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Food System 6 is excited to announce a new program sponsored by Huhtamaki, aimed at surfacing and supporting the most innovative circular economy startups worldwide. The purpose of this program is to support the development of young and promising companies in the circular economy focused on ensuring a better, more sustainable future. As part of this program, FS6 will offer mentorship, advising, and networking opportunities to help amplify the impact and reach of these solutions.
Meet the Cohort
Over the 8 weeks of application outreach and selection for the Circular Economy Program, we heard from an expansive group of innovators from around the world and across many sectors of the circular economy. Applications came in from 51 countries and ranged from small-scale big-impact regional solutions to large-scale global innovations. These solutions represent the leaders of our present and future food system.
Read our blog post, What's Next in the Circular Economy?, to learn more about the insights we gathered through this process about what is happening around the world to usher in a more sustainable and circular future for our planet and its inhabitants.
The eight innovations that make up the Circular Economy Cohort were selected for their outstanding leadership across the five FS6 impact pillars of: Circularity, Healthy People, Vibrant Farms, and Justice & Fairness. Learn more about our selection process below.
Read our blog post, What's Next in the Circular Economy?, to learn more about the insights we gathered through this process about what is happening around the world to usher in a more sustainable and circular future for our planet and its inhabitants.
The eight innovations that make up the Circular Economy Cohort were selected for their outstanding leadership across the five FS6 impact pillars of: Circularity, Healthy People, Vibrant Farms, and Justice & Fairness. Learn more about our selection process below.
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AHEZA IWACU is an optimized waste management solution in Burundi, focused on extending the life cycle of organic, plastic, and other household waste through collection, upcycling, and recycling services. They utilize these waste streams by transforming refuse into a valuable resource and selling natural-organic and upcycled-plastic materials back into the community. AHEZA IWACU is also educating households on waste sorting and bio-intensive agricultural practices in an effort to fight food insecurity and ensure an equitable and ecologically sustainable future
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Andes Ag is harnessing the power of microbes to develop novel seeds and plants for a future generation of regenerative agriculture. The company has developed the world's first efficient and shelf-stable integration of agricultural seeds and microbes, Microprime, which enables higher yields and increased nitrogen capture from the air while sequestering carbon in the soil. The implementation of the Microprime technology will decrease industry dependence on synthetic nitrogen and increase carbon sequestration directly impacting climate change
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The Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive (CoFED) is building a cooperative food economy, powered by the visionary leadership of young people of color. They partner with food and land co-ops across the US and Canada to embody cooperative values and economics. CoFED provides technical assistance, political education, capital, and networking opportunities to young QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Color) food and land cooperators. They are building a network of food and land cooperatives led by QTBIPOC cooperators.
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Matriark Foods upcycles farm surplus and fresh-cut remnants into healthy, delicious, products for foodservice: schools, hospitals, and foodbanks. They partner with farmers, aggregators, and fresh-cut vegetable facilities to divert waste streams at a disruptive scale, feed large numbers of people, and build a better food system. Matriark Foods is part of a movement to maximize the value of our natural resources and create a sustainable, circular economy that supports the well-being of people and the preservation of nature
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mobius converts the unavoidable organic waste streams from food, forestry, and agriculture into renewable chemicals and biodegradable materials - using the tools of biology, chemistry, and engineering. Their first materials are lignin-based biodegradable plastics, which are designed to return to nature at the end of their useful life. The mobius mission is to create a world where there's wonder in waste.
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Nafici enables innovative fiber-based packaging solutions through EcoPulping, a patented low-carbon process that transforms agricultural residues into paper pulp. EcoPulping is an economic, low carbon and sustainable solution for using large amounts of surplus agricultural waste (often burnt, or left to rot) to replace wood pulp derived from trees. Every tonne of EcoPulp produced saves almost 1 tonne of CO2 compared to the equivalent wood pulp production and transportation.
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Rhizoform bio-fabricates mycelium-based alternatives to the plastic foam for thermally insulated packaging. Their first product, RhizoBox, is a fully biodegradable thermal cooler that keeps food and medicines fresh, cuts greenhouse gas emissions, and curbs plastic waste. By providing a compostable alternative to plastic foam containers, their technology keeps plastic pollution out of the food chain and out of the world’s oceans, enriches the soil, and sequesters carbon.
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SoluBlue has developed a sustainable seaweed-based alternative to plastic and bioplastic food packaging, which extends shelf-life and reduces food waste. SoluBlue packaging looks and feels like plastic, but is breathable and hydrophilic, absorbing excess moisture from food and preventing mold growth. Not only does the SoluBlue packaging extend shelf life – it gradually dries food over months, providing a second life. Their packaging is biodigestible, making it safe for marine life, and is home compostable, biodegrading as quickly as the food it contains.
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About the Program
The Huhtamaki Circular Economy Startup Program by Food System 6 will support a cohort of up to 8 entrepreneurs, working in all business entity types, in their efforts to create a more circular economy. Participants will receive coaching and mentorship in lead-up to a three-day immersive virtual event, where founders will engage with and learn from subject matter experts from the Huhtamaki community of industry leaders.
Selected companies will receive a grant of up to $15k. In addition, FS6 will select up to 3 of these companies to receive additional grants of up to an aggregate of $200k and 1 company will receive a full year of mentorship and support from the FS6 ecosystem.
Companies chosen for the program must fulfill the following terms:
For additional details, read the complete Huhtamaki Circular Economy Program Terms & Conditions
Selected companies will receive a grant of up to $15k. In addition, FS6 will select up to 3 of these companies to receive additional grants of up to an aggregate of $200k and 1 company will receive a full year of mentorship and support from the FS6 ecosystem.
Companies chosen for the program must fulfill the following terms:
- Engage in all programmatic elements of the cohort program
- One representative from each company must attend the 3-day digital event in November
- All companies and their representatives must uphold the values of Food System 6
For additional details, read the complete Huhtamaki Circular Economy Program Terms & Conditions
Timeline/Location Details
Applications for the Huhtamaki Circular Economy Startup Program closed on August 15th, 2020 at 12am PT.
Circular Economy Program - Important Dates:
**Dates are subject to change |
Selection Criteria
Candidates were chosen through a rigorous selection process, in which system impact and economic viability of the business were taken into consideration. FS6 was looking for early-stage companies with a proven track-record of success. When we review the economic viability of the company or non-profit, we’re looking for a strong leader; a creative and innovative solution to a problem present in the current marketplace; key differentiators that set a particular product offering apart; and a strategy that takes into account a deep understanding of systems impact on the circular economy.
The companies were selected based on the FS6 selection process – with an additional focus on identifying innovations that are making change across the circular economy.
FS6 Impact Pillars
Across all our programs, FS6 prioritizes working with entrepreneurs who are building a food system that focuses on health, sustainability, and justice. We support early stage for-profit and non-profit entrepreneurs who are tackling one or more food system challenges across the following impact areas*:
The companies were selected based on the FS6 selection process – with an additional focus on identifying innovations that are making change across the circular economy.
FS6 Impact Pillars
Across all our programs, FS6 prioritizes working with entrepreneurs who are building a food system that focuses on health, sustainability, and justice. We support early stage for-profit and non-profit entrepreneurs who are tackling one or more food system challenges across the following impact areas*:
HEALTHY PEOPLE
For example, innovations that:
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VIBRANT FARMS
For example, innovations that:
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SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEMS
For example, innovations that:
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JUSTICE & FAIRNESS
For example, innovations that:
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For the purposes of the Huhtamaki Circular Economy Startup Program, FS6 also scored applicants across a fifth impact area of circularity.
CIRCULARITY
For example, innovations that:
- Design out waste and pollution
- Keep products and materials in use
- Regenerate natural systems
*The FS6 impact areas are adapted from Whole Measures for Community Food Systems, a values-based strategic planning and evaluation framework developed by the Center for Whole Communities and the Community Food Security Coalition.
FAQs
What is the Circular Economy?
Looking beyond the current take-make-waste extractive industrial model, a circular economy aims to redefine growth, focusing on positive society-wide benefits. It entails gradually decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources, and designing waste out of the system. Underpinned by a transition to renewable energy sources, the circular model builds economic, natural, and social capital. It is based on three principles:
*This definition comes from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
>>> READ THE EXTENDED FAQs
Looking beyond the current take-make-waste extractive industrial model, a circular economy aims to redefine growth, focusing on positive society-wide benefits. It entails gradually decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources, and designing waste out of the system. Underpinned by a transition to renewable energy sources, the circular model builds economic, natural, and social capital. It is based on three principles:
- Design out waste and pollution
- Keep products and materials in use
- Regenerate natural systems
*This definition comes from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
>>> READ THE EXTENDED FAQs