In Brazil, Braskem, the largest resin producer in the Americas and the world’s leading biopolymer producer, expands its production of I’m greenTM biopolymers; biobased plastics made from sugarcane. This exemplifies Braskem’s commitment to the circular economy and its ambition to become carbon neutral by 2050 and marks an important step towards a global change in […]
In Pennsylvania, Noble Biomaterials has developed an antimicrobial fabric technology based on citric acid. Named Ionic+® Botanical, the topical fabric finish is rated for 50 wash cycles. “Ionic+ Botanical checks many boxes that biobased technologies on the market struggle to meet,” says Joel Furey, founder and chief commercial officer at Noble Biomaterials. “There is a […]
In Boston, Bolt Threads and Ginkgo Bioworks have inked a multi-project collaboration to increase the production efficiency and performance of Bolt’s current portfolio and develop novel proteins for biomaterials. The first program aims to optimize the production efficiency of Bolt’s Mylo™, a leather alternative made out of mycelium, the underground root system of fungi. Mylo […]
In North Carolina, seaweed-based yarn developer AlgiKnit has rebranded as Keel Labs, a name that is “designed to reflect the company’s mission and capacity to support a sustainable future at scale.” A keel is the structural spine of a ship. It creates balance between the ocean and keeps a ship’s momentum moving forward. Choosing the […]
In Paris, Neoplants has genetically engineered the common pothos to have 30 times the air-purifying ability of a regular houseplant. Dubbed Neo P1, the pothos was conceived by Neoplants while the startup resided at the Station F incubator. “We were surrounded by houseplants in this incubator,” Neoplants cofounder and CTO Patrick Torbey tells Fast Company. […]
In the United Kingdom, the red paper poppies that adorn war memorials, graves, and lapels to memorialize the commonwealth’s casualties of war and symbolize hope for a peaceful future on Remembrance Day will soon be completely biodegradable. The new poppies will swap plastic “stems” for fiberboard on 130,000 wreaths, beginning in 2023, according to the […]
In Spain, luxury fashion brand Balenciaga has designed a coat made from the mushroom leather Ephea. Marking Balenciaga’s first use of the material, the black hooded coat made its runway debut in March and is now available for sale at the extravagant price of €9,000. “Balenciaga acknowledges the role that fashion plays in depleting and […]
In New York, a new company called Transcend is signing up future corpses to turn into trees. The startup hopes to tap into the green burial trend while also reforesting the world, Matthew Kochmann, Transcend founder and CEO, tells Forbes. The company’s process involves wrapping a body in an organic flax linen shroud and burying […]
In Portugal, designer Gui Giantini has created a 100% biodegradable tote bag from garlic waste. Dubbed Sacalho—Portuguese for sackcloth—the bag is made by sewing sheets of material produced using modular mixing molds in the shape of tote bags. According to a do-it-yourself submission to design publication designboom, Sacalho was “developed in an academic and scientific […]
In Germany, an eco-friendly “coin” for making wishes in wishing wells has won the prestigious iF Design Award from Hanover’s International Forum Design. Comprised of dried algae pressed into coin shapes, Wishing Feed provides an alternative to coins that can choke fish and turtles. The custom of making a wish and tossing a coin into […]
