L’Oréal Provides €100 Million Support for Sustainable Innovation

In the second cycle of L’Oréal’s sustainable innovation program L’AcceleratOR, 13 companies from 8 countries were selected. Within the program, which is being implemented with a €100 million fund, the aim is to test and scale technologies developed in the fields of next-generation packaging and materials, sustainable content and formulations, advanced industrial processes, and data intelligence through pilot applications.

The second cycle of the L’AcceleratOR program, developed in line with L’Oréal’s sustainability goals, has begun. The 13 companies selected within the program will enter an acceleration process to turn the technologies they have developed for environmental issues in the areas of climate, nature and circularity into pilot applications within L’Oréal’s global operations.

In the second cycle of the program, the geographic scope was expanded, and water management and water technologies were added among the sustainability technologies. Within the program, which will be carried out under the leadership of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) innovation team, the aim is to make the companies’ solutions ready for pilot application.

Within pilot projects lasting 6 to 9 months, the selected companies will gain access to L’Oréal’s global resources and expertise and test the applicability of the technologies they have developed across different operations.

Sustainable Materials and Circular Technologies Stand Out in the Program

The 13 companies selected in the second cycle of L’AcceleratOR are working in different technology areas ranging from packaging and materials to next-generation ingredients, from chemical recycling to energy efficiency and water management.

In the next-generation packaging and materials category, UK-based Arda Biomaterials is developing a plant-based leather alternative for use in premium materials. Italy-based Bormioli Luigi is working on lighter and more durable glass packaging solutions, while France-based Auressens is developing metal-free and recyclable reflective pigments for use in packaging.

US-based Newlight Technologies is taking part in the program with its technology for converting methane into packaging material.

Biotechnology and Sustainable Ingredient Technologies

In the field of innovative ingredients and formulations, Germany-based Bioweg is focusing on developing next-generation raw materials with precision fermentation technology.

China-based Envision Energy is working on producing green ammonia that can be used in hair dyes using renewable energy sources.

These solutions are among the important topics of the program in terms of reducing the environmental impacts of the production processes of raw materials used in the cosmetics sector and developing alternative production methods.

New Solutions for Chemical Recycling and Industrial Processes

In the program’s advanced industrial processes category, technologies focused on recycling and the circular economy stand out.

India-based Without is developing recycling technology for flexible packaging that is difficult to recycle, while China-based HCpect offers a technology for processing plastic waste through chemical recycling.

US-based MacroCycle is focusing on recycling PET through low-carbon methods. India-based Nexus, meanwhile, is developing a circular technology for producing batteries from agricultural waste.

Finland-based Upheat Solutions Oy is developing solutions to increase energy efficiency with industrial heat pumps, while US-based Laminar aims to reduce total water use in industrial water management with smart sensor technology.

Water and Biodiversity Risks to Be Monitored with Artificial Intelligence

Another technology area in the second cycle of L’AcceleratOR was data intelligence.

US-based Waterplan is developing solutions with its AI-based platform for identifying water and biodiversity risks at the local level and taking action against these risks.

Water management stands out as one of the prominent topics in the new cycle of the program, particularly in terms of reducing the environmental impacts of industrial production processes.

Sustainable Innovation Collaboration Between L’Oréal and CISL

L’Oréal Corporate Responsibility Director Ezgi Barcenas stated that in the second cycle of L’AcceleratOR, they aim to contribute to scaling sustainable innovations by bringing together entrepreneurial creativity, scientific progress and L’Oréal’s global reach.

James Cole, Managing Director of Innovation at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), stated that following the selection process, the focus will be on ensuring that the startups included in the program develop commercially viable solutions.

“Entering L’AcceleratOR” Documentary Series Now Available

With the launch of the second cycle of L’AcceleratOR, the documentary series titled “Entering L’AcceleratOR,” which tells the transformation story of three companies from the first cycle of the program, has also been released to viewers.

The series covers how the technologies developed by the startups have been moved toward commercialization through pilot applications carried out together with L’Oréal teams.

The aim is for the technologies developed by the 13 companies in the second cycle of L’AcceleratOR to be tested through pilot applications and for successful solutions to be scaled across L’Oréal’s operations worldwide.

L’AcceleratOR’s 13 Innovation Partners

Arda Biomaterials – United Kingdom: Plant-based leather alternative

Bormioli Luigi – Italy: Lightweight and durable glass packaging

Auressens – France: Recyclable reflective pigments

Newlight Technologies – USA: Converting methane into packaging material

Bioweg – Germany: New raw materials through precision fermentation

Envision Energy – China: Green ammonia produced with renewable energy

Without – India: Recycling of flexible packaging

HCpect – China: Chemical recycling for plastic waste

MacroCycle – USA: Low-carbon PET recycling

Nexus – India: Battery production from agricultural waste

Upheat Solutions Oy – Finland: Industrial heat pumps

Laminar – USA: Industrial water management with smart sensors

Waterplan – USA: AI-based water and biodiversity risk analysis

The L’AcceleratOR program aims, within the scope of L’Oréal’s sustainability goals, to identify the technologies of the future at an early stage, test them through pilot applications, and scale successful solutions globally.