£2.55m funding has been secured for the London pilot, which will see Again, a London-based clean-tech start-up, partner with Budweiser, Diageo, Biffa, Greene King and Arsenal Emirates Stadium.
The cost of reusable packaging can be up to five times more than single use, according to Again which says it is on a mission to shift billions of units of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) packaging into the circular economy by building a decentralised network of automated, micro cleaning facilities, called CleanCells.
£2.55 million pre seed investment, led by Eka Ventures, has been secured to develop the system.
Reusable packaging is the future but today it’s prohibitively expensive for brands. We’re in the early stages of building a circular economy and we see our role being the infrastructure that underpins the packaging aspect of this on a mass scale.
Again says its compact, shipping container-sized CleanCell will use 76% less water and 90% less energy than traditional recycling methods and can ‘efficiently process and clean thousands of packaging units each month, ready to be refilled and reused’.
By 2025, Again aims to empower brands to reuse their packaging at a lower cost compared to purchasing single use packaging. The cleaning technology system already matches the cost of single-use packaging for small brands, it says.
Bringing down the cost of reusable packaging will break down a ‘significant barrier’ to its adoption, Again says, as, despite commitments to eliminate single use plastic packaging, FMCG brands are ‘restricted by the higher cost of reuse and the lack of cleaning infrastructure’.
‘Reusable packaging is the future’
Matt Kennedy, founder and CEO of Again, said: “Reusable packaging is the future but today it’s prohibitively expensive for brands. We’re in the early stages of building a circular economy and we see our role being the infrastructure that underpins the packaging aspect of this on a mass scale.
“This can only be done with buy-in from across the value chain and we’re excited to be working in partnership with renowned brands, like Budweiser Brewing Group and Diageo, alongside waste management companies, like Biffa and SWRnewstar, to deliver a reusable packaging solution that can enable the shift of billions of units of packaging to reuse in an economically viable way.”
Again’s model is built on strategic partnerships across the entire FMCG value chain with a growing number of the world’s largest FMCG brands, retailers, reusable packaging platforms and even waste management companies.
The dirty, used packaging will be collected and sent to Again’s CleanCells, where it is cleaned using an ‘advanced cleaning system’ and redistributed back into the economy. The technology gives brands unique data insight into their packaging inventory and cost savings as the circular economy takes hold, Again says.
The company says its plans for the decentralised planting of its CleanCells in recycling facilities, retailer’s distribution centres and FMCG brand manufacturing plants will ‘drive significant efficiency in transportation logistics across the supply chain’.
‘Decentralised approach’
This spring, Again will pilot the collection, cleaning and redistribution of thousands of Camden Town Brewery, Johnnie Walker Black and Smirnoff bottles.
In partnership with waste management company Biffa, the project will use an electric vehicle supplied by Renault to collect the bottles from Arsenal Emirates Stadium, Greene King, Clays and a variety of London’s hottest nightclubs, including Brixton Jamm.
Again’s pilot will help inform the future design of Again’s next generation CleanCells as it prepares to scale.
Jon Coker from Eka Ventures said: “Again’s focus on using the existing logistical infrastructure and using technology and data to make reusable packaging as simple and affordable as single-use is exactly the kind of company we look to back at Eka.
Their decentralised approach and technology shows real promise to make circular packaging lower carbon and more cost effective than ever.
“Matt and the team have combined an inspiring vision with fast execution and operation excellence and we are excited to back them on the next stage of their journey.”
Oliver Finch, Investment Partner from Maersk Growth added: “Matt and the team at Again are building the enterprise grade circular supply chain, improving access and scalability of reusable packaging.
“Their decentralised approach and technology shows real promise to make circular packaging lower carbon and more cost effective than ever.
“We welcome and are very excited to support Again to create economic solutions that reduce landfill, water and environmental footprint, and to support a more sustainable future.”
Again was born out of the Founders Factory’s Venture Studio and is led by Matt Kennedy and supported by a team of packaging, circular economy and engineering talent from the likes of Unilever, Loop, Zoa Robotics and Mayway.
