In London, the red clown noses associated with the Red Nose Day fundraising appeal have undergone a renewable redesign aimed at improving the sustainability profile of the popular charity drive. Once made of rubber or plastic, the telethon’s organizer Comic Relief began looking for a home compostable alternative after the 2020 campaign. The 2023 design—conceived […]
In Wyoming, design firm Pear & Mulberry has launched a miniature Zen garden kit made of bioplastics. Called Meta.Zen, the kit is comprised of magnetic hexagons and small decorative elements suggestive of gardens. The items are made from algae, bamboo, walnut wood, and corn-based polylactic acid. Arranging the components is meant to promote creativity and […]
In the Netherlands, architecture firm Studio RAP has designed a houseboat that replaces a large amount of wood and other building materials with cork—lowering the floating home’s environmental impact in the process. The Dutch houseboat is comprised of a timber structure clad solely in cork. A low-density layer acts as insulation while a denser outer […]
In the United Kingdom, Kelpi has raised £3 million (US$3.6 million) to advance its seaweed-based coatings. Formulated for food and cosmetics packaging, the coatings are compatible with recycling infrastructure and industrial and home composters. The seed round was led by Science Creates Ventures and Green Angel Syndicate, with funding from One Planet Capital and follow-on […]
In Germany, Symrise Cosmetic Ingredients has acquired a minority stake in Synergio, an Israeli producer of plant-based antimicrobial solutions. Financial terms were not disclosed. Founded in 2009, Synergio uses biochemistry and a computational platform to develop bioactives for healthier and more sustainable personal care and cosmetic products. Dr. Joern Andreas, President Scent & Care at […]
In Japan, Toray Industries and Idemitsu Kosan Co. are jointly building a supply chain for plastics made from biomass naphtha. Specifically, the two companies are developing biomass-based styrene monomer to be used in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Under the terms of the deal, Idemitsu will leverage the mass balance method to manufacture styrene from biomass. Toray […]
In Japan, Teijin Limited has received ISCC PLUS sustainable-product certification from the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification for polycarbonate resin made from biomass-derived bisphenol A. Teijin is the first Japanese company to obtain ISCC PLUS certification for PC resin products. Produced at Teijin’s Matsuyama and Mihara production sites in Japan, the biomass PC resins are […]
In San Francisco, a cultivated seafood maker backed by A-listers has said it will launch sushi-grade salmon in restaurants before the year-end. Justin Kolbeck, cofounder of Wildtype, told IntraFish that the company is just waiting on FDA consultation process before beginning this first phase of commercial launch. The milestone would make Wildtype among the first […]
In Switzerland, the beauty division of luxury brand owner LVMH has partnered with Dow, Inc. on recycled and biobased packaging for perfume and cosmetic products. Biobased and circular materials will be used in Dow’s SURLYN™ Ionomers for production of perfume caps and cosmetic cream jars. SURLYN possesses similar crystalline transparency and design freedom as Dow’s […]
In Amsterdam, consumer products giant Henkel has agreed to purchase unspecified amounts of biobased furandicarboxylic acid from Avantium. Henkel plans to use the FDCA to produce polyurethane adhesives for electronics applications. The five-year offtake agreement will begin in 2024, when Avantium’s first commercial FDCA plant at Delfzijl, the Netherlands begins operations. Henkel and Avantium have […]
