In the Netherlands, ubiquitous furniture and housewares brand IKEA is advancing years-long biobased glue development to solidify its environmental goals. By volume, IKEA’s most-used raw material is wood. Usually, the wood in its products is actually a composite held together by glue. This fossil-based glue accounts for 5% of the company’s greenhouse gas emissions. “Almost […]
In Colorado, popular skater shoe brand Vans has launched a new collection designed to embody the brand’s relaxed vibe and appreciation for nature. The Surf VR3 Collection includes an outsole made from natural rubber sourced from farms using agricultural practices designed to promote diversity, enhance water cycles, improve soil health, and sequester carbon from the […]
In Hong Kong, tech multinational Lenovo is reportedly planning to use flax fibers in one of its products. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen2 laptop, set to launch this summer, features a woven flax fiber case. According to Forbes, the case is 75% recycled aluminum, bonded with flax “made from 100% agricultural product collected by harvesting […]
In Hyderabad, India, a startup is making building materials, particle board alternatives, acoustic panels and plastics out of cow dung. The (hopefully odor-free) products were recently showcased at the Grand Startup Conclave organized by India’s Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. “Our ultimate goal for this year is to set up micro-factories across India wherever […]
In Toulouse, France, biotech and green chemistry company PILI has raised $15.8 million to accelerate commercialization and scale-up of its fermentation-based indigo. The funds will be used to set up a demonstration unit to complement an industrial pilot that began operations last year. PILI says several million euros of preorders for its biobased dyes and […]
In New Jersey, fashion brand Tory Burch is using material from plant-based leather pioneer Modern Meadow in its iconic Ella tote. Dubbed Ella Bio, the tote’s outer shell is made of BioFabbrica Bio-Tex™, a USDA-certified plant-based material using soy. BioFabbrica Bio-Tex “feels and looks like leather” but is 64% biobased content, Jennifer Gootman, global head […]
In Australia, Provectus Algae has secured an undisclosed strategic investment from CJ BIO, a division of South Korea-based food and biotechnology company CJ CheilJedang. Provectus Algae programs microalgae to produce specialty ingredients using both natural and synthetic biology approaches. The strategic investment by CJ BIO provides Provectus Algae with additional funds to accelerate commercialization efforts. […]
In Sweden and Finland, Kemira and Metsä Group have agreed to accelerate a cooperation focused on developing a new sustainable product or raw material based on the forest industry by 2027. Kemira and Metsä Group will establish a joint product development group, and in a joint press release say the most interesting development options for […]
In California, the outdoor clothing and gear giant Patagonia has launched its SugarDown Hoody, the company’s first fully biobased jacket, manufactured using Virent’s 100% plant-based paraxylene-called BioForm PX. The SugarDown Hoody is available online now. Using U.S.-grown sugar from the sugarcane fields of Louisiana, Virent produced the paraxylene-a critical component of the SugarDown Hoody’s polyester […]
In New York, PETA has asked Pharrell Williams to use his new appointment as Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director to encourage the luxury brand to ban animal fur and transition to biobased alternatives. In a letter to the “Happy” hitmaker, PETA Celebrity Outreach Principal Jessica Shotorbani notes that Louis Vuitton is one of the last […]
