FMCG company Unilever is inviting UK tech companies, start-ups, digital agencies, retailers and brand owners to participate in a hackathon in June, with the aim of developing new sustainable eCommerce technologies.

Run by Unilever Foundry – the business’s innovation arm – the ReHack 2015 event is expected to attract some of the UK’s brightest tech minds who will compete to create new systems and applications that can help make eCommerce “a force for good”.

The gathering on 25-26 June is being held in partnership with Hoxton Mix Collective, an organisation that matches start-ups and small businesses with corporate leaders.

Village Underground in London will be the venue for the hackathon, where participants will have an opportunity to win the chance to launch a paid pilot with Unilever. The creations will be judged on their capacity to improve health and wellbeing for shoppers and the wider community, to reduce environmental impact and to enhance the livelihood of the communities Unilever serves.

The technology intellectual property generated over the two days will be retained by the tech participants.

Joe Comiskey, eCommerce innovation lead at Unilever, commented: “Our mission is to make sustainable living commonplace in everyday life and innovation in eCommerce can play a big part in achieving progress on this journey.

“The evolution of eCommerce and its role in everyday life is still at an early stage; so there is an enormous opportunity for start-ups and established businesses such as Unilever to work in partnership to create positive innovations that can change business practices and people’s lives for the better.”