Singapore's Alterpacks turns food (and beer) waste into food containers

After producing beer, brewers are left with spent grains like barley and malt. For every hundred liters of beer, approximately 20 kg of grain 'waste' makes its way into animal feed, composting systems or landfills.

In Singapore, Alterpacks has been working on an alternative, upcycling that food-grade byproduct into food-safe containers and single-use utensils. Like wood pulp — the main ingredient in paper and cardboard — spent grain is rich in cellulose and can be used to produce sturdy, leak-proof containers. Alterpacks' take-out packaging can go from freezer to microwave and has received United States FDA and Singapore Food Agency certification for direct contact with food.

Alterpacks was launched at Business Innovation Generator, an incubator program at Singapore Management University's Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship. The startup recently raised USD 1 million in pre-seed funding and is currently running pilots in Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia.