In Germany, Abolis Biotechnologies has closed a €35 million ($38.9 million) financing round to scale its biomanufacturing operations, accelerate business development efforts, develop its own line of products, and expand the activities of Microbiome Studio, its business unit dedicated to deciphering and engineering microbial ecosystems. Participants in the funding round include Evonik Venture Capital; BOLD, […]
In the United Kingdom, the Royal College of Art and Hyundai Motor Group have picked renewable materials as two of the inaugural winners of their Excellence in Sustainability and Creative Practice award. Open to graduating RCA students only, Ankita Khanna and Yohaan Kukreja received the innovation award for their rice straw-derived biodegradable composite and sheet […]
In Massachusetts, polyolefin producer Braskem has opened a Renewable Innovation Center in the Lexington suburb of Boston. The 35,000-square-foot innovation center will accelerate innovation in renewable chemicals and materials and expand Braskem’s competencies in biotechnology, catalysis, and process engineering. A particular focus will be given to early-stage science and engineering related to the conversion of […]
In Italy, Eni has received permission from the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security to begin construction of its planned biorefinery at Livorno. First announced in January, the site is to be ENI’s third biorefinery and have the capacity to produce 500,000 tons of HVO diesel, HVO naphtha, and bio-LPG using renewable raw […]
In Germany, chemicals giant Covestro and Chinese electric vehicle maker Li Auto have partnered to develop more sustainable materials for vehicles, with a focus on circularity and “future-oriented applications with engineering plastics.” Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, Covestro and Li Auto will establish a joint innovation platform to drive the development and […]
In France, precision fermentation startup Standing Ovation has raised €3.75 million ($4.2 million) in a Series A extension and appointed Yvan Chardonnens CEO as it prepares commercial launch of its animal free casein in 2025. The company says its process manufactures caseins that are bioidentical to those found in dairy products but emit 94% fewer […]
In the UK, personal care products giant Unilever is sponsoring a pilot project to extract floral scents from unsold and imperfect ornamental flowers. In partnership with Bridge Farm Group and the University of Nottingham, the company aims to valorize the nearly 1 billion tons of waste flowers and ornamental plants that go unsold annually. The […]
In Japan, the design team at Yamaha Corporation has unveiled prototype guitars using defective and scrap wood generated by the instrument maker’s manufacturing operations. “The relationship between a musical instrument and its material is fundamental, shaping its sound, appearance, and feel,” according to a submission from the company to online publication design boom. “Rare woods, […]
In Colorado, Crocs has reported considerable progress in its efforts to increase the renewable content of its popular clogs. The company says it has reached 25% “bio-circular” content in its proprietary Croslite material, which accounts for more than 80% of Crocs’ total materials used across its portfolio. “We believe that to truly make an impact, […]
In Boston, GALY CO., a climate tech company pioneering the development of cellular agriculture products, has announced the closing of an oversubscribed $33 million Series B financing led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures with additional participation from new investors H&M Group and Inditex. The funds will primarily fuel the expansion of GALY’s research and development on […]
