In Rhode Island, the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design has launched Loop Lab, an initiative to convert waste generated by the school into raw materials for student use. Currently, the lab focuses on paper waste. “It’s the lowest hanging fruit, if you will,” Jennifer Bissonnette, director of RISD’s Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab, tells […]
In Germany, Brenntag Specialties Food & Nutrition has entered an exclusive distribution agreement with ADM, covering key markets in Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The agreement focuses on soy-based ingredients for meat alternatives and innovative nutrition products, with Brenntag offering ADM’s Profam®, Arcon®, Tradcon®, Adlec®, Ultralec®, Sopro®, and Soprotex® brands. Both companies […]
In Singapore, iced lattes made from beanless coffee and cow-free proteins pulled from air will be available shortly in a preview at the country’s One Financial Centre. The innovative beverage, named GRe:en Drop Coffee and sold by Ajinomoto Group, starts with mixing conventional coffee with a “coffee extender” made via fermentation by a Singapore startup […]
In California, cultivated meat maker Mission Barns has sold its pork for the first time at an exclusive dinner at San Francisco hot spot Fiorella. The Sunset District dining experience featured meatballs with Italian herbs and chilli, as well as in a Sicilian-inspired dish with raisins and pignoli, cooked by chef Brandon Gillis. Applewood-smoked bacon […]
In Australia, seaweed-based plastic startup Uluu has raised AU$16 million (US$10.4 million) to build a demonstration plant to prove the viability of its technology. Uluu’s bioplastic is home compostable, lightweight, and biodegrades in marine environments. The company is eyeing applications in cosmetics, fashion, packaging, and automotive. “After four years’ work developing this technology, including two […]
In Indonesia, a team of researchers from Semarang State University have developed a bioplastic made of chitosan sourced from milkfish scales and moringa leaf starch. Dubbed ChitoGreen, the bioplastic is transparent with a yellow tinge, completely biodegradable, and sourced from fishery waste. It exhibits antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The team hopes […]
In Belgium, biobased surfactants producer AmphiStar was awarded €2.5 million (US$1.15 million) in funding from SPRIND, Germany’s Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation. The funds are reward for AmphiStar advancing to Stage 3 of SPRING’s Circular Biomanufacturing challenge. AmphiStar’s biosurfactant platform combines synthetic biology and microbial fermentation to create high-performance ingredients from upcycled biobased waste and […]
In France, tire major Michelin has brought its biobased 5-hydroxymethylfurfural demonstration plant online at Péage-de-Roussillon. Dubbed Cerisea, the €60 million (US$69.1 million) plant has the capacity to produce 3,000 metric tons of 5-HMF annually using process technology developed with IFP Énergies nouvelles. The project is led by Michelin Engineered Polymers with the support of Technip […]
In the United Kingdom, biomaterials startup PACT has raised £16 million (US$21.0 million) to scale its leather alternative made from collagen. Dubbed Oval, PACT’s cosmetics-grade collagen has a significantly lower environmental footprint than both animal and synthetic leathers and requires far less water. The Series A funding round was led by Forbion and HV Capital. […]
In Israel, Technion’s Material Topology Research Lab, in collaboration with the Tree Lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science, have created 3D-printed soil blocks that can be used to help young trees survive climate change. Dubbed TreeSoil, the blocks create microclimates that support early growth of trees. A large-scale 3D printer creates blocks of interlocking […]
