In Mexico, sporting goods firm Sanabul has created boxing gloves made from cactus leather produced by startup Desserto. Dubbed Los Cactus, the gloves are available on Sanabul’s online store for $250 and are partially biodegradable. “There’s a misconception that a traditional cowhide boxing glove is the ideal glove. And we’re looking to change that,” Imran […]
In the Netherlands, lignin will replace bitumen as an asphalt binder on a stretch of road being constructed in Vlissingen. Road construction uses large amounts of bitumen, a mixture of hydrocarbons generated during oil refining that binds and strengthens asphalt. Bioasphalt firm H4A will use lignin sourced from Finland’s Stora Enso for the test patch, […]
In Georgia, bioplastic maker Danimer Scientific has announced a merger agreement with Live Oak Acquisition Corp. that will result in Danimer becoming a public company. Danimer Scientific produces polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a 100% biodegradable and renewable plastic that uses canola oil as feedstock. The company currently produces its PHA—trade named Nodax—at an industrial-scale facility in Winchester, […]
In Massachusetts, Dunkin’ has said it is testing the use of bioplastic straws at 250 locations throughout the United States. Formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts, the popular coffee chain says the straws are made of PHA, a bioplastic produced via fermentation from canola oil. “[W]hile the straws have the same look and feel as traditional […]
In Finland, circular fiber firm Infinited Fiber Company is investing in more capacity as it racks up big-name partners like H&M, Patagonia, Wrangler, PVH Corp, and Bestseller. The biotech startup’s technology can convert used textiles or any cellulose-based material such as used cardboard or agricultural waste into a biodegradable soft fiber. Applications include T-shirts, hoodies, […]
In Japan, protein fermentation firm Spiber has entered into a production partnership with US agribusiness giant ADM. Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will expand production of Spiber’s Brewed Protein polymers for use in apparel and other consumer products. The collaboration will combine Spiber’s structural protein fermentation technology with ADM’s expertise in […]
In Montreal, biotech firm Hyasynth says it is the first to sell cannabidiol produced by yeast fermentation. The technology eliminates the need for traditional cultivation and extraction and provides more sustainable and consistent cannabidiol. It also takes less than a week to complete, 12 times faster than cannabidiol extraction from cannabis or hemp. “Our head […]
In Maine, Poland Spring has partnered with the University of Maine to develop biobased packaging alternatives for the ubiquitous bottled water brand. The partnership evolved out of a meeting at a May 2019 bioplastics summit at the University of Maine. “Their innovative work is already showing how a Maine-based circular economy is possible, and this […]
In San Francisco, Wildtype is working to grow sushi-grade salmon in a lab amid dangerously depleted ocean populations and factory farming beset with pest problems. The startup gives salmon cells nutrients, sugars, salts, amino acids and growth factor to “grow” salmon tissue in its lab. “This is applicable to other species than the salmon that we […]
In the Netherlands, lab-grown meat start-up Mosa Meat has raised $55 million to boost capacity at its Maastricht plant and obtain regulatory approval in new markets. “In the next 3 years, we aim to scale up to one industrial-sized production line, work with regulators to demonstrate the safety of cultivated meat, and introduce the first […]
