Coca-Cola has recently invested in a climate technology startup, Pipeline Organics, which specializes in transforming sugar-rich wastewater into clean electricity. This investment marks a significant step towards integrating innovative clean energy solutions into Coca-Cola’s operations across Europe.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), through its business innovation arm, CCEP Ventures, spearheaded an GBP £800,000 investment round into Pipeline Organics. This climate tech company is at the forefront of converting wastewater into renewable energy, using industrial fuel cells that produce electricity and heat through electrochemical reactions.
Additional support for this round came from government agency Innovate UK, enhancing the startup’s capacity to transition its technology from the lab to real-world applications.
Applications in Coca-Cola’s operations
The funding is deemed “critical” for advancing the application of this technology within actual operational settings, particularly Coca-Cola’s manufacturing sites across Europe. Pipeline Organics aims to refine and expand the applications of its cleaner and more cost-effective energy solutions in the food and drink industry, with plans to launch its first commercial product by the end of 2025.
According to Nicola Tongue, associate director at CCEP, utilizing renewable energy is crucial for the company’s decarbonization journey.
“The prospect of generating it on-site, using existing infrastructure and byproducts, is incredibly exciting,” Tongue told The Grocer. She expressed enthusiasm about supporting Pipeline Organics as they progress to the next development phase, aligning with Coca-Cola’s goal to achieve 100% renewable electricity across its sites by 2030.
Innovations and future prospects
Pipeline Organics has developed a compact generator, comparable in size to a brick, which surpasses a 550W solar panel in annual power generation, thus facilitating easy retrofitting and space-saving on manufacturing sites. This development comes as part of the broader initiative to stabilize energy access and operational costs in industries worldwide, without compromising sustainability.
Arielle Torres, co-founder and CEO of Pipeline Organics, emphasized the need for more innovative energy solutions amid challenges such as volatile energy prices and unreliable supply chains.
“Our technology has the potential to solve many of these challenges as it promises to deliver clean, cost-effective renewable electricity 24/7 directly on site, stabilising energy access and operational costs without sacrificing sustainability,” Torres told The Grocer.
Besides CCEP, Pipeline Organics also received backing from SFC Capital, Vala Capital, and climate angel investor Pasinee Tangsuriyapaisan. Through the Innovate UK Investor Partnership program, the startup was awarded an additional £630,000, contributing to a total investment of £1.7 million since its inception.
