In Colombia, Oxford University student Gabriel Moreno has developed a vegan leather using fibers from the fique plant that helps create a revenue stream for local rural farmers. Inspired by his father’s environmental consciousness, Moreno founded Fiquetex to commercialize the biodegradable material. “When we saw research predicting that there will be more plastic bags than […]
In California, a startup developing a process to convert air into meat has raised $32 million. Air Protein’s process feeds organisms water, nutrients and carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen sourced from air to produce protein. Agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland and Google’s venture capital arm participated in the Series A funding. “It is essential to […]
In Singapore, cell-based milk company TurtleTree Labs has launched a subsidiary to develop food-grade growth factors for the cultured food industry. “We’ve recognized this need for a while now, our scientists have been working on developing food grade versions of these growth factors with higher performance, higher purity and lower cost. All our hard work […]
In the Netherlands, a new, ecofriendly bike and pedestrian bridge is under construction using renewable material and has the unlikely design feature of being friendly to bats. Dubbed Blauwe Loper—which translates to Blue Carpet—the $6.5-million bridge is 800 meters long and connects the Dutch town of Winschoten with Blauwestad park and recreational area. It is […]
In Malaysia, researchers have designed a drone using fibers extracted from pineapple leaves. The project, led by Professor Mohamed Thariq Hameed Sultan at University Putra Malaysia, began in 2017 when a community project asked the school to find an outlet for the region’s abundant waste pineapple leaves. The drone components made out of pineapple leaves […]
In Germany, sustainability-focused designer Emilie Burfeind has used renewable and waste materials—including dog hair—to create an eccentric sneaker that she hopes will appeal to sneakerheads concerned with the wasteful practices of sneaker culture and fast fashion. Dubbed Sneature, the shoe membrane is made using 3D knitting of dog hair, creating “flexibility, stiffness, and air circulation […]
In California, synthetic biology firm Amyris is launching a haircare brand with beauty influencer Jonathan Van Ness. The partnership aims to “de-gender and revolutionize the haircare industry” by creating a line of hair health products employing Amyris’s hemi-squalane, a biobased and hydrating silicone alternative. “I am more like the anti-transformation beauty expert: I want to […]
In Sweden, popular outdoor brand Fjallraven has introduced a backpack made almost entirely out of renewable materials. Dubbed Tree-Kanken, the backpack is part of the company’s popular Kanken line of tote/commuter bags that Fjallraven calls the “ambassador” of its brand. Like the conventional Kanken, Tree-Kanken has 16-liter capacity and includes a large U-pocket. However, Tree-Kanken […]
In New York, a graduate student in design has invented a biodegradable, single-use dental flosser. Dubbed Carbyn and made from polyhydroxyalkanoates bioplastic and biochar, the flosser also absorbs atmospheric carbon—meaning it sequesters more carbon than it emits as it biodegrades. “Increasingly, our material choices have become moral choices,” inventor Jessica Smith tells Yanko Design. Carbyn […]
In Japan, conglomerate Mitsubishi has partnered with Israeli cultured meat startup Aleph Farms to bring lab-grown beef to the country’s markets and restaurants. Under the terms of the deal, Mitsubishi and Aleph will collaborate to create formulations that appeal to Japanese consumers and meet regulatory requirements. The two will then leverage Mitsubishi’s infrastructure for production […]
