Unilever supports waste solutions

KARACHI: Unilever Pakistan and SEED Ventures, a social enterprise incubator, launched a joint initiative to tackle plastic waste and promote sustainable waste management in Pakistan, a statement said on Thursday.

The initiative, called '2nd Life Pakistan', is an innovation challenge that invites local start-ups and researchers to develop creative solutions for reducing plastic pollution and recycling plastic waste.

The challenge has two segments: Acceleration and Research. The Acceleration segment focuses on supporting start-ups with existing solutions, while the Research segment aims to encourage new ideas and prototypes.

The challenge began with the shortlisting of 11 start-ups and 18 research applications, who underwent a month-long capacity building program with mentorship and webinars from Unilever and SEED Ventures. The top three participants in each segment then pitched their solutions to a jury of Unilever personnel.

The winner of the Acceleration segment was Bigger Bricks, a start-up that converts plastic waste into construction materials. The winner of the Research segment was a team from Aga Khan niversity, who proposed a novel method of converting plastic waste into biofuel.

The winners received prize money of Rs1 million and Rs500,000 respectively, as well as the opportunity to collaborate with Unilever Pakistan on plastic waste initiatives.