SPAIN/INTERNATIONAL. Global food & beverage and travel retail operator Areas has named startups The Good Plastic Company and Coffeefrom as the fourth edition winners of the ‘Areas for Change Challenge’.
The companies were selected for scalable sustainability concepts for potential roll out across Areas’ proprietary brands estate.
Areas ran the initiative in partnership with Plug and Play, the global innovation platform based in Silicon Valley.
Launched in December for the international startup community, the latest edition targeted practical and scalable solutions aligned with Areas’ strategic priorities and the broader sustainability challenges facing the food & beverage and travel retail sectors.
This year’s brief centred on sustainable materials for proprietary brand environments and on recycling and upcycling coffee waste back into the value chain.
Following an international application process, the aforementioned startups were selected to collaborate with Areas on pilot programmes designed to validate implementation and demonstrate international scalability. Both companies will work closely with Areas’ teams, with the prospect of longer-term partnerships.
Netherlands-based The Good Plastic Company secured the Sustainable Materials Solutions for Interior Design award for its Polygood material, which transforms plastic waste into large-scale surface materials suitable for interior design projects.
Italy-based Coffeefrom won in the Coffee Grounds Upcycling category for technology that converts spent coffee grounds into reusable hospitality items and accessories, including cups, plates and trays in multiple formats.
The selected startups were hosted at Areas’ global headquarters in Barcelona, where they presented their concepts to project teams and members of the company’s global executive leadership as the group moves into the pilot development phase.
Areas Communication, Sustainability and Customer Experience Director Blanca López Alerm said, “For the fourth consecutive year, we are driving the Areas for Change Challenge with the aim of identifying innovative solutions that enable us to generate a real positive impact on our operations.
“Supporting startups with creative and disruptive approaches is key to advancing in sustainability, reducing our environmental footprint and continuing to enhance the traveller experience, turning ideas into tangible projects.”
Areas for Change Challenge forms part of the wider Areas ESG roadmap, ‘Areas for Change’, which is focused on people, planet and the traveller experience. 
