In Texas, PepsiCo subsidiaries Frito-Lay and Quaker have opened a technical center with the goal of accelerating development of compostable packaging. The Greenhouse Learning Center, located in Plano, will test the biodegradation properties of compostable packages in different environments and validate lab results through simultaneous, real-time experiments. “Our sustainable packaging vision is to build a […]
In Milwaukee, psychologist/surfer Ken Cole is developing a surfboard made from palm leaves that he hopes to test on Lake Michigan’s waves by this summer. Cole’s company, Greenhouse Surfboards, already produces boards from jute, basalt, hemp, bioresin and repurposed word, but has so far been unable to find an appropriate replacement for the fossil-based polyurethane […]
In Kentucky, a research team is evaluating the use of salon hair waste for suitability in building and bridge repair. The work, currently being down by the “CatStrong” team at University of Kentucky’s College of Engineering, is looking closely at human hair because of its lack of seasonality and inherent strength. “We are constantly searching […]
In London, ranking royal King Charles III has retrofitted his favorite car—a very relatable vintage Aston Martin—to run on wine and cheese waste. His Highness is known to be both an environmentalist and car enthusiast, and, Mental Floss reports, his ride runs on E85, with the 15% bioethanol content made from fermented whey. Because the […]
In Australia, cultivated meat startup Vow has produced a meatball made of mammoth meat. Vow recently told CNN it hopes the peculiar dish will raise awareness of the potential for lab-grown meat. “We need to start rethinking how we get our food. My biggest hope for this project is … that a lot more people […]
In Oregon, compostable flosser Happi Floss has walked away from a Shark Tank season 14 episode empty handed. The sharks had issue with Happi Floss’s limited pre-sales and felt the $2-million valuation set by Dr. Staci Whitman was inflated. Dr. Whitman, a pediatric dentist, designed Happi Floss using compressed post-consumer recycled paper and a plant-based […]
In France, Groupe Berkem has completed the acquisition of Biopress, a producer of 100% natural vegetable oils and proteins. Based in Tonneins (Lot-et-Garonne), Biopress is one of the first French agri-food companies to specialize in the production of vegetable oils extracted from organic oil seeds from local farms. With properties similar to petroleum derivatives, vegetable […]
In South Korea, cultivated meat startup TissenBioFarm has produced the world’s largest piece of cultivated meat. The slab weighed in at a whopping 10 kg, but its animal of origin was not specified. The announcement coincided with the opening of South Korea’s Cellular Agriculture Support Center, a 2,300 square meter facility located in the North […]
In Uganda, entrepreneur Juliet Kakwerre Tumusiime has founded Cheveux Organique to commercialize hair extensions made from banana stems. Tumusiime says the extensions are odor-free, biodegradable, handcrafted, and available in three colors: Cheveux Black, Cheveux Brown, and Cheveux Blonde. She also told Ugandan media outlet Sunday Monitor Cheveux Organique’s extensions are easy to wash, style, treat […]
In Sweden, a team at KTH Royal Institute of Technology has developed a construction material from coconuts, lemons, and modified wood that can help make heating and cooling homes exponentially more efficient. According to Peter Olsén, researcher in the Department of Biocomposites at KTH, 100 kilos of the material can save about 2.5 kWh per […]
