In Bangladesh, several Rohingya refugee families are among the first to use new shelters made of jute and a plant-based plastic from Applied Bioplastics. Designed to replace shacks usually made of bamboo and tarps, the new shelters even withstood the typhoon that hit the Southeast Asian country in 2022. The material “is cheap and doesn’t […]
In the United Kingdom, prolific designer Julian Melchiorri has introduced a chandelier concept that incorporates air-purifying algae. Dubbed Exhale, the living chandelier consists of 70 glass leaves full of green algae that absorb carbon dioxide and releases oxygen. Exhale is designed to work both inside and outdoors and was on display at London Design Week, […]
In California, synthetic biology firm Amyris has sold three ingredients to beauty and fragrance major Givaudan. The products sold include performant emollient Neossance® Squalane; plant-based silicone alternative Neossance® Hemisqualane; and sun protector CleanScreen. Givaudan and Amyris also signed a long-term partnership agreement under which Amyris will continue to manufacture ingredients for Givaudan to use in […]
In Amsterdam, two leading bioplastic makers have partnered to accelerate development of polyethylene furanoate, a 100% plant-based, fully recyclable plastic material with properties appropriate for replacing many plastics, including high-volume polyethylene terephthalate. The deal was signed last week between Avantium N.V., a producer of PEF-precursor furandicarboxylic acid and Origin Materials, Inc., a US-based manufactutrer of […]
In Germany, specialty chemicals maker Evonik has launched a plant-based feed additive to reduce inflammation in sows, laying hens and dairy cows. Dubbed PhytriCare® IM, the additive consists of selected plant extracts with high flavonoid content and was developed in collaboration with Dr. Eckel Animal Nutrition. The launch is particularly timely, given the recent bans […]
In Chicago, PETA has offered to replace a recently stolen catalytic converter to get Oscar Mayer’s iconic Wienermobile rolling again—but only if parent company Kraft Heinz agrees to convert to vegan hot dogs. In a pun-filled letter to Kraft Heinz executive Carlos Abrams-Rivera, the animal rights organization also offered to cover the Wienermobile’s maintenance for […]
In New York, two Columbia University professors have developed a textile that is 60% comprised of soil and suitable for making clothes. Dubbed BioEarth, the material was codesigned by Penmai Chongtoua and Professor Lola Ben-Alon of the Natural Materials Lab at Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation, and Planning. It is thin and strong with […]
In San Francisco, a seaweed-based materials startup has raised $6 million, bringing its total pre-series A funding to $15.4 million. Founded in 2016, Loliware says in a press statement that the funds will be used to grow the market for seaweed materials, launch new products and seaweed resins, and expand R&D. Loliware’s seaweed-derived resins are […]
In Ecuador, a team from design firm Lakò Studio is looking for ways to repurpose the copious amounts of cocoa bean waste generated every year into useful building materials. According to Lakò, only half of cocoa beans are used to make food. The remaining shells are comprised of vegetal fibers appropriate for lightweight soundproofing and […]
In New York, Synonym Biotechnologies, a financing and development platform for biomanufacturing infrastructure, has released a report detailing a dearth of fermentation capacity at scales higher than 20,000 liters. The report notes that this shortage is a key bottleneck for growing large-scale biomanufacturing. “This is one of the many mismatches that we’ve identified between what […]
