In the Netherlands, DSM and TU Delft have partnered to build an artificial intelligence laboratory dedicated to bioscience innovation. Dubbed the Artificial Intelligence Lab for Biosciences (AI4B.io), the facility will be the first in Europe to apply AI to full-scale biomanufacturing, from microbial strain development to process optimization and scheduling. The AI4B.io Lab will be […]
In Norway, Italian bioplastics producer Novamont has acquired BioBag Group, a company focused on the development and distribution of compostable applications and a leading manufacturer of environmentally friendly packaging in Northern Europe. The deal creates the most vertically integrated group in the bioplastics industry. Novamont is focused largely upstream and has created a supply chain […]
In Denmark, designer Kathrine Barbro Bendixen is converting waste cow intestines into surprisingly beautiful lighting installations. Once cleaned and reinflated, Bendixen, founder of Studio KBB, uses the intestines to create translucent tubes. Bendixen tells dezeen.com she first began experimenting with animal intestines while a student at Design Academy Eindhoven. “I was immediately fascinated,” she says. […]
In Colombia, Oxford University student Gabriel Moreno has developed a vegan leather using fibers from the fique plant that helps create a revenue stream for local rural farmers. Inspired by his father’s environmental consciousness, Moreno founded Fiquetex to commercialize the biodegradable material. “When we saw research predicting that there will be more plastic bags than […]
In California, a startup developing a process to convert air into meat has raised $32 million. Air Protein’s process feeds organisms water, nutrients and carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen sourced from air to produce protein. Agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland and Google’s venture capital arm participated in the Series A funding. “It is essential to […]
In Singapore, cell-based milk company TurtleTree Labs has launched a subsidiary to develop food-grade growth factors for the cultured food industry. “We’ve recognized this need for a while now, our scientists have been working on developing food grade versions of these growth factors with higher performance, higher purity and lower cost. All our hard work […]
In the Netherlands, a new, ecofriendly bike and pedestrian bridge is under construction using renewable material and has the unlikely design feature of being friendly to bats. Dubbed Blauwe Loper—which translates to Blue Carpet—the $6.5-million bridge is 800 meters long and connects the Dutch town of Winschoten with Blauwestad park and recreational area. It is […]
In Malaysia, researchers have designed a drone using fibers extracted from pineapple leaves. The project, led by Professor Mohamed Thariq Hameed Sultan at University Putra Malaysia, began in 2017 when a community project asked the school to find an outlet for the region’s abundant waste pineapple leaves. The drone components made out of pineapple leaves […]
In Germany, sustainability-focused designer Emilie Burfeind has used renewable and waste materials—including dog hair—to create an eccentric sneaker that she hopes will appeal to sneakerheads concerned with the wasteful practices of sneaker culture and fast fashion. Dubbed Sneature, the shoe membrane is made using 3D knitting of dog hair, creating “flexibility, stiffness, and air circulation […]
In California, synthetic biology firm Amyris is launching a haircare brand with beauty influencer Jonathan Van Ness. The partnership aims to “de-gender and revolutionize the haircare industry” by creating a line of hair health products employing Amyris’s hemi-squalane, a biobased and hydrating silicone alternative. “I am more like the anti-transformation beauty expert: I want to […]
