ABOUT THE CHALLENGE

Making, using, and disposing of the materials we rely on (from steel and cement to plastics and coatings) accounts for roughly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.*

MassChallenge believes startups and corporations can help. Startups can play a unique role in bringing new disruptive ideas to the table. Corporations can play a critical role in scaling these ideas and bringing benefits to society quickly.  We have been running a challenge around sustainable food for 6 years with 2,800 startups applying to take part, and over 500 of these being connected to our partners. Of these, over half were involved in a detailed follow-up discussion - check the success stories segment. We are now opening a new challenge around sustainable materials.

MassChallenge’s partners are seeking startups developing novel materials that are sourced, produced, or used in ways that minimise environmental impact and support long-term ecological balance. These innovations aim to enable lower emissions & waste, improve performance & reduce cost, and make supply chains more resilient & secure.

Many breakthrough materials solutions stall without access to the right infrastructure or industry connections. MassChallenge’s partners span entire value chains, bringing unique expertise and capabilities, from sourcing and production, to processing and conversion to end-use applications. They offer startups the opportunity to pilot, co-develop, and scale their solutions accelerating real-world impact and market adoption.

*https://ourworldindata.org/ghg-emissions-by-sector

THE STARTUPS WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Our partners: Bühler Group, Givaudan, Mars, Omya, dsm-firmenich, Louis Dreyfus Company, Tate and Lyle, and SIG  are looking for startups or scaleups, with proven solutions or technologies in the areas of:

Circular & Bio-based Materials

Bio-based polymers & plastic alternatives
Inks, dyes & functional additives
Pulp, paper & cellulose-based components

Recycling & Processing Technologies

Sorting & advanced recycling (plastics, textiles, composites)
Chemical & enzymatic approaches
Recovery & upgrading technologies

Sidestream Valorization

Industrial, forestry & agri by-products
Circular materials upcycling (fibers, binders, coatings, resins)

Functional Materials & Packaging

Next-gen coatings & barrier layers (aseptic & chilled carton, recyclable coatings, sealing innovations)
Sterilization, disinfection & sealing

Green Chemistry & Formulation

Consumer applications (cleaning disinfectant, fragrances, hygiene)
Encapsulation & controlled release

Construction & Carbon Solutions

Low-carbon construction & additives
Carbon-negative materials (CO₂-based, sequestration)

⭐ All startups that have a fit with our Partners in the above fields will be connected and invited to a 1:1 call or DemoDay.

♻️ This Sustainable Materials Challenge especially seeks materials startups that could increase circularity, transforming sidestreams into valuable assets. We will connect startups to MassChallenge’s partners who are both producers and users of sidestreams or the ingredients resulting out of it. This could result in a startup helping a partner turn waste into a product, that could be sold to another partner.

BENEFITS FOR THE SELECTED STARTUPS

Startups and Corporate Partners engage together to drive change toward a sustainable world and lead global impact. This Challenge allows them to work together, create a joint pitch, and scale up innovative solutions, faster than they could alone.

All startups participating in the Challenge will get:

A direct pathway to multi-national corporations:If shortlisted by our partners, MassChallenge will introduce you to representatives of the partners, including senior R&D, open innovation managers, sustainability executives, and business unit heads. You will talk to the right stakeholders in these organizations, you will have their full attention from the start, and will explore ways to collaborate with them.
The ability to scale your technology with them: After the initial meeting we foresee a detailed sharing of information, most likely covered by a Non-Disclosure Agreement, and then the creation of a joint pilot to evaluate the scaling potential of the product. Startups could then become suppliers to the corporation, partners in some form of venture, or receive investment. Every step is totally at the corporation and startup's discretion, and there is no obligation to proceed unless the startup and corporation wish.
Publicity and more connections: each corporate partner will invite a startup that they shortlisted to our flagship event, the MassChallenge Sustainable Materials Challenge Day, in June 2026. There, the startup combined with their corporate partner will present their joint solution on how to feed the planet sustainably to all of our corporate partners, resulting in more connections and the potential to work with other corporates. This event will be subject to press releases from MassChallenge and some of our corporate partners, providing visibility to the startups. Selected startups will receive 1,000CHF to contribute towards travel to the event.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

We are looking for startups and scaleups that:

Have a product or idea at the prototype stage or with a working proof of concept backed by data (ie Technical Readiness Level 5, where the technology has been validated in a relevant environment).
Are a strategic fit with our partners. In the application form, startups can note which specific partner(s) are a strategic fit for their solution. When discussing with a partner what’s important is an openness to collaborate and scale your idea.
Are from seed to series C+. What’s important is that your product is at least at the prototype stage or with a working proof of concept backed by data. You may already have some sales & traction. This enables us to validate that there is a need for your product and that you’re ready to work with our corporate partners. The next step is to work with the corporate partner to scale your technology.
Have Impactful, Viable, and Scalable ideas:
- Impactful: to massively benefit society by extracting value whilst reducing the CO2 footprint and emissions of the entire value chain;
- Viable: be able to demonstrate traction amongst consumers; manufacturers, and their supply base;
- Scalable: be able to scale at the manufacture, distribution, or disposal stage of production.
Are from any geography. However, note that our partner corporations are headquartered in Europe, so physical collaboration would be mostly in Europe. Startups should ensure they are able to travel to Europe for discussions. The selection process will be carried out online.

HOW THE CHALLENGE WORKS

Relevant applicants will be presented to partner corporations;
Selected startups will be invited to meet with R&D, open innovation, sustainability executives, and business unit heads for further discussion and to evaluate the potential for collaboration;
We expect that this will result in proof of concepts, partnerships, and investments for several of the startups;
In addition to the above, each partner will select one start-up to pitch their joint collaboration idea at the Sustainable Materials Challenge Day in June 2026, where all of our corporate partners will attend. This will be a physical event in Switzerland;
It is anticipated that partners and startups will then work together to scale the startups' ideas through the partners’ businesses.