In the United Kingdom, consumer products giant Unilever has announced a new partnership with ag innovator Nufarm to develop a variety of sugarcane capable of producing oils for cleaning products. The project focuses on cultivating a biomass-rich crop capable of producing sustainable oils from the entire plant—including leaves and stems—rather than just seeds and fruits. […]
In France, Lactips, a company developing and producing polymers from milk protein casein, has completed a €16 million (US$16.9 million) fundraising round. The financing will enable Lactips to accelerate its commercial growth and expand its international presence. Lactips provides sustainable alternatives to traditional plastics, supporting converters and brand owners in their ecological transition. The company’s […]
In Germany, researchers at Dresden University of Technology are exploring the feasibility of using leaves to produce biodegradable printed circuit boards for electronic devices. PCBs are typically made of plastic or fiberglass with epoxy, and are difficult to recycle or reuse. Tens of millions of tons of electronic waste are dumped annually, and the figure […]
In Singapore, UMAMI Bioworks and Steakholder Foods have successfully demonstrated the feasibility of producing 3D-printed cultivated fish products at scalable volumes. The two-year project developed a portfolio of prototype designs for premium cultivated fish fillets, leveraging 3D printing technology to create products that mimic the attributes of various fish species. The work was funded by […]
In France, AFYREN, a greentech company building a biobased organic acids plant, has received a €9 million (US$9.5 million) loan from Bpifrance, the French state investment bank. The financing will support start-up of its first plant, located in Saint Avold, France. The loan, structured in two installments of €6 million and €3 million, is part […]
In Maryland, high-performance athletic surfaces manufacturer Beynon Sports has received the U.S. Department of Agriculture Certified Biobased Product Label for its polyurethane binder products BEYPUR™ 320-Bio and BEYPUR™ 340-Bio. Both binders contain 24% biobased content and are suitable for various applications, including bonding materials like rubber, foam, cork, and wood mulch. The BEYPUR™ 340-Bio variant […]
In the United Kingdom, textile brand Kirkby Design has created an interior drapery fabric made from aloe vera. Dubbed Aloe, the sheer material is a 60-40 mix of aloe vera and organic cotton. Aloe is more sustainable than 100% cotton because aloe vera requires comparably small amounts of water, pesticides, and fertilizer. Kirby Design also […]
In Georgia, polyhydroxyalkanoates bioplastics company Danimer Scientific has reported third-quarter sales of $8.6 million, down $2.3 million compared to the year-ago quarter, primarily due to the reapportionment of Starbucks’ straw business. A net loss of $21.8 million, however, was up from the year-ago quarter’s loss of $40.2 million. “We completed the third quarter in line […]
In France, epoxy resin maker Sicomin, Skaw Sailing, and boatbuilder Shoreteam have developed a foiling cruising yacht with partially biobased composite. Dubbed Skaw (A), the yacht was built by Shoreteam and designed by Benoit Marie, founder of Scaw Sailing, and Clément Bercault. According to Composites World, Skaw (A) uses Sicomin’s high-modulus GreenPoxy resin solutions, including […]
In California, seaweed technology startups Umaro and Sway have been awarded a $1.5 million Department of Energy grant to jointly develop new processing techniques to convert alginate sidestreams from Umaro’s seaweed protein production into Sway’s seaweed-based bioplastics. The collaboration aims to produce both biobased plastics and protein from a single regenerative resource. Umaro’s products include […]
