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Alterpacks in the News

Starting a start-up: Climate tech firm turns food waste into food containers

Her idea for a start-up was called garbage. But it did not stop Ms Karen Cheah from embarking on a mission to tackle the world’s escalating plastic waste and food waste problems at the same time – the company she founded uses food waste to make reusable food containers.

Singaporean startup creates the ultimate alt-plastic food containers

The team has cracked the code to create a fully biodegradable food container that doesn’t wilt or burn when heated, doesn’t leak or absorb liquids and can withstand freezing.

The Big Read in short: Businesses ride the sustainability wave

Alterpacks founder Karen Cheah said one of the firm’s goals is to make a product that can perform as well as, if not better than, traditional plastic containers.

Say goodbye to plastics: How this S’pore start-up is upcycling food waste into food containers

Today, packaging makes up one-third of domestic waste. And yet, while more than half of this packaging is plastic, less than 10 per cent is recycled.

Infinite Loop: Food Containers

Our containers are designed as an alternative to single-use plastic containers. When discarded, they are biodegradable and home compostable.

Turning food waste into packaging

The containers are leakproof, reusable, and compostable

Ice Breakers with Karen Cheah

Karen Cheah is the founder and CEO of Alterpacks, a new materials startup that uses food waste to create an alternative to plastic containers. Alterpacks' beginning lies in the garbage, having witnessed communities choking under the weight of disposed food and plastic containers in her travels.

Alterpacks, a Singapore-based provider of biodegradable food containers, has closed its US$1 million pre-seed funding round

The money will ramp up AlterPacks’s food container production and supply across key markets in Asia, Australia, and Europe.

Robb Report Singapore Thought Leader: Karen Cheah, founder and CEO of AlterPacks

“Vent, wallow, and replay every detail. Consider alternatives. Setbacks are detours, not dead ends.” – Karen Cheah

Singapore new material technology startup Alterpacks raises $1M in Pre-Seed funding

The fund raised will speed-ramp AlterPacks’ food containers production and supply across key markets in Asia, Australia and Europe.

Alterpacks wins Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge 2021

Alterpacks wins in Sustainable Materials / Packaging Category.

Alterpacks containers can go from freezer to microwave, hold wet and oily foods, and keep their shape and form

Alterpacks containers can go from freezer to microwave, hold wet and oily foods, and keep their shape and form

Receiving 2 Prizes At The Liveability Challenge 2020 With Closed Loop Ventures & Global Green Connect

Receiving 2 prizes at The Liveability Challenge 2020 with Closed Loop Ventures & Global Green Connect was amazing and underscores the NTU and AlterPacks teamwork! Grateful thanks always to Prof William Chen for leading us. We're super excited on our next steps as we move towards commercialisation. Thank you to the judges, partners, mentors, Eco-Business, Temasek Foundation. And Congratulations to Turtle Tree on winning the Grand Prize! It was an amazing 6 months and being in the company of our fellow start-ups doing such game-changing work was an honour. #startup #sustainability #biodegradablepackaging.

Meet the start-up founder who’s turning food waste into reusable containers

The founder of Alterpacks, which makes sustainable materials to replace plastics, shares why she has her eye set on food waste

Alterpacks is in top 12 of The UOB FinLab GreenTech Accelerator Programme

The FinLab has recently announced the 12 greentechs from The Greentech Accelerator. These 12 greentechs were selected from a pool of regional and global greentech solutions and they are currently undergoing a 3-months programme to learn, connect and potentially pilot solutions with businesses.

AlterPacks Is In The Grand Finale Of #TheLiveabilityChallenge 2020

AlterPacks is in the Grand Finale of #TheLiveabilityChallenge 2020 with Professor William Chen from NTU's Food Science & Technology, who has been amazing. A year ago, I was in the audience witnessing 6 companies pitching for the grand prize. And to have the opportunity a year later to be in the Finals on 8 July is humbling and an honour we accept with grateful thanks. We could only have made this journey with the talents of a diverse team that includes Herbin Chia and Kuan Rei Ng. #innovation #theliveabilitychallenge #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurialjourney

Discover The Finalists – EPPIC 2021

18 finalists for EPPIC 2021, will join a three-month incubation program delivered by an incubator from the Philippines and Indonesia starting in July 2021.

Trash To Treasure!

Where does trash go? 75% of our trash can be recycled and reused. Come on a journey to see how trash can be turned into treasure! Karen Cheah, the founder of Alterpacks, brings the world of waste to wonder with games and stories. The first 10 to sign-up will get special bamboo straws.

Liveability Challenge - The Jakarta Post

“These are real world problems in every society,” said Karen Cheah, founder and CEO of Alterpacks. “The ability to at least make a mark, a start, is our contribution.”

Transforming food waste into sustainable packaging

After months of tenacious research and development, Karen beamed with pride as she finally held the groundbreaking prototype – a paper-like material made from 100% organic waste and plant fibres extracted from food by-products and agricultural refuse.

Channel News Asia Interview – Jan 2022

Alterpacks EcoChat with cna938 on the EPPIC win. Justine Moss and Susan Ng speak to Founder, Karen Cheah on the Alterpacks journey, the launch of the food containers in Singapore and the plans for Indonesia.

AlterPacks Enters The NUS Lean LaunchPad Programme!

A great kick-start to the Year of the Rat as AlterPacks enters the NUS Lean LaunchPad Programme! Commercialisation and validation of our bio-tech at my alma mater. Having graduated from both NUS and SMU, it’s great to see the tie-up between both schools as we push ahead with our early stage start-up in sustainability. https://lnkd.in/fzXXpdp #startups #biotechnology #sustainability #acceleratorprogram #earlystage

From Agricultural Waste to Biodegradable Packaging

At this point of the start-up, what I am aiming for is to start small, provide the product to the sectors that have real commercial interest, and continuously test and adapt as we move verticals.

Karen Is One Of 100 Entrepreneurs Featured In SMU’s 'Imagine Better'

Karen is one of 100 entrepreneurs featured in SMU’s 20th anniversary coffee table book called Imagine Better. 100% proceeds of book go to creating bursaries for SMU students.

AlterPacks Has A New Home At NSG Bio-Labs!

Our work on sustainability solutions continues as we aim towards a zero waste circular economy. The challenging times we face with Covid-19 drives home the importance of food security. And we're humbled to have the amazing support of the scientific community and advisors such as Dr Loh Wah Sing to help us in our start-up journey. #sustainability #circulareconomy #environment #foodsecurity #foodwaste #covid19

Karen Cheah

Founder and CEO

Karen Cheah, Founder and CEO of AlterPacks, channels her 20+ years as an international award-winning journalist and creative strategist into revolutionizing sustainable materials. Driven by a passion to alleviate waste-burdened communities, she leveraged her extensive network to pioneer AlterPacks, a Singapore-based startup transforming food by-products and agricultural waste to replace unsustainable materials such as plastics and aluminium. A National University of Singapore alumna with degrees in Mathematics and History, and a Dean’s List MSc (Innovation) graduate from Singapore Management University, Karen’s unique blend of analytical and creative expertise fuels AlterPacks’ mission to create impactful, eco-friendly solutions.