Avery Dennison, materials science leader, has established the AD Stretch accelerator program to drive innovation (and labelling & packaging ecosystem) in partnership with industry start-ups across Asia Pacific.

Avery Dennison today announces the launch of AD Stretch, the first labels industry program globally to partner with startup innovators to solve key challenges around sustainability, customer experience, and value chains.

Started Wednesday, 9 February, the company intends to engage with startups in the region and across the world to disrupt and evolve the labels and packaging industry and strengthen its innovation capabilities.

The aim is to address some of the industry’s most urgent business challenges by collaborating with promising startups in Asia Pacific allying them to Avery Dennison’s experience and size so both can grow.

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“From our first day in business nearly ninety years ago, Avery Dennison has a long and proud heritage as an innovator,” says Anil Sharma, vice president and general manager, Labels and Graphic Materials Asia-Pacific at Avery Dennison.

“AD Stretch will help us stay on the cutting edge of innovation by reaching out to the brightest talent and startups, working together to realise shared goals and value and solve the key challenges of the next decade.”

The program will be launched globally, starting in Asia Pacific and Latin America, then rolling out in Europe and the U.S. later this year. With the end goal of solving a particular problem, each group of startups will have a region-specific brief that draws on regional challenges.

The core themes will focus on connecting consumers to brands through new experiences; creating sustainable, responsible and efficient value chains (SRE); and the development of materials and packaging 2.0. Specifically within Asia Pacific, areas the AD Stretch teams will focus on include solutions that help brands connect with end users more effectively, new biodegradable labelling and packaging products and materials, and solutions that help perishables survive the last leg of the supply chain in emerging economies.

The program, in partnership with venture studio Highline Beta, aims to attract the best and brightest startups and innovators. Following a period of review and consultation, the applicants will be narrowed down to 10 finalists that will go on to execute a pilot project.

More about AD Stretch, along with detailed information about participating, can be found at ADStretch.com.

Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE: AVY) is a global materials science company specialising in the design and manufacture of a wide variety of labelling and functional materials. The company’s products, which are used in nearly every major industry, include pressure-sensitive materials for labels and graphic applications; tapes and other bonding solutions for industrial, medical, and retail applications; tags, labels and embellishments for apparel; and radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions serving retail apparel and other markets. Headquartered in Glendale, California, the company employs more than 35,000 employees in more than 50 countries. Reported sales in 2021 were $8.4 billion. Learn more at www.averydennison.com.

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