Amazon has announced the names of the start-ups that have made it onto the e-tail giant’s bigger-for-2024 Sustainability Accelerator.

Some 15 start-ups from across Europe have been picked, including fledgling businesses from Glasgow, Nottingham and London in the UK.

They’re all “hoping to grow their companies by helping other businesses reduce their impact on the environment”.

The accelerator has been running for three years now, but new this year, start-ups can pitch for the chance to pilot their technology for a trial in Amazon’s European operations, “opening doors to future partnerships and Europe-wide implementation… with a potential investment of up to £2 million”.

All of the starts-ups will go through a four-week programme featuring expert-led workshops, specialised mentorship, a tailored curriculum and access to a network of entrepreneurs in the sustainability sector. 

The UK-based start-ups include Glasgow-based ACS Clothing, a clothing renewal firm that processes six million items of clothing per year for returns, rental, subscription and resale through its cleaning and repair service. 

It’s now Europe’s largest circular fulfilment fashion hub, and works with brands and retailers including Chloé, The North Face, LK Bennett and Timberland, to extend the life of garments and minimise landfill waste. 

The other two UK firms aren’t so directly linked to fashion, but their tech could have a major impact on fashion firms’ costs and logistics, especially as retail landlords are increasingly moving to more sustainable options.

There’s Cheesecake Energy, a University of Nottingham spinout, which has developed tech that stores electricity in the form of compressed air and heat, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and the grid. Its systems store surplus energy generated by a solar power plant during the day, to provide access to renewable energy for the site during non-solar producing hours. This improves the sites access to green energy and increases energy resilience.

And London-based Breathe Batteries has built software technology that can be used in any lithium-ion battery to enhance its performance and improve the charging time and lifecycle. Having recently partnered with Volvo Cars to reduce its electric vehicles’ charging time by 30%, Breathe Batteries plays a key role in the clean energy transition by making electric mobility more widely available.

They’ll be hoping they’re among the three start-ups selected to take part in an eight-to-10-week programme to scope their pilot with the intention to launch, earning them a potential contribution from Amazon of between £50,000 to £2 million, depending on duration and scope.