In Switzerland, textile company HeiQ is seeing an uptick in interest for its virus-killing technology. Two fashion brands, Warp + Weft and DL1961, have begun using HeiQ’s Viroblock, which imparts sanitizing properties to jeans and creates a germ-resistant surface. Certified 72% biobased, Viroblock is added during the manufacturing process and kills 99.9% of COVID-19 within […]
In New Jersey, Lycored, a company commercializing pigments and health supplements based on lycopene, has invested millions to more than double production. Lycopene is a carotenoid found in tomatoes and other red produce. The investment included a new production facility in Branchburg, New Jersey that will help support expansion into new markets globally. “The expansion […]
In the Netherlands, footwear company Mercer Amsterdam has announced it will launch a sneaker made from wine waste, recycled polyethylene terephthalate, and algae-based ethylene vinyl acetate. Dubbed W3RD Wine Pack, Mercer Amsterdam partnered with Vegea for the wine waste material. The company says the soft vegan leather is made from the waste skins, stalks, and […]
In France, shoe brand Veja is set to launch a vegan sneaker manufactured using corn waste. Dubbed Urca, the shoe is the next generation of Veja’s V-12 leather trainers. The vegan leather is made from 50% corn waste and waxed canvas, while the laces are organic cotton. The sneakers are part of the company’s fall/winter […]
In California, CAGE Bio Inc. says it has discovered a novel hand sanitizer that kills germs on contact and provides more than four hours of protection against COVID-19. The sanitizer contains ethyl alcohol to remove contamination and a proprietary ionic liquid technology comprised of natural compounds—called IonLast—that extends antiviral protection. Conventional hand sanitizers only offer […]
In Germany, a recent trade show has illustrated how “all in” the home goods is on incorporating renewable materials into products. Heimtextil 2020, held in pre-pandemic Frankfurt, featured products manufactured using everything from banana waste to fig bark. Qwstion, headquartered Switzerland, showcased cloth totes made with its Banatex-brand banana-plant fiber, while the Netherland’s Nienk Hoogvliet […]
In Singapore, plastics giant Dow and cling-film maker Thong Guan have introduced a biobased polyethylene plastic stretch film for the Asia-Pacific market. Under the terms of their collaboration, Thong Guan will be using Dow’s biobased linear low-density polyethylene resin made from tall oil, a residue of paper production, to produce the Nano Bio range of […]
In California, vegan collagen maker Geltor has reportedly raised $90 million. An individual familiar with the situation revealed the financing to Tech Crunch, but did not identify the lead investor. Geltor’s products allow cosmetics, skincare, and food companies to replace lanolin from wool grease, squalene from shark liver oil, and gelatin from animal byproducts with […]
In Kentucky, fried chicken mainstay KFC is leaning into plant-based meat substitutes, signing a collaboration in 3D bioprinting and aggressively expanding its Beyond Fried Chicken product to larger markets. TechCrunch notes that the company recently provided its closely guarded 11 herbs and spices to Russia’s 3D Bioprinting Solutions to begin testing whether lab-cultured chicken cells […]
In California, plant-based meat trailblazer Beyond Meat has announced plans to expand into Brazil with its Beyond Burger, Beyond Sausage, and Beyond Beef products. “As the third-largest market in the world in terms of animal meat consumption, Brazil offers significant opportunity for plant-based meat adoption,” the company says in a press release. The initial rollout […]
