In Japan, furniture company Meuble has partnered with two chemical companies to develop a resin material from non-edible rice that would otherwise be thrown away. Dubbed RICEWAVE, the material was conceived when Meuble, Biomass Resin Holdings, and Mitsui & Co Plastics Ltd. set out to create a renewable alternative to polyethylene. “We have been thinking […]
In California, Hidden Valley has unveiled a lab-grown diamond from its ranch seasoning mix. The two-carat stone—conceived to celebrate National Ranch Day on March 10—is being auctioned off to benefit Feeding America. To create the diamond, geologist Dean VandenBiesen heated ranch seasoning—which is comprised of ingredients like maltodextrin, buttermilk, and dried onion and garlic—to 2,500 […]
In New York, popular skincare and shaving cream brand eos has put out a public call for pubic hair to aid in the fight against soil erosion. The campaign—dubbed Pubes For The Planet—evolved out of a partnership between eos, renewable resource organization Matter of Trust, and marketing agency Mischief @ No Fixed Address. For the […]
In Ireland, costume designers on the set of Netflix hit “Vikings: Valhalla” have swapped out animal leather for a cactus-based alternative for the comfort of vegan cast member Sam Corlett. In a recent interview, Corlett shared that he found it challenging to wear leather. “I hadn’t worn leather in a long time,” he said. “The […]
In Brooklyn, Charlotte Böhning and Mary Lempres of design studio doppelgänger have developed a process to convert the exoskeletons of mealworms into an alternative for Styrofoam. Dubbed chitofoam, the material is lightweight, water resistant and can be used for food packaging or molded into shapes for everyday items like cups and packing peanuts. The solution […]
In Florida, the designer of a hemp-based car once featured on TV show Jay Leno’s Garage has wound down the project, and reported just two cars were produced. Renew Sports Car inventor and former Dell designer Bruce Dietzen tells Autoevolution the idea was “about seven years ahead of [its] time,” although the promise of hemp […]
In London, consumer goods giant Unilever has announced an “entrepreneurial challenge” aimed at identifying startups, scaleups and academic spinouts with promising functional ingredients for its Beauty & Personal Care products and packaging. The program is part of Unilever’s Positive Beauty Growth Platform, which launched last year with an inaugural challenge targeting social commerce. This iteration […]
In Brazil, researchers at São Paulo State University have made a food packaging material from gelatin, clay and black pepper essential oil. They say the material is edible, biodegradable, anti-microbial and higher performing than petro-based incumbents. The group, comprised of scientists at the University’s Composites and Hybrid Nanocomposites Group, used widely available gelatin as a […]
In Malaysia, researchers across multiple universities are converting the country’s large volume of pineapple waste into products like baby bottle liquid cleansers, meat tenderizers, and even drones. “In recent years, we have seen a rising demand for pineapple-based products like tinned pineapple, jam and vinegar,” University Putra Malaysia professor Aizi Nor Mazila Ramli tells The […]
The Brazilian arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev—the world’s largest brewer—has tapped Israel’s UBQ Materials to integrate waste-based, climate-positive thermoplastics into its packaging mix. UBQ’s process diverts unsorted municipal solid waste from landfills, including all organics, and converts it into a sustainable alternative for petroleum-based plastics, wood, and concrete. “Using waste in the form of a recyclable […]
