In London, Shellworks has launched a fully home-compostable pipette dropper for beauty and wellness product packaging. Pipette droppers used for serums, oils, and wellness products are typically constructed from fused materials including glass, rubber, and plastic, presenting a sustainability challenge in the beauty industry. Their small size means they slip through recycling equipment, causing nearly […]
In Pennsylvania, Ethan Albright, a Hempfield High teen and fishing enthusiast, has won third place at the recent International Science and Engineering Fair with biodegradable fishing lures. Made from calcium lactate, gelatin, corn starch, and sodium alginate, Albright’s lures biodegrade in about 16 days and are intended to cut down on plastics waste found in […]
In the UK, London’s Design Museum has awarded designer Lulu Harrison the Ralph Saltzman Prize for glass objects made from waste shells, wood and plants sourced from the River Thames. The materials – in particular, quagga mussels shells that block the river’s pipes – are often sent to landfills, according to design publication dezeen. Harrison […]
In London, Sheep Inc. claims it has designed the world’s first swim trunks made entirely of natural materials. “Simply put: swim shorts until now have always relied on synthetic elements, either in the main fabric, the lining or both,” Sheep Inc co-founder Michael Wessely tells design publication Dezeen. “Even many ‘sustainable’ options use recycled polyester […]
In Italy, an interdisciplinary group of architects, scientists, artists, and educators focused on regenerative design are exhibiting living, 3D-printed abstract structures imbued with cyanobacteria. The Canada-based group, called the Living Room Collective, dubbed the exhibit Picoplanktonics. The installation at Venice Architecture Biennale, currently underway in Venice, is meant to explore the biological “definition” of regeneration. […]
In Japan, Sumitomo Chemical has successfully developed technology to produce liquid crystal polymer from a monomer derived from biomass materials. LCP is a type of engineering plastic with high heat and fire resistance. It is used electric and electronic components in smartphones, automotive parts, and office automation equipment. Sumitomo’s process also completely separates biomass materials […]
In Sweden, a biotechnology company working to develop a biobased heat seal coating solution for packaging applications has received a €2.2 million (US$2.5 million) from the L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement program. The grant will support formulation and demonstration of Ecohelix’s Woodmer initiative, which aims to use a wood-based packaging alternative to fossil- and food-derived polymers […]
In Portugal and Italy, researchers from the University of Lisbon and the University of Modena have developed a dissolvable light-emitting diode from chitosan, a biopolymer found in crustacean shells. OLEDs are widely used in phototherapy to measure or stimulate cell responses. While some have already been developed for use inside the body, this most recent […]
In Portugal, a biotech company has raised €5 million (US $5.7 million) to develop and scale its precision-fermented human milk proteins. The funding for PFx Biotech is comprised of a €2.5 million seed round closely following an EU grant of €2.5 million. PFx Biotech uses precision fermentation to produce human milk proteins for advanced nutrition. […]
In Canada, researchers at the University of British Columbia have invented a drink stirrer with a bioplastic tip that can detect whether a drink has been spiked with date-rape drugs such as gamma-hydroxybutyric acid and ketamine. In less than 30 seconds, the tip will change color in the presence of the otherwise tasteless and odorless […]
