Join us to learn about startups on the cutting edge of food loss and waste reduction – in the proteins, plastics, and packaging industries, in partnership with Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation.

Thursday, September 30 | 6:00-7:40pm ET | Virtual Event

Register Here

On Thursday, Sep 30, 2021, join us virtually to celebrate the culmination of the KAITEKI Challenge–a corporate partnerships accelerator program that has supported six innovative startups focused on advancements in alternative proteins, waste plastics recycling, and the prevention of food loss and waste. The Challenge aims to bring the concept of KAITEKI, or “sustainable wellbeing for people, society, and planet Earth,” to daily life.

As a company with businesses in such diverse areas as films, polymers, food ingredients,

advanced composites, and more, MCHC recognizes the need to be proactive in transforming its business models through innovation. Circular economy provides one avenue to address the challenges of overconsumption and waste generation. However, no one company can create a circular economy on its own. The entire value chain must be involved. Therefore, MCHC prioritizes collaboration with external innovators in seeking to create value for tomorrow.

Attendees will hear from the startups that Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings has partnered with through the KAITEKI Challenge, along with Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings and Greentown Labs leadership, and will have the opportunity to network with these companies following the speaking program.

Agenda:

• 6:00pm – 6:10pm ET: Opening Remarks with Emily Reichert, CEO, Greentown Labs
• 6:10pm – 6:30pm ET: KAITEKI Cohort Presentations
• 6:30pm – 6:45 pm ET: Keynote Presentation with Lauren Phipps, Circular Economy VP & Senior Analyst, GreenBiz Group
• 6:45pm – 6:50pm ET: Closing Remarks with Larry Meixner, CTO/CIO, Managing Corporate Executive Officer, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings
• 6:50pm – 7:40pm ET: KAITEKI Cohort Showcase & General Networking

Learn more about the startups below!

• BlakBear (London, England) measures freshness from inside meat and fish packaging and stores the data in the cloud. BlakBear does so by using a smart label incorporated inside packaging, which measures spoilage gases and transmits the data wirelessly. This enables supply chain improvements and reduction of waste.
• Circularise (The Hague, The Netherlands) helps manufacturers to digitize raw materials and trace them to end products and parts. Circularise’s traceability software, built on blockchain technology, enables companies to make material information easily accessible to customers and regulators, without sharing sensitive and proprietary material composition information. We are excited to have Circularise back for their second Greentown Launch program, following their participation in our Circularity Challenge with BASF!
• Impactful Health R&D (Nova Scotia, Canada) is developing sustainable active packaging to prolong the shelf life of fresh fish. This approach can increase return on investment for the entire value chain, while reducing organic waste and plastics pollution.
• Paragon Pure (New Jersey, United States) creates ingredients to replace palm oils while delivering desirable appearance, melting performance, flavor, and mouthfeel of meat analog products. Olé pb™ is a rice bran oleogel tailored to enable the next generation of plant-based burgers.
• STARFIELD (Shenzhen, China) uses innovative technology to create plant-based meat alternatives that are delicious, affordable, and healthy. Key technologies include protein extrusion and extraction and natural flavor enhancement solutions.

The KAITEKI Challenge is part of Greentown Launch, Greentown’s flagship corporate partnerships accelerator, which enables forward-thinking corporates to mobilize the climatetech ecosystem to advance their sustainability goals, super-charge their external innovation strategies, and forge meaningful partnerships with industry-disrupting startups.