Xilinat - a sugar substitute made of brewer's spent grain – won Asahi Lead 2030 Sustainability Challenge.

Asahi is a proud partner of LEAD 2030, an international project that sustains youth-led initiatives aimed to help the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. In this context, we kicked off a challenge focusing on Climate action (SDG 13) and farmers – some of our key stakeholders. Practising sustainable agriculture and enabling farmers to adapt to climate change is no small task. Hence, we are always on the lookout for the best initiatives in this area. We were thrilled to discover a high-potential idea in North America. 

Xilinat is a start-up from Mexico founded by Javier Larragoiti and his team. Every year, in the Mexican rural communities, there are millions of tons of agricultural waste incinerated, constituting 40% of CO2 emissions in those zones. Xilinat found a way to prevent farmers from incinerating the waste by converting it into a useful product. Through a patented biotechnological process, agricultural waste is transformed into a unique, natural, healthier-option sugar substitute.  

The product bears the same name as the start-up – Xilinat – and it looks and tastes like sugar. But it is low on calories, can be consumed by diabetics, and it does not affect teeth as the regular sugar. It is a product that can help local farmers financially while offering a lower-calorie alternative to sugar and reducing the risk of obesity and diabetes.  

We selected Xilinat from more than 240 projects, awarding his creator 50,000 USD to fine-tune further his work, which will be overseen by mentors and experts at Asahi.  

We are hopeful that this project has a bright future, and it contributes to a better future for the people in Mexico and the planet. 

More stories

6/13/2023

Dreher's Corporate Philosophy and Purpose Inspired one of the Best Selling Books in Hungary

Dreher (part of Asahi Europe & International) is one of Hungary's oldest established breweries. The company, which has evolved steadily through 4 generations of the Dreher family, became a role model in premium beers and continuous innovation on 5 continents by the beginning of the 20th century. Throughout the storms of history Dreher endured several serious challenges, but it was able to successfully preserve its existence and dominant role. It received many titles and awards for its brand, products, and capabilities. With the communist nationalization in 1948, the quality approach was replaced by a focus on simpler needs and mass production. The privatization of the 1990s brought the introduction of new products and the refurbishment of the factory, but the focus remained on the high-volume products.

Read more
8/11/2022

Case Study: 100% renewable electricity use in Poland - How we decreased our carbon footprint there by 66% in just two years

The past couple of years have affected all businesses, and many have redefined their priorities, strategies, and goals. At Asahi Europe and International (AEI), we did not let economic challenges presented by global pandemic distract us from our progress towards addressing climate change. At Asahi Europe and International (AEI) we act in a way that will enable future generations to fulfil their needs and aspirations, and we do this by placing sustainability at the heart of our business strategy. As well as setting ourselves ambitious targets on sustainability, we have also accelerated our efforts to make actionable change across our business and wider value chain. Our main long-term commitments by 2030 are to achieve carbon neutrality within our breweries and to work with partners to cut our carbon footprint across the whole supply chain by 30%.

Read more
6/26/2019

Best of Two Beer Worlds

Brewers from Plzeňský Prazdroj and Pivovar Matuška joined efforts to brew the special “First” lager for the 100th anniversary of the Czechoslovakian State.

Read more