In Germany, precision fermentation firm Bioweg has closed a €16 million ($19 million) Series A funding, which it will use build a manufacturing plant. The company’s technology converts food waste, including from Germany’s storied beer breweries, into bacterial cellulose, which has applications in cosmetics, personal care products, and pesticides. “Our technology directly replaces AMPS [airborne […]
In the US, Solar Foods has submitted a Generally Recognized as Safe notification to the United States Food and Drug Administration. The company aims to obtain a no questions letter for its alternative protein’s safety assessment. Dubbed Solein, the protein is made by a specific microbe, which undergoes fermentation with air and electricity. The “nutritionally […]
In France, specialty chemical maker Arkema has partnered with Catalyxx to develop a new value chain for low-carbon, biobased acrylic resins. Catalyxx is planning to build a first-of-its-kind industrial facility to produce bio-alcohols, including bio n-butanol, from bioethanol. These biobased alcohols, based on a patented technology validated at a demonstration plant in Seville, Spain, offer […]
In California, artificial Christmas tree maker Balsam Brands will launch a new line of trees for 2025’s holiday season that use needles made of 95% biobased ethylene. Dubbed BH Balsam ReNew fir, the biobased content comes from sugarcane. “While our trees have always been reusable, these advances are a game-changer for the Christmas tree industry,” […]
In California, an artist and “mycologist” has crossed 26 miles of ocean in a kayak made of mycelium, the root system of mushrooms. Sam Shoemaker made the record-setting, twelve-hour journey from Catalina Island to San Pedro in August, persevering amid seasickness and curiosity from a fin whale. “It was just like a psychedelic experience,” Shoemaker […]
In Canada, Mount Pleasant Group’s Meadowvale Cemetery, Funeral and Cremation Centres have become the first in Canada to offer the Loop Living Cocoon and Loop EarthRise mushroom-based burial products. Developed by Dutch company Loop Biotech, Loop Living Cocoon and Loop EarthRise “represent a new era in sustainable end-of-life care,” according to a press statement. “They […]
In Colorado, plastic clog maker Crocs is using algae-based ink from Living Ink Technologies in its Jibbitz shoe charm packaging. To date, the ink has been used by EcoEnclose, Crocs’ packaging partner, in over 3 million cartons. It is the first commercial use of Living Ink Technologies’ ink in a full CMYK print run. “When […]
In the Netherlands, Mevaldi B.V. has successfully closed a funding round with High-Tech Gründerfonds and ICIG Ventures, the investment arm of International Chemical Investors Group. Founded in 2020, Mevaldi is pioneering a bio-thermocatalytic process to produce 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol—a versatile chemical used in coatings, adhesives, and elastomers. The investment, which includes both equity and a working capital […]
In Michigan, Ecovia-Bio has commissioned a new facility for biobased production of polyglutamic acid and its derivatives. PGA is often described as nature’s thickener. It is suitable for cosmetics, agriculture, and even as a replacement for synthetic polyacrylates in diapers. Many regions of the world are banning the use of synthetic polyacrylates in some applications […]
In France, flavor and fragrance giant IFF has inaugurated a €10 million (US$11.7 million) expansion at its LMR Naturals site in Grasse. The facility develops natural ingredients for perfumers. The expansion increases the facility’s footprint by 75% and includes a state-of-the-art pilot hall designed to accelerate the development of new natural ingredients. The upgraded site […]
