Los Angeles, California; June 9, 2022. During the Sixth Young Americas Forum, one of the three official forums of the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, California; the announcement of Eco-Challenge 2022 Winners was made by the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT), the Organization of American States (OAS) and PepsiCo Latin America Beverages.

The announcement was presented by the President of PepsiCo Latin America Beverages, Mr. Erick Scheel; accompanied by the Executive President of the YABT, Mr. Luis Viguria.

First place was awarded to Bottleyes from Ecuador, a startup that bases its value proposition on giving PET plastics a second chance by transforming them into eyeglasses with innovative and high-end designs, at a fraction of the market price, and incorporating patented assembly technology.

Second place went to Botellas de Amor Fundación of Colombia, whose proposal consists of recovering and recycling flexible post-consumer and post-industrial plastic waste, transforming them into Recycled Plastic Profiles with which they develop social projects for vulnerable populations.

Bottleyes was awarded with a seed capital prize of US$10,000, while Botellas de Amor Fundación will receive  US$5,000 for the same purpose. In addition, each winning team will receive follow-up services, international visibility and access to strategic networks.

“Development is achieved through partnerships, and by understanding how the private sector and youth can work hand in hand and make a positive change,” said Luis Viguria, Executive President of YABT.

Erick Scheel, President of PepsiCo Beverages Latin America, said “I feel very optimistic about how the process has expedited the communication [circular economy of plastic] between companies and organizations, with NGOs and governments”.

The announcement of the winners was preceded by the plenary session “Our Green Future: Driving positive actions for the planet and people”, moderated by Erick Scheel of PepsiCo and having as panelists former Eco-Challenge participants: Elizabeth Nava of Entelequia (Mexico); Walter Mata of WAS Company (Mexico); and Araceli Luna of Killa Vive Verde (Peru).

This year’s edition closed with 2,009 applications from 34 countries, out of which 8 teams were selected as Finalists and 2 of them as Winners. Since its launch, the Eco-Challenge 2022 held 40 training sessions, and gathered 109 experts who supported the teams in transforming their value proposition into scalable businesses ready for investment opportunities.

The Eco-Challenge was made possible thanks to the support of our partners, experts, staff, interns, young participants and local organizations that contributed in different ways to the current edition of the program. We thank the OAS and PepsiCo Latin America Beverages for their unconditional support to the Eco-Challenge.

The Eco-Challenge is a special category on Sustainability and Plastics in the Program Talent and Innovation Competitions of the Americas (TIC Americas). TIC Americas serves as the Entrepreneurship in Action Component of the VI Young Americas Forum of the Americas. The Eco-Challenge seeks to support young people in the development of scalable initiatives and solutions that address current problems in our region and promote sustainable development.

Rewatch the plenary session and the announcement of the winners by clicking HERE

For more information, please contact us via ticamericas@yabt.net