In Seattle, e-commerce behemoth Amazon has partnered with Italian biobased materials producer Novamont to pilot the use of bags made of biobased and biodegradable materials. “In this project, we use biobased raw materials obtained from sources such as starch and vegetable oils, which can be produced sustainably in Europe,” Amazon said. “Customers can place these […]
In the Netherlands, startup Human Material Loop is turning human hair into textiles and has already made prototype coats, sweaters, and blazers that feel similar to wool. The company tells CNN that 72 million kilograms of human hair waste ends up in European landfills annually. This is the equivalent of seven Eiffel Towers. “It’s a […]
In Japan, Neste, Mitsui Chemicals and Mitsui subsidiary Prime Polymer have partnered to provide biobased food packaging solutions for CO-OP, a brand of the Japanese Consumers Co-operative Union. Under the terms of the agreement, Neste will provide renewable Neste RE, a feedstock for polymers that is made entirely from biobased raw materials. Mitsui Chemicals and […]
In Germany, chemicals giant BASF has published its first Responsible Sourcing Report for its Care Chemicals division. The report noted that the company purchased 1.2 million metric tons of renewable raw materials in 2022, including coconut oil, castor oil, and biobased active ingredients. The report is a “refinement” of BASF’s existing Palm Progress Report, which […]
In the Netherlands, cultivated meat leader Meatable has opened a new pilot facility to scale cultivated pork. The 3,300m2 facility at Leiden’s Bio Science Park will allow the company to increase bioreactor capacity from 50 to 200 L. The site will also support further capacity expansion to to 500 L reactors. The new Leiden facility […]
In France, biobased isobutene producer Global Bioenergies has strengthened its cash position with public fundings that will cover its costs until early 2025. The funding included several non-dilutive financings from partners Bpifrance, ADEME and the European agency BBI-JU within the framework of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. Global Bioenergies received €4.1 million from […]
In New York, singer, songwriter, and cultural juggernaut Taylor Swift was spotted about town with her A-list pals while wearing Stella McCartney’s grape-waste leather Ryder boots. The midnight black, above-the-knee stiletto boots use Alter Mat vegan leather, recycled polyester and VEGEA biobased polyurethane. Swift also sported McCartney’s Frayme apple-leather bag while partying in the Big […]
In Taiwan, banana-based textiles company Bananatex has produced a compostable jersey fabric made from the stalks of Abacá banana plants. Bananatex tells design publication dezeen, which shortlisted the fabric for its material innovation award, that the fabric has among the highest tearing and abrasion strength found in nature and could replace cotton and synthetic fabrics. […]
In Philadelphia, storied NFL franchise and leader of the AFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles, is looking to also lead the league in sustainability. The 8-1 team has partnered with bioplastics producer Verde Bioresins and GreenGear™ Supply Company to introduce the EcoShop bio-based, reusable, recyclable, and landfill-degradable bag for retail sales at Lincoln Financial Field. The […]
In Paris, the European Space Agency has completed two projects that point to the viability of growing meat in space, potentially solving a major challenge of extended space travel. “Given the limited resources in space, growing fresh food in situ would be necessary to increase the resilience and self-sufficiency of a mission, and could also […]
