USA – Recycling-focused AI and robotics company, Glacier, has raised US$7.7 million to support its growth and capabilities aimed at enabling more materials to be recycled, avoiding waste, and helping reduce emissions.
The investment, led by venture investor New Enterprise Associates and Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, aims to propel Glacier’s growth and capabilities in recycling technology.
Additional participation from investors including AlleyCorp, Overture Climate VC, and VSC Ventures further underscores the industry’s confidence in Glacier’s mission.
Founded in 2019 by Rebecca Hu and Areeb Malik, Glacier, headquartered in San Francisco, specializes in solutions designed to enhance sorting and recycling rates.
The company’s innovative approach addresses the challenges that hinder many recyclable materials from entering the recycling stream.
Glacier utilizes AI-powered robots to automate sorting processes and collect real-time data on recycling streams for recycling companies and consumer brands.
This technology replaces traditional, cumbersome recycling equipment with compact robots that can identify over 30 different materials, including challenging items like grocery bags and trash bags.
Areeb Malik, Co-founder of Glacier, emphasized the urgency of addressing waste as a significant climate issue and highlighted Glacier’s role in developing technology to tackle this problem.
He stated, “Our breakthrough lies in designing purpose-built machinery tailored to solve the needs of the recycling industry.”
In addition to the funding, Amazon has announced a collaboration with Glacier to pilot a sortation project for novel biomaterials.
This initiative aligns with Amazon’s commitment to reducing plastic use and transitioning to bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable materials.
Nick Ellis, Principal of Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, expressed Amazon’s dedication to innovation in plastic packaging and emphasized the importance of testing novel recycling technologies to advance recycling capabilities.
Amazon’s investment in Glacier is part of its US$2 billion Climate Pledge Fund, aimed at supporting visionary companies developing products and services that facilitate the transition to a zero-carbon economy.
Phoebe Wang, Investment Partner at Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, emphasized the importance of Glacier’s diverse team in tackling complex climate challenges.
Glacier intends to utilize the funds to expand its team and enhance its recycling capabilities, particularly in collaboration with Amazon.
Rebecca Hu, co-founder of Glacier, highlighted the company’s commitment to working with stakeholders across the circular economy to maximize its impact on recycling.
She expressed excitement about collaborating with sustainability leader Amazon to drive meaningful change in recycling practices.
For all the latest packaging and printing industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
