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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
In Iceland, designer Valdís Steinarsdóttir has developed a gelatin-based material that can be made into seamless articles of clothing using molds. The garments can also be melted down and made into new clothes in a closed-loop. Traditional clothing production leads to 60 billion square meters of waste annually. Steinarsdóttir, who displayed a vest […]
In France, hosiery brand Gambettes Box has added two styles of tights that use fibers made from castor oil. The tights include a stylized pois pattern and a pair with diamond shapes. The material comes from Italy’s Fulgar and is trade-named EVO. Gambettes Box is a subscription box service and previously offered a green […]
In Maine, a leading 3D printing technology group has delivered flood barriers made from biobased materials to help support “transport resiliency” and protect coastal infrastructure from extreme weather. The modular barriers were built by Habib Dagher, executive director of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center, and his team. Because they are modular, […]
