In New York City, a company known for weighted blankets is highlighting sustainability in addition to comfy-coziness with its latest stress relief pillow. The Hugget Knot Pillow from Bearaby is super huggable and squishable, but also promotes sustainability by using Melofoam, a new Bearaby-developed material made from the sap of rubber trees. The resulting biodegradable […]
In Poland, a startup called EcoBean is repurposing coffee waste into biodegradable products, including flower pots, coffee cups, and straws. According to online sustainability publication Impakter, the 2.25 billion cups of coffee consumed daily creates over half a million metric tons of waste coffee grounds. Most of this waste ends up in landfills and emits […]
In Israel, food tech firm Steakholder Foods has produced 3D-printed vegan eel, a concept it hopes will one day help address overfishing. The prototype was made of plant-based eel, but the company aspires to eventually incorporate cultivated eel to produce a hybrid offering. Eels are a delicacy in Japan but a critically endangered species due […]
In Japan, Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., Oriental Petrochemical (Taiwan) Co., Ltd., and Marubeni Corporation have partnered to establish a supply chain for biobased purified terephthalic acid. The collaborators hope to use the PTA to produce biobased polyethylene terephthalate, with the first plant starting up in Tawan later this year. Under the terms of the agreement, […]
In Japan, bag and accessory maker Yoshida is using a biobased fiber produced by Toray Industries in its latest line of Tanker bags, which are set for launch in Spring 2024. The fiber—dubbed Ecodear 510—is made from sebacic acid and pentamethylenediamine made from feedstocks castor oil and corn, respectively. Ecodear N510 exhibits heat resistance as […]
In Japan, alternative protein startups Umami United and IntegriCulture have received government funds to help advance product development and scale-up. Tokyo-based Umami, which produces an egg alternative from konjac flour, bittern and wood-eared mushrooms, received $6.5 million. Company CEO Hiroto Yamazaki recently told Green Queen that Umami was in talks with plant-based food makers in […]
In New Jersey, the former owner of a deli at the center of a bizarre $100-million securities fraud scheme has pled guilty to federal charges. James Patten was one of three owners of a public company behind Your Hometown Deli, which went viral in 2021 for its $100-million valuation despite sales of less than $30,000. […]
In New York, winners of PETA’s inaugural Fashion Awards include celebrities who champion vegan leathers and trail-blazing brands working to make fashion kinder to animals and the planet. Stella McCartney earned Best Vegan Heel for its “showstopping” Ryder Knee-High Stiletto Boots popularized by Taylor Swift. The boot is made from the brand’s Alter Mat […]
In Dubai, sustainable fashion pioneer Stella McCartney used the COP28 climate talks to draw attention to policy roadblocks to widespread use of environmentally friendly materials in fashion—namely, taxes that are incurred by vegan leather items. McCartney, which uses alternative leathers made from biobased materials like grape waste and mushrooms, said in a speech at the […]
In Australia, architecture studio Fraser & Partners has unveiled a design for the world’s tallest hybrid timber residential development. At nearly 190 meters tall, Fraser & Partners said the Perth tower, called C6, will set a “new benchmark in height for mass timber.” C6 will edge out height ambitions for planned hybrid towers in Sydney […]
