Category: Chemicals & Materials

Anheuser-Busch partners with UBQ for waste-based plastics in Brazil

Anheuser-Busch partners with UBQ for waste-based plastics in Brazil

March 7, 2022 |

The Brazilian arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev—the world’s largest brewer—has tapped Israel’s UBQ Materials to integrate waste-based, climate-positive thermoplastics into its packaging mix.  UBQ’s process diverts unsorted municipal solid waste from landfills, including all organics, and converts it into a sustainable alternative for petroleum-based plastics, wood, and concrete.  “Using waste in the form of a recyclable […]

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Actress-activist Pamela Anderson endorses apple leather handbag

Actress-activist Pamela Anderson endorses apple leather handbag

March 7, 2022 |

In Paris, Baywatch star and animal activist Pamela Anderson has partnered with designer Ashoka Paris to introduce a second line of purses made from apple leather.  The leather alternative, called Apple Skin, was invented in 2004 by Alberto Volcan in Northern Italy. The material is made from apple waste leftover from the fruit juice industry.  […]

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Next-day sustainability: Amazon launches product line with biobased focus

Next-day sustainability: Amazon launches product line with biobased focus

March 7, 2022 |

In Seattle, amazon has launched a new line of “everyday essentials” with an emphasis on renewable raw materials. Dubbed Amazon Aware, the line includes apparel, home, and beauty products, all “thoughtfully designed” and made from materials such as recycled polyester, organic cotton, and biobased ingredients. “People want to shop more consciously, and at Amazon we […]

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Coors Light ditches plastic rings

Coors Light ditches plastic rings

March 7, 2022 |

In Chicago, popular beer brand Coors Light will eliminate the plastic ring packaging that holds six packs together by the end of this year, and parent company Molson Coors plans to do the same across its North American brands by the end of 2025.  The move will require a nearly $85-million investment in packaging machinery […]

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Designer taps Planet of the Grapes for vineyard waste handbags

Designer taps Planet of the Grapes for vineyard waste handbags

March 7, 2022 |

In China, designer Meng Du has launched a line of handbags made from vineyard waste—specifically grape marc, which is made up of the skins, pulp, pips and stems left after grapes are pressed.   The textile is produced by France’s Planet of the Grapes. The process involves collecting marc from nearby vineyards, drying it using […]

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Tidal Vision converts crab waste into wastewater treatment

Tidal Vision converts crab waste into wastewater treatment

March 7, 2022 |

In Washington state, a company called Tidal Vision has created a material out of crab shells that can treat wastewater.  Tidal Vision’s process converts seafood industry waste shells into chitosan, which is further processed into a liquid for wastewater treatment. “Essentially, chitosan works like a magnet on a microscopic level—with chitosan’s positive charge binding to […]

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Coconut waste composite strong enough to use for roads

Coconut waste composite strong enough to use for roads

March 7, 2022 |

A research team from Russia, India and Thailand has developed a technology for manufacturing a reinforcement composite from waste coconut leaf sheath. When reinforced with a phenol-formaldehyde composite, the material is appropriate for high-demand applications like road construction and rail and airplane interiors as well as housing.  “The superior properties of composite made of natural […]

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Ancient bug creates food from art

Ancient bug creates food from art

March 7, 2022 |

In Austria, startup Arkeon Biotechnologies has raised $7 million to advance its single-step fermentation process for converting carbon dioxide into food ingredients.  The company was birthed in 2021 by Evig, a Berlin-based company builder that brought together Arkeon founders Gregor Tegl, Simon Rittman, and Guenther Bochmann. The basis for the company is work performed by […]

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Green burial option turns human remains into ocean habitats

Green burial option turns human remains into ocean habitats

February 28, 2022 |

In Hawaii, a new green burial option has emerged for ocean lovers. Memorial Reefs International will mix human cremains into concreate “reef balls” that are placed on the ocean floor to provide habitats for ocean life. GPS coordinates are given to family members who wish to visit their loved one’s ocean burial site and will […]

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RPI team developing hemp rebar for greener, longer-lasting buildings

RPI team developing hemp rebar for greener, longer-lasting buildings

February 28, 2022 |

In New York, a team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is developing a composite reinforcing material made of hemp stalk and bioplastic to create a rebar as strong as steel for construction.  “There are some natural fibers that have a similar strength to steel for the same weight,” Alexandros Tsamis, a professor of architecture at RPI, […]

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