Category: Chemicals & Materials

Cultured meat pioneer Eat Just raises $170 million

Cultured meat pioneer Eat Just raises $170 million

June 7, 2021 |

In Vancouver, cultured meat company Eat Just Inc. has raised $170 million for its GOOD Meat subsidiary. The announcement comes just a few months after a $200-million financing round that brought Eat Just to a valuation of $1 billion.   The new funding will help GOOD Meat increase capacity and accelerate research and development for […]

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Dell introduces laptops with biobased materials

Dell introduces laptops with biobased materials

May 31, 2021 |

In India, Dell Technologies is using biobased materials in the casings for its Precision and Latitude series of laptops.  The Precision 3560 and Latitude 5320 are the first in Dell’s portfolio to use bioplastic from tree waste. Specifically, the material is made from tall oil, a papermaking byproduct and makes up the machines’ device lids. […]

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Coconut cooler startup raises cash

Coconut cooler startup raises cash

May 31, 2021 |

In the Philippines, an agtech company repurposing coconut waste into biodegradable coolers has raised an unspecified amount of money in a seed funding round. Fortuna Cools says the funds will be used to scale up production of Coconut Cooler, which are meant to replace Styrofoam alternatives used by food distributors.  The funding was led by […]

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Biobased materials eyed as solution to ocean “ghost nets” problem

Biobased materials eyed as solution to ocean “ghost nets” problem

May 31, 2021 |

In Cyprus, biodegradable fishing nets initiative SEALIVE has received European Union funding to help prevent maritime harm due to ghost nets—fishing nets that are lost or abandoned by fisherman but still trap and kill marine life. Such waste was singled out by the European Directive on Single Use plastics, which includes mandates on collection and […]

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Denmark funds grass-based packaging efforts

Denmark funds grass-based packaging efforts

May 31, 2021 |

In Denmark, researchers are researching the use of grass fibers to create food delivery packaging in an effort to reduce plastics waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions.  Members of the project, dubbed SinProPack, hope their efforts could eventually displace the more than 10,000 tons of plastic packaging used for food delivery packaging in Denmark with […]

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Nivea to introduce biobased polypropylene packaging

Nivea to introduce biobased polypropylene packaging

May 31, 2021 |

In Germany, skincare brand Beiersdorf has started using biobased polypropylene jars for its popular Nivea face cream. The jars are made from tall oil, a forestry industry byproduct. The material is being sourced from SABIC after a development deal was announced between the two companies late last year.  Beiersdorf was particularly adamant that the jars […]

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Mexican designers introduce biobased razor

Mexican designers introduce biobased razor

May 31, 2021 |

In Mexico City, a trio of designers has created a biodegradable razor made from partially renewable plastics. Dubbed Oquari, the razor is made with PBS Bionelle biodegradable plastic, although the team behind it encourages reuse by making it easy to swap in new stainless steel blades.  “Because our handle is reusable, raw material production and […]

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Lab-grown lamb means you won’t have to be sheepish about ordering the chops

Lab-grown lamb means you won’t have to be sheepish about ordering the chops

May 31, 2021 |

In Australia, a cultured meat startup has claimed production of the world’s first lab-grown lamb. The Spoon reports that Magic Valley is prototyping lab mince, strips, steaks, and chops and is in the process of raising seed funding.  Notably, Magic Valley does not grow its meat using Fetal Bovine Serum, a growth medium commonly used […]

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Living architecture, in-home algae farms on display in Venice

Living architecture, in-home algae farms on display in Venice

May 31, 2021 |

In Italy, an architecture exhibition is displaying how in-home algae cultivation can be used to both purify air and provide food. Bit.Bio.Bot, designed by London’s EcoLogicStudio, consists of algae bioreactor sheets and a vertical garden. The studio, which says algae’s efficient metabolism gives it a “unique biological intelligence,”  believes that algae can be used as […]

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Tom Ford, Entourage star launch degradable plastic contest

Tom Ford, Entourage star launch degradable plastic contest

May 24, 2021 |

In New York, high fashion tastemaker Tom Ford and celebrity-backed environmental consultancy 52HZ are offering a $1.2 million prize for a degradable plastic.  The Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize is meant to encourage designers and manufacturers to create an alternative for thin-film plastics that would break down in both soil and ocean conditions.  According to […]

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