• The PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator – APAC Sustainability Edition 2024 will select up to 10 shortlisted applicants to receive US$20,000 in grants and mentoring from PepsiCo’s subject-matter experts, and the winning participant selected to receive funding of US$100,000 will be announced at the end of the program in September 2024. 
• With the program, PepsiCo aims to address packaging waste, agricultural sustainability, and climate change by creating a positive impact through collaboration and partnerships. 
• Applications for the program are now open till 18 March 2024. 

SINGAPORE, 26 JANUARY 2024 – PepsiCo today announced the launch of the second Greenhouse Accelerator program in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Following the success of last year’s program, PepsiCo is looking to make an even greater impact on the food and beverage sector in the region by collaborating with and supporting entrepreneurs who are developing innovative solutions in sustainable agriculture, climate action, and the circular economy. 

As the Asia Pacific experiences a notable shift towards more sustainable supply chains in an effort to reach net zero, PepsiCo understands its position to influence and be a part of this transition. The Greenhouse Accelerator APAC Sustainability Edition is an initiative to partner with innovative entrepreneurs in the region to advance the company’s goal to be net zero by 2040. As part of the program, PepsiCo will select up to 10 applicants to receive US$ 20,000 in grants as well as mentoring from subject-matter experts from PepsiCo’s executive bench and broader leadership team. The final winner of the US$ 100,000 prize will be announced in Thailand in September 2024. 

Applications for 2024 are now open, and APAC startups with solutions in the sustainable packaging, climate action, and sustainable agriculture spaces are eligible to apply. The shortlisted applicants will be selected based on the degree of innovation, business model scalability, uniqueness, disruptive potential, and a mission to drive emissions reduction and circularity. 

“Building on the strong start we made in 2023, we are extremely proud to launch the second edition of the Greenhouse Accelerator program across the Asia Pacific region. Last year, we initiated seven pilot projects, each contributing to our sustainability goals and demonstrating the power of partnership. APAC is a focal region for agri and food tech innovation, and with new partners joining us, we aim to use our reach to positively influence the food ecosystem.” shared Wern-Yuen Tan, PepsiCo, CEO of APAC.  

Since its inception in 2017, the Greenhouse Accelerator has included over 86 companies across the Middle East and North Africa, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, the United States, and APAC. To date, the collective revenue of the emerging startups has exceeded USD $20 million. Last year, the program received over 100 applications across the APAC region, with Powered Carbon delivering the winning solution. Powered Carbon’s low carbon fertilizer solution which uses CO₂ to cultivate bacteria, has since been tested on potatoes in PepsiCo’s China Shandong Farm. For the second edition of the program in APAC, PepsiCo has partnered with Suntory PepsiCo Beverage Thailand, Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage, and Circulate Capital with an aim to address a comprehensive range of environmental challenges and to cultivate a generation of entrepreneurs who can drive positive impact across multiple facets of sustainability. 

Mr. Ashish Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, Suntory PepsiCo Beverage (Thailand), said, “As a leader in the beverage industry, Suntory PepsiCo Thailand is proactively addressing environmental challenges through an unwavering commitment to sustainability, innovation, and compliance. We are dedicated to optimizing internal processes and reducing greenhouse gas emissions across our entire value chain while collaborating with other stakeholders to achieve a net-zero carbon society. We clearly define priority issues, including achieving water conservation and replenishment, fostering a sustainable packaging management for the circular economy, and greenhouse gas reduction throughout our operation. Emphasizing the importance of collaboration, we are pleased to participate in this program to build a sustainable society that prioritizes environmental responsibility.” 

“Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam is proud to be a partner in this impactful initiative, create a platform where innovations can thrive and can contribute to the movement toward a more sustainable future. Our company’s sustainability strategy and goals align with the Vietnam Government’s commitment, especially its pledge to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. We have collaborated with strategic partners to implement multiple initiatives in realizing sustainability goals, notably, our phasing out of fossil fuel in manufacturing plants and reduced virgin plastic consumption leading to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.” said Jahanzeb Khan, CEO and General Director, Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam. 

To apply for the PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator 2024 APAC Sustainability Edition, visit the website at greenhouseaccelerator.com/apac/ or PepsiCo’s LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/pepsico 

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The Seven Pilots From Greenhouse Accelerator 2023 APAC Sustainability Edition 

1. Adiona 

Adiona’s SaaS solution focuses on last-mile delivery-route planning and optimization, based on real-time data. They worked with PepsiCo mentors to identify opportunities for optimization in our Australia value chain. Our Tingalpa plant was identified for strong pilot potential due to its location and availability of data, which was used to assess routes and deliver optimization strategies using the SaaS platform. The data pilot showed route optimization could lead to 19.4% reduction in both distance traveled, and CO2 emitted from Tingalpa’s logistics routes.  

2. Aspiring Materials 

Aspiring Materials captures CO2 emissions using existing materials occurring in nature. Mentors worked with Aspiring Materials on marketing material and identified an opportunity to pilot the proof of concept. Now, Aspiring Materials are partnering with the PepsiCo Wiri site in Auckland to pilot a carbon capture structure.  

3. REMAKEHUB 

REMAKEHUB drives circularity of packaging through upcycling low-value plastic and consumer education. PepsiCo mentors identified an opportunity to replace secondary cardboard packaging sold to customers with upcycled polyethylene bottle caps, resulting in an estimated cost savings. The pilot started in Q3 2023.  

4. Powered Carbon 

Powered Carbon converts carbon dioxide into useful chemicals using clean energy. With mentors, they identified applications for probiotics in agriculture, a field the team had never explored prior to the Accelerator. They partnered with PepsiCo’s agriculture team & fertilizer supplier in China to develop a fertilizer component. Powered Carbon’s low carbon fertilizer solution has since been piloted on PepsiCo’s potatoes grown in Guangdong, China. 

5. HRK Group 

HRK Group is working against plastic pollution by developing waterproof paper food packaging that is 100% biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable. HRK explored the process of transforming potato starch from PepsiCo’s potato chips lines into secondary packaging. Currently, assessments are focused on optimizing the conversion process to reduce moisture content in potato starch used in packaging.  

6. MEDS Ventures 

MEDS’ DECAPLAN tool is the only digital platform in the world that allows end-to-end multi-energy and multi-objective optimization and decarbonization of industrial sites. As part of the pilot, MEDS is working with PGCS Singapore to assess energy savings on plant equipment. 

7. Green2Get 

Green2Get’s digital platform and application promotes the circular economy by connecting stakeholders in the recycling value chain, facilitating efficient trading of materials, and encouraging sustainable recycling behaviour modification. Green2Get’s pilot involved a social media campaign with Lays in Thailand to drive collection of flexible film packaging. 

About PepsiCo 

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $86 billion in net revenue in 2022, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. 

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.