Monthly update from our startups

To make the delivery of goods smarter and more sustainable, LivingPackets developed “The Box”. This packaging has various advantages, such as the elimination of plastic waste, the reliable protection of each delivery and its durability and recyclability. However, to be able to use this delivery option, customers must download a partner app. This app enables them to create e-labels quickly and easily. E-labels are environmentally friendly, because as opposed to paper labels, they are reusable and can be easily modified and adapted. This month, LivingPackets shared on their LinkedIn page how uncomplicated and beneficial it is to use this type of label.

Click here to dscover how this technology works!

Venvirotech closed a financing round of 11 million euros, which was led by a Spanish industrial investor. The Spanish startup has ambitious future plans and can therefore make good use of the money. One goal is to replace chemical plastic used in sectors that are still pretty much dependent on this material by a biodegradable bioplastic alternative. They also plan to install more containers (“Ve-Box”) in food industries and organic waste generators and want to expand their workforce. Up until now, Venvirotech has installed its Ve-Boxes in three big companies: BonÀea, Nestlé and Calidad Pascual. The material they create has similar properties as polypropylene or polyethylene, but is completely biodegradable and non-toxic.

Speak Spanish? Find the full article here.

The Italian startup ecoplasteam partnered up with the pharmaceutical company Unifarco. The enterprise comprises three sub brands that produce and sell cosmetics. Ecoplasteam developed a process to create the third material “EcoAllene” out of tetrapack and post-consumer poly-coupled materials from the food sector. The new, ecological plastic alternative has recently found its application in the production of “Eticpack” – a packaging for cosmetics and personal care products developed by Unifarco. Empty containers can be returned directly at pharmacies and are then recycled and used to produce new ones. Unired, a company specialized in the production of packaging for cosmetics, has collaborated in the development of Eticpack. The project is participating in the “Best Packaging 2021” competition and has been selected as one of the 27 finalists.

Read the article in Italian here.

This month, refurbed, a fast-growing online marketplace for refurbished products, announced to be joining the European Refurbishment Association (EUREFAS). EUREFAS was founded in April 2021 and has the target to advocate a fair and sustainable market and thereby create the basis for a long-term circular economy. Other circular companies that are part of EUREFAS are Fenix.eco, Foxway, Recommerce Group, Rewre and Tech2com. Kilian Kaminski, CO-Founder of refurbed is very pleased about this new alliance: “It's exciting to see companies with the same vision coming together and pulling in the same direction. We at refurbed are proud to also be part of EUREFAS now and to walk together towards a greener future, where the market for refurbished products and services becomes an integral part of the economy - on an European level!”

Find out more about this new alliance here.

Mimica, the startup that invented the temperature-sensitive indicator label for food freshness partnered up with EIT Food and the MAPP Centre at Aarhus University. The goal is to not only make the food system more sustainable, but also more trusted and profitable. The project will prepare “Mimica Touch” to rapidly scale-up, making its labelling available widely across the sector. Also, the startup recently announced on LinkedIn to be collaborating with Unreasonable and The Sure Chill Company for a project investigating the preservation of vaccines. We are already curious about the outcomes of these projects!

Find more information about these projects on Mimica’s LinkedIn page

Newcy CEO Caroline Bettan was highlighted on the Femmes de Bretagne website. The article recapitulates on her career and the different stages on her way to the foundation of Newcy. Femmes de Bretagne is a network that aims at supporting female entrepreneurship in Brittany and Loire-Atlantique. In the past, Caroline Bettan did an internship at Ashoka, which is a network that supports social entrepreneurs with ideas to initiate ambitious social change. After that she went back to university to do a master’s degree and worked together with three fellow students on a project of reusable coffee cups – the cornerstone for the foundation of Newcy was laid.

Read the article in French.