In California, the Bezos Earth Fund has committed $34 million to develop biodegradable fibers to replace cotton, polyester and viscose in the fashion industry, with hopes for consumer sales within three to five years. Grant recipients include Columbia University, Fashion Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, Clemson University, and the Cotton Foundation. The funds […]
In Maryland, Army researchers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM)’s Army Research Laboratory have invented a breakthrough tool for rapidly identifying novel proteins with desirable binding properties. Binding agents are a key ingredient in the development of many important Army technologies and platforms, including applications in material repair and energetic composites. However, […]
In Australia, banana waste fiber is being repurposed into biodegradable blast collars for open-cut mining, a surface mining method where minerals are extracted by removing the soil, rock, and vegetation above a deposit. Blast collars prevent the drill‑hole collar from collapsing and stop loose material from falling into the hole. Dubbed Collar Keeper, its manufacturer […]
In California, beauty brand Tower 28 has debuted a lip jelly using Palmless Torula Oil, a fermentation-derived substitute for palm oil produced by C16 Biosciences. Alternatives to palm oil are in high demand because of widespread deforestation linked to the ubiquitous product. Two‑fifths of the world’s vegetable oil supply comes from palm oil, and it […]
In Germany, cell cultivated fat startup Cultimate Foods GmbH has filed for bankruptcy with the Charlottenburg Local Court. An administrator was assigned to the company on April 30 and will determine whether continued operations and restructuring are viable options. Founded in 2022, the company intended for its lab-grown fat to help plant-based meat products better […]
In Denmark, designer Natural Material Studio has made custom lighting for a sushi restaurant out of seaweed “salvaged” from miso soup that would otherwise be thrown out. The lights were installed during a recent interior renovation at Lyngby Japanese-Danish fusion hotspot Sticks n Sushi. “Technically, you can find endless fibers and particles in biowaste,” Natural […]
In the United Kingdom, SIS Pitches has developed a biodegradable, bio-based fiber for hybrid sports fields. Dubbed Bio-X™, the pitch surface material blends natural materials derived from corn and sugarcane to create a fiber with the necessary strength, durability, and flexibility for high-impact sports fields. A recent trial that included professional soccer, football, golf, tennis, […]
In California, a cell-cultured chocolate collaboration between California Cultured and University of California-Davis has been awarded a $2.8 million grant from public-private biomanufacturing consortium BioMade and the National Science Foundation. The funds will be used to improve key scale-up challenges such as better sterilization methods and biomass sensors. “This grant directly supports the hardest and […]
In the United Kingdom, Tate & Lyle PLC and BioHarvest Sciences Inc. have broadened the scope of their joint sweetener development program to include multiple plant‑based sweetener molecules. The expanded collaboration builds on the initial agreement signed in 2024 and reflects strong technical progress to date, as well as Tate & Lyle’s ambition to equip […]
In India, researchers at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University claim to have made a bioplastic out of cow manure that decomposes in just 50 days. Led by department of microbiology professor Ravi Kumar Gupta and PhD student Deshraj Deepak Kapoor, the team found a bacteria that could be used to produce the common bioplastic polyhydroxybutyrate from […]
