Amazon welcomes 16 more start-ups for Sustainability Accelerator

Image: Amazon

The e-commerce giant opened applications for the second round of the Accelerator back in February, stating that it wanted to focus on recycling technologies and more sustainable consumer goods.

Today (3 May), it has announced the six recycling start-ups and ten consumer goods innovators to benefit from the Accelerator, which it operates in partnership with WRAP and EIT Climate-KIC.

Eight of the 16 successful start-ups are British, including metal processing firm Descycle. Descycle is developing low-impact processes to extract metals and critical materials from e-waste using innovative solvents.

The other successful British startup in the recycling technologies category is Sorted, which has developed AI-powered systems that enable better sorting of recyclable materials at waste management facilities. This should help to improve recycling rates and the quality of recycled materials.

British winners in the consumer product include composable razor producer Nimbi, e-scooter company Bo, plastic-free cleaning firm Seep and Tangle, which upcycles discarded fishing nets into products for dogs, such as collars and toys. Also benefiting from the Accelerator is Milky Plant, a device that allows people to make their own plant-based milk at home.

More than 1,500 applications were made to Amazon for this edition of the Accelerator, up from around 1,300 for the first cohort.

The Sustainability Accelerator was forged to help Amazon deliver on its pledge to invest $2bn in sustainable innovations this decade. Successful applicants participate in a 12-week programme and are given support packages comprising grant funding, AWS Activate Credits and Amazon Advertising credits, as well as free mentoring and office space.

To coincide with its announcement on the Accelerator, Amazon has also published the findings of new research into investor engagement with startups on environmental topics.

It found that four in five investors have requested more details about the sustainability credentials of startups they are investing in within the past 12 months. Moreover, 56% of investors have declined a startup investment opportunity in the last 12 months due to concerns about a company’s sustainability credentials.