In Romania, bike startup Diodra has developed e-bikes with bamboo frames. At 15 kilos, Diodra claims the e-bikes are the lightest ever produced and boast additional features like auto-shifting gears and puncture-free tires. According to designboom, bamboo has a higher strength-to-weight ratio than common bike frame materials like aluminum. It also notes that wood can […]
In Finland, Neste and South Korean chemical company Lotte Chemical have partnered to replace fossil resources with renewable raw materials in the manufacturing of chemicals and plastics. Under the terms of the agreement, Neste will provide Neste RE™, a raw material for chemicals and plastics made from 100% renewable raw materials. Lotte Chemical will use […]
In the Isle of Man, cellular agriculture company Agronomics has invested $10 million in its portfolio company, Liberation Labs Holding, as part of a wider $12.5 million financing round with participation from existing investor Siddhi Capital. Liberation Labs is seeking to become the industrial biotechnology industry’s global fabrication partner through the design, construction and operation […]
In Sweden, bioplastics maker Gaia Biomaterials has secured a $5 million rights issue backed by the Swedish state-owned greentech venture capital fund Almi Invest Greentech and private international and domestic investors. Funds will be used to expand market penetration in the United States, India, and other targeted markets. Gaia Biomaterials’ home-compostable, limestone-based material, Biodolomer, can […]
In the United Kingdom, Sparxell, a developer of plant-based pigments, has completed a $3.2-million funding round. The cash will be used to accelerate development and commercialization of its pigment sin cosmetics, fashion, paint, and packaging applications. Sparxell was founded in 2022 by Cambridge scientists, led by Dr. Benjamin Droguet and Professor Silvia Vignolini, who discovered […]
In Minnesota, a two-year partnership between IMA Coffee and polylactic acid producer NatureWorks has resulted in the development of a compostable coffee pod. Unveiled at the recent AMI Single-Serve Capsules conference in Boston, the pod features a rigid capsule body, filter, and lidding made from Ingeo™️ PLA biopolymer. Every IMA Coffee pod filling and sealing […]
In Finland, Onego Bio has completed a $40-million Series A funding round to drive commercialization and manufacturing of egg protein via precision fermentation. Founded in 2022 as a spinoff from VTT, Onego Bio’s Bioalbumen® is bioidentical to ovalbumin, the major protein in chicken egg white, and contains all essential amino acids. Onego says Bioalbumen also […]
In Massachusetts, CJ Biomaterials has successfully used Matmerize’s artificial intelligence technology to optimize polyhydroxyalkanoates biopolymers. Spun out of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Matmerize’s PolymRize™ platform uses virtual screening and AI algorithms to identify the most optimal materials, accelerating the materials engineering process and saving valuable time and resources. In a recent collaboration with Matmerize, […]
In Israel, PoLoPo has unveiled SuperAA, a plant molecular farming platform to grow egg protein ovalbumin in potatoes, after raising $2.3 million in 2023. Vegconomist reports that PoLoPo looks to use potatoes as living factories for cruelty-free, lower cost, and more sustainable production of the proteins. Target markets include nutrition applications, such as protein powder. […]
In Belgrade, a packaging startup has developed a bioplastic using bark—an underutilized waste from timber processing—and used coffee grounds. According to AgFunderNews, Bpacks’ material can replace conventional plastics in packaging produce, meat, and other goods. While capacity remains small, cofounder Mikhail Skalkin believes Bpacks has an edge over other bioplastics when it comes to marketability. […]
