Areas has selected two projects to develop sustainable solutions for its proprietary brands
Barcelona, 19th February 2026
Areas, a global leader in food & beverage and travel retail, headquartered in Barcelona, has selected two winning startups from the fourth edition of the ‘Areas for Change Challenge’, developed in collaboration with Plug and Play, a global innovation platform based in Silicon Valley.
This initiative is part of the company’s global ESG strategy, ‘Areas for Change’, which focuses on people, the planet and the traveler experience. Through this program, Areas aims to promote sustainable and innovative solutions to reduce its environmental impact, contribute to the fight against climate change and further guide its operations towards an increasingly sustainable model.
Launched in December for the international entrepreneurial community, the fourth edition of the ‘Areas for Change Challenge’ sought to identify real, applicable and scalable solutions addressing both the company’s strategic priorities and the broader challenges of the Food & Beverage and Travel Retail sectors, on sustainability.
This year’s edition focused on the development of more sustainable materials in proprietary brands, as well as innovative initiatives for recycling and upcycling coffee waste, reintegrating it into the value chain.
From the numerous applications received from startups worldwide, Areas and Plug and Play selected two winning projects, which will have the opportunity to collaborate with Areas on the development of a pilot program, validate the implementation of their solutions and demonstrate their international scalability potential. In addition, the startups will work closely with Areas’ teams to further develop their projects, with the possibility of becoming future partners of the company.
- Polygood by The Good Plastic Company, a Netherlands-based startup, winner in the Sustainable Materials Solutions for Interior Design category, for transforming plastic waste into large-scale sustainable materials that can be used in interior design projects.
- Coffeefrom, an Italy-based startup, winner in the Coffee Grounds Upcycling category, for transforming coffee grounds into reusable hospitality items and accessories, such as cups, plates and trays in various shapes and sizes.
Blanca López Alerm, Communication, Sustainability and Customer Experience Director at Areas, highlighted the importance of these innovative solutions: “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 traveler experience, turning ideas into tangible projects.”
The selected startups were welcomed by Areas during an event held at the company’s global headquarters in Barcelona, where the entrepreneurs presented their proposals in detail, shared their solutions with the project team and introduced them to Areas’ global executive leadership.