In Sweden, popular vodka brand Absolut has rolled out 2,000 paper bottle prototypes ahead of a wider production run in November. The prototypes are made of 57% paper, with the balance made from 100% recycled plastic. The first bottles will be available in Sweden and the UK, with wider distribution in spring after consumer feedback. […]
In Canada, a designer has partnered with researchers at the University of British Columbia to create an air-purifying, algae-based fabric. Dubbed Biogarmentry, the living Chlamydomonas reinhardtii undergoes photosynthesis, removing carbon from the atmosphere in the process. Designer Roya Aghighi tells CNN one of her main goals was to reduce the environmental impact of the textiles. […]
In Germany, Trebodur has developed a biodegradable packaging material from brewery waste. Specifically, creators Niko and Tillmann found that brewers’ spent grains—the residue left over from barley malt during the lautering step of beer-making—contain self-binding fiber, which they dubbed “mabeerial.” Mabeerial can replace paper and plastic packaging in single-use items such as plates and cutlery. […]
In India, Finance Minister T Harish Rao urged citizens to switch from plastic plates to biodegradable alternatives made from Areca palm. Speaking at the inauguration of an Areca palm plate manufacturing facility in Siddipet, Rao told reporters the plates decompose within 64 hours and can be made from fallen leaves without harming the tree. The […]
In Switzerland, industrial minerals company Omya has launched biobased barrier coatings for paper and board food packaging. The portfolio includes Extomine Barrier Coatings, which are water-borne barrier and based on calcium carbonate and acrylic co-polymers, and EarthInks Barrier Coatings, which are 100% natural, compostable and biodegradable and are tailored for fast food and vending materials. […]
German cycling squad Team Sunweb will be donning protective, biobased jerseys at the upcoming Tour de France. The jersey fabric—trade named Dyneema—is made from ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene and produced by Dutch materials company DSM. “Being 15 times stronger than steel on a weight for weight basis, Dyneema fiber offers an excellent solution to increasing the abrasion […]
In Mexico, student Fernando Sánchez has designed a biodegradable test for COVID-19 antibodies as his final-year project at Tecnológico de Monterrey. “Each test is made of cellulose and contains no plastic, fiberglass, or nitrocellulose, elements found in almost all single-use diagnostics. It can be disintegrated in wastewater and is safe for most plumbing systems, even […]
In Singapore and China, researchers are using fruit peel waste to recycle old lithium batteries. The method involves using orange peels to recover precious metals from battery waste, which could then be used in the production of new batteries. The work was done by a collaboration between Nanyang Technological University and NTU Singapore “Current industrial […]
In Kanpur, India, a “flowercycling” startup has raised Rs 10+ crore ($120,000) to convert flower waste from the region’s temples into vegan leather. The company, named Phool, was founded by Ankit Agarwal in 2017 to keep the 8 tons of floral waste generated daily by the city’s temples and mosques from being dumped into the […]
In London, a fashion graduate has designed a shape-shifting, biodegradable dress using algae extract and waste from the silk industry. Scarlett Yang, who recently graduated from Central Saint Martins, used molds and renewable materials to make the dress, which has a glass-like appearance. To avoid the massive amounts of waste usually normally generated by clothing […]
