In Illinois, a project looking to convert pig manure and food waste into biobased binding material for road construction and roofing shingles has won a prestigious pitch competition. Conceived by Yuanhui Zhang, a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professor and founder of the Environment-Enhancing Energy Laboratory, the project will receive $2.5 million from the USDA’s […]
In Israel, lactic acid and polylactic acid startup TripleW has raised $16.5 million to advance the several food waste upgrade projects it has in its pipeline. Founded in 2016, the company uses microorganisms to ferment food waste into lactic acid, which it then purifies and converts to PLA, a leading bioplastic. It already operates a […]
In California, Chipotle has invested in cultivated oil startup Zero Acre Farms. The fast-casual burrito chain hopes the funds will advance alternatives to deforestation-linked vegetable oils and boost its ESG cred. Zero Acre Farms is developing a process to manufacture cooking oils via fermentation. “We have a clear mission: to remove destructive vegetable oils from […]
In Massachusetts, Cabot Corporation announced the launch of EVOLVE Sustainable Solutions, a new technology platform for advancing sustainable reinforcing carbons. Cabot said its ambition through this technology platform is to develop products that offer sustainable content with reliable performance at industrial scale by leveraging circular value chains and materials recovered from end-of-life tires, and/or renewable […]
In California, Arris announced that it has a new sustainable fiber material offering. The company noted that its R&D team has been developing natural-fiber composites with high-performance capabilities to complement its already available bio-nylon resin material being used with carbon and glass fiber for products today. Additionally, Arris has doubled its in-house material production capacity […]
In Germany, Evonik reported that the bio-content of VISIOMER Terra methacrylate monomers is now certified by DIN CERTCO―the certification body of TÜV Rheinland Group―and will include the label “Certified Biobased Product.” DIN CERTCO certifies products using the C14 radiocarbon method and ASTM D 6866:2021 protocol instead of merely calculating the bio-content. The firm noted that […]
In New York, parenting solutions company Bugaboo has unveiled its “most premium all-terrain” stroller, which comes complete with eco-friendly materials. The Bugaboo Fox 5 uses mass-balanced biobased material Akulon®, which is manufactured in the Netherlands by DSM. Use of Akulon reduces the strollers’ CO2 emissions by 20%, according to Bugaboo, which claims to be the […]
In the United Kingdom, researchers at University of Manchester have developed a concrete-like material from dehydrated potatoes, salt, and extraterrestrial dust that it says could enable construction of shelters and other infrastructure on Mars. The material—which they have named StarCrete—is stronger than concrete used on Earth. The work builds on previous efforts to develop building […]
In London, sustainability-focused fashion designer Stella McCartney has tapped supermodel/actress/brow trendsetter Cara Delevingne to model her brand’s first garment made with plant-derived sequins. Dubbed Biosequins, the sustainable sparkle is achieved through plant-derived cellulose and was developed by a joint collaboration between McCartney and Radiant Matter, a materials innovation company also based in the UK. The […]
In Switzerland, a natural latex condom brand is going hard into ESG by switching to renewable electricity and packaging. According to Feelgood Condoms—which boasts the cheeky tagline, “Not only for vegans & animal lovers: Feelgood satisfies everyone”—manufacturing will soon switch to EKOenergy-certified renewable and CO2-neutral energy in its production. EKOenergy certification means there is no […]
