlery, data-powered food dispensers and refillable containers for cooking oil.

Additionally, late last year, Amazon partnered with small and medium-sized businesses Mum & You, The Cheeky Panda and BUSHBABY to deliver products in their original packaging rather than using shipping materials. This was in response to research suggesting that six in ten British adults would accept products delivered to their homes without shipping packaging to reduce their impact on the environment.

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