In Miami, an annual art and design festival featured a bioplastic, compostable stools from Slovakia studio Crafting Plastics. The design firm created several pieces made using Nuatan, a proprietary polyhydroxy alkaloids biomaterial that is 100% biobased and compostable. “We are expecting our products and furniture pieces to endure generations,” Crafting Plastics cofounder Vlasta Kubušová told […]
In New York, beauty products wholesaler Qosmedix has developed the industry’s first biobased cosmetics applicators. Dubbed biowand, a plush doe foot lip gloss applicator and a point tip eye shadow applicator will be available for purchase in the spring. Both applicator tips and handles are biodegradable and are made from the bioplastic polylactic acid. Feedstocks […]
In Israel Pluri Inc., a biotechnology company specializing in cell-based solutions, has received a strategic private investment of $6.5 million, led by global investor Alejandro Weinstein, who will also join the company’s Board of Directors. This investment is part of a broader strategy to enhance Pluri’s position in sustainable food technologies. In conjunction with the […]
In Isle of Man, cultivated meat startup Mosa Meat has successfully raised €40 million (US$42 million) in a new funding round aimed at scaling up production processes and preparing for market entry. The funding round was led by Lowercarbon Capital LLC and M Ventures, part of the Merck Group. Notable new investors include government-backed entities […]
In Ontario, NEXE Innovations Inc., a leader in polylactic acid coffee pods, has released a letter from President Ash Guglani to its shareholders, reflecting on the company’s achievements in 2024 and outlining its vision for the year ahead. Guglani expressed enthusiasm for the transformative opportunities on the horizon, noting that the previous year marked significant […]
In Taiwan, students Chia-Ying Chiang and Shao-Yu Lin have created wave-dissipating blocks using oyster shells and c-slurry. Such blocks are used to minimize damage to beaches and beachfront properties, but are usually made from concrete and cement—materials that have a poor carbon-emissions footprint and are unsuitable for marine life. In addition to using natural materials, […]
In Switzerland, researchers from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) have developed a biodegradable battery made from fungus. The battery is 3D-printed using fungi cells mixed with printing ink. The battery is activated by adding water and nutrients and works by creating an anode of yeast fungus and a cathode of […]
In Boston, foodtech startup Tender Foods and synthetic biology firm Ginkgo Bioworks are among more than 60 recipients of recent US Department of Energy grants for low-carbon technologies. Ginkgo Bioworks will receive $2.4 million to advance a precision fermentation technology for producing human lactoferrin. Specifically, Ginko is using a novel yeast strain to create hLF […]
In Brazil, the À_SOMBRA project has added a new eco-friendly end-of-life option. Designed by João Pedro Alves Cavalcanti and Jeanine Torres Geammal from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, À_SOMBRA consists of a biodegradable urn made from mycelium, the root system of mushrooms. The designers were inspired by the Gaia hypothesis, which posits an […]
In India, kombucha byproduct is being used to produce sustainable leather for shadow puppet exhibit Luminous Lore. The exhibit aims to showcase Tholu Bommalata, a traditional shadow puppet art with roots to Andhra Pradesh. Traditionally, such lamps are made from the hides from goat, deer or buffalo. The hand-painted illustrations exhibited in Luminous Lore tells […]
