In Los Angeles, a company developing a renewable alternative to carbon black has raised $2.45 million in a seed funding that included participation from A-list actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio as well as Regeneration.VC and The 22 Fund. Nature Coatings will use funds from the oversubscribed round to expand manufacturing capabilities, strengthen the senior team, […]
In Texas, researchers are looking at dead flies as potential feedstock for biodegradable plastic. The idea gained momentum as Texas A&M University was looking for raw materials that don’t compete with food. “For 20 years, my group has been developing methods to transform natural products – such as glucose obtained from sugar cane or trees […]
In Pennsylvania, a mushroom farm exec’s personal loss has inspired a new offering in environmentally friendly burials: biodegradable, fungi caskets. Max Justice, chairman of Greencastle’s Setas Mushrooms told local news Fox43 the idea came while he was sadly making funeral arrangements for his younger sister. Justice said he was troubled by cremation’s large environmental footprint […]
In India, Seed Paper India has produced Indian flags that are made out of seaweed paper and biodegradable within 30 days. Currently available in Bengaluru—the capital of India’s southern Karnataka state—Seed Paper India has already sold 10,000 of the tri-color flags to ITC Hotels. Early buyers also include corporations, resident welfare groups, and NGOs. “The […]
In South Carolina, mushroom materials maker MycoWorks will bring a new production facility online in September. The facility will add millions of square feet of capacity for the company’s Reishi-brand vegan leather. The Union plant will employ over 350 people, according to Retail Dive, and was financed through a $125 million funding round closed in […]
In Japan, Mitsubishi Corporation, Suntory Holdings Limited, ENEOS Corporation, and NESTE Corporation have joined forces to establish a sustainable supply chain for polyethylene terephthalate bottles made from renewable resources. Under the terms of the deal, NESTE Corporation will supply biobased naphtha produced from waste and residue oils, including used cooking oil. ENEOS will convert the […]
In the Netherlands, Meatable has secured $35 million to help boost operations and accelerate commercial sales. The fundraise, which bring its total funding to $95 million, was led by Agronomics with participation from new investor Dutch impact fund Invest-NL. Established backers BlueYard, Bridford, MilkyWay, DSM Venturing, and Taavet Hinrikus, the Chairman and Founder of Wise, […]
In the Netherlands, dairy protein alternative startup Vivici has secured seed funding with backing from founding investors dsm-firmenich Venturing and Fonterra. The size of the funding was not disclosed. Vivici has built expertise in bioprocess development, scale-up, and know-how in the extraction and application of dairy proteins and says it is strategically positioned commercialize animal-free […]
In the US, a group of cultural activists known as the Barbie Liberation Organization recently faked a Mattel announcement that the toymaker was launching a line of biodegradable Barbie dolls made from mushrooms. Dubbed MyCelia, the dolls were said to feature female role models Julia Butterfly Hill, Greta Thunberg, Nemonte Nenquimo, Phoebe Plummer and Daryl […]
In Australia, Shark Stop has developed shark-bite wetsuits made of biobased neoprene—a welcome innovation as warming waters brings sharks closer to coastal waters. The material took four years to develop and is “scientifically proven” to reduce the depth of a Great White shark bite. According to Shark Stop, the suits are “ideal for surfers and […]
