In the United Kingdom, London internet provider G.Network has entered administration because it used fiber optic cable jackets made of soy- and corn-based materials that have been chewed by rats. First reported The Telegraph, G.Network is £300 million (US$411 million) in debt and only had 25,000 paying subscribers. Community Fibre was considering acquiring the company’s […]
In South Korea, Samsung Electronics has unveiled an e-paper with a display made of phytoplankton-based plastics. E‑paper is a display technology that replicates the appearance of printed ink on paper, delivering excellent readability, minimal energy use, and greater flexibility than conventional screens. It is widely employed in e‑readers, digital signage, and other devices where extended […]
In Australia, shoe brand Make Good has created a Derby shoe style with a variety of biobased materials. Dubbed Derby V1, the shoe includes an upper made from mycelium fibers, cellulose, natural latex and organic cotton. The sole is 51% natural rubber. According to Rag Trader, around 23 billion shoes are manufactured annually. Most end […]
In the Netherlands, specialty chemicals leader Nouryon has launched the cleaning industry’s first carboxymethylcellulose with a 100% renewable carbon index score, enabling laundry detergent consumer brands to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of their products without compromising cleaning performance for consumers. Dubbed FinnFix® PB MAX, the CMC replaces conventional synthetic ingredients with a fully biobased, […]
In Italy, Solvay has inaugurated a bio-circular silica facility at its Livorno, site. The new unit produces highly dispersible silica using biobased sodium silicate derived from rice husk ash, an agricultural byproduct. This process reduces CO₂ emissions by 35% per ton of silica compared to traditional methods and creates a local circular value chain. The […]
In the Netherlands, Avantium now expects startup of its furan dicarboxylic acid plant at Delfzijl to be complete by the middle of the year, with fulfillment of offtake agreements beginning in the latter half of the year. FDCA is a biobased precursor for the bioplastic polyethylene furanoate. The updated timeline is roughly a year behind […]
In Florida, Roof Rejuvenate has achieved USDA BioPreferred Program Certification for its asphalt shingle restoration products featuring Colorbiotics. Boasting 95% biobased content from a corn oil-based formula and no added PFAS, Colorbiotics “add[s] years to the life of [a] roof with a single application,” said Kent Rotert, vice president of Colorbiotics. Roof Rejuvenate USA has […]
In China, researchers at Northeast Forestry University have developed a new bioplastic from bamboo that combines renewability with durability and flexibility. The team extracted cellulose from bamboo and using a low-energy, chemical-efficient process. Treatments with deep eutectic solvents and calcium chloride disentangled the cellulose and rebuilt it in a reinforced hydrogel. This hydrogel was then […]
In California, massively popular YouTuber Mr. Beast has sampled cultivated chicken, a move producer Upside Foods hopes will boost younger generations’ interest in lab-grown meat. Upside Foods founder and CEO Uma Valeti uploaded photos from the visit to the company’s California facility onto LinkedIn, captioning a photo: “What if we can have the best of […]
In Paris, preppy fashion brand Lacoste has tapped Adrien Brody – known for his Oscar-winning performances in The Pianist and The Brutalist – to be the face of its Face of Modern Elegance for Eyewear Line. In the social media announcement, Brody is seen wearing two pieces from the collection. Both feature biomaterial frames According […]
