Japan’s Sumitomo buys daisy-based insecticide maker
In Australia, Botanical Resources Australia has been acquired by Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical for $133 million.
Founded in 1996, BRA produces pyrethrins, a natural insecticide extracted...
Ontario glycogen plant set to open in summer 2018
In Ontario, Mirexus Biotechnologies is building a plant in Guelph with $1 million in funding from the government’s department of Agriculture and Agri-Food. The...
Perstorp rounds out polyols offering
In Sweden, Perstorp has launched renewable alternatives to trimethylolpropane and neopentyl glycol. Together with its existing biobased pentaerythritol, Perstorp says it is now the...
Canada calls shenanigans on compostable coffee pods
In Ontario, compostable coffee pods are ending up with regular trash because they don’t biodegrade quickly enough for current waste systems, and a new...
Bad news: You may have eaten beaver butt secretions
United Kingdom tabloid The Sun recently published a roundup of common food ingredients with disconcerting origins, including beaver anal gland secretions and crushed beetles.
According...
Turpentine plant sits idle amid wastewater kerfuffle
In Georgia, a new, $43-million turpentine plant built by France’s DRT remains idle as the company waits for a contract for the tens of...
Supermarket chain says corn starch shopping bags aren’t sustainable enough
In New Zealand, organic supermarket Commonsense is doing away with corn starch shopping bags in favor of “borrow” bags because the former requires the...
UK researchers print renewable solar panels onto wallpaper
In the United Kingdom, a team of researchers from Imperial College London’s department of chemical engineering have developed wallpaper that generates electricity and monitors...
Cellulose fiber expands into international fashion hubs
In New York, cellulosic fiber manufacturer Birla Cellulose is opening a design studio in Manhattan’s garment district to help boost sales of its Liva...
German researchers nab funding for three projects
In Germany, two biology professors affiliated with both Bielefeld University and the Center for Biotechnology have been granted a total of €4.8 million ($5.6...