London cleantech startup raises £2.55m to reduce reliance on single-use packaging

London-based cleantech startup, Again, has raised a £2.55m pre seed investment, led by Eka Ventures, to develop “the worlds’ smartest system” for cleaning packaging for refill and reuse.

Again’s compact, shipping container sized CleanCell solution is said to use 76 per cent less water and 90 per cent 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 power brands to reuse their packaging for cheaper than purchasing single use packaging. The pioneering cleaning technology system already matches the cost of single-use packaging for small brands.

Bringing down the cost of reusable packaging will break down a significant barrier to its adoption 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.

Resources & waste minister Jo Churchill said: “It is really encouraging to see businesses working together on this exciting new pilot to make reuse more affordable and I look forward to hearing the results.

“Through our new Environment Act we will tackle the nation’s ‘throwaway culture’ - incentivising manufacturers to produce more recyclable packaging, and putting in place consistent recycling collections for households and businesses.”

Matt Kennedy, founder and CEO of Again, added: “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.”

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