July 9, 2018
According to Parley for the Oceans, recent studies indicate that at least 5 trillion pieces of plastic weighing more than 250,000 tons are now floating in the world’s oceans. The majority of the debris sinks or remains in the five areas of the oceans called vortexes. However, a significant percentage washes onto coastlines daily. The …
July 5, 2018
Chris Lefteri Design has launched what it claims is the world’s first compostable, hand-moldable plastic stick meant put quick fixes for ordinary challenges back in the hands of the user. The plastic stick softens in 60 °C water and can then be molded to patch or handle any number of household or office repairs. Completely …
July 3, 2018
Circular Systems, a materials-science startup, plans to turn food crop waste like banana peels, sugarcane pulp, pineapple leaves, and hemp and flax stalks into textiles, according to an article in Sourcing Journal. The company’s proprietary closed-loop system, called Agraloop Bio-Refinery, is designed to do just that. According to Isaac Nichelson, CEO of the California-based …
June 25, 2018
Basque outdoor brand Ternua has announced the launch of a project which will see it collect nut shells to be used to make natural dyes for its products. The initiative is supported by Spain’s Dept. of the Environment and by the regional government of the Gipuzkoa province, with the cooperation of the province’s National Cider …
June 12, 2018
Chemical company Archroma has introduced Denisol Pure Indigo 30, an aniline-free* denim indigo dye. The company reports the new dye provides a nontoxic way to produce the traditional blue that consumers associate with denim. Currently, aniline impurities are an unavoidable element of producing indigo-dyed denim, but with its new product, aniline is locked into the indigo …
June 5, 2018
WellGro Tech has recently been recognized as a qualified supplier of pollution control equipment by the Indian Coast Guard. The Indian Coast Guard, under the Ministry of Defense, is the central coordinating agency for oil spill response. The company, based in Chennai, India, developed the biodegradable oil-absorbent pads and mats for oil spill remediation as …
May 30, 2018
Unifi, maker of REPREVE performance fiber, announces that it is the inaugural business recipient of the 2018 University of North Carolina Sustainability Award from Kenan-Flagler Business School’s Center for Sustainable Enterprise and the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise. The award recognizes leadership and best practices in environmental and business sustainability for North Carolina enterprises. UNC’s goals for the …
May 23, 2018
The Lenzing Group marks a new milestone in its sustainability journey: It is introducing the eco-responsible process for the production of Lenzing™ EcoVero™ branded viscose fibers in Nanjing, China. The environmental awareness of consumers has been steadily growing over the past decade, and especially more recently in the fashion and textile industry. Textile consumption is …
May 21, 2018
Under the leadership of designer and architect Neri Oxman, a group of researchers from the Mediated Matter group at MIT have developed a water-based digital fabrication platform using a renewable polymer from the ocean. The process combines an age-old, crustacean-derived material with robotic fabrication and synthetic biology. This biologically derived digital fabrication process creates forms that use graded material properties …
May 9, 2018
The nova-Institute has announced its six finalists for the Bio-based Material of the Year 2018 Innovation Award, which recognizes technologies in the bio-based chemicals and materials industry for suitable applications and new markets for their products. The finalists are from six different countries and offer a range of innovations, including: AIMPLAS (Spain): Bio-based and biodegradable …