THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Until now, recycling paint has been a laborious, costly process, leading to huge amount of unused paint going to waste and ending up in landfills. Thanks to a collaboration between Dulux-owner AkzoNobel, design and innovation company Seymourpowell, and Newlife Paints, recycling paint may finally be able to become ‘mainstream.’
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Anellotech, a sustainable technology company focused on producing cost-competitive BTX (benzene, toluene and xylene) – petrochemical-based aromatic hydrocarbons - from non-food biomass, has announced Toyota Tsusho Corporation, a member of the Toyota Group, as a multinational strategic equity investor and corporate partner in the renewable aromatic chemicals supply chain.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Walmart announced back in April that it had achieved a 95 percent reduction by weight in the use of high priority chemicals of concern. Now, it has released detailed information on the progress it has made, and experts at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) seem impressed.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Carpet might not seem like a major player in the climate change fight, but the process of making it actually is quite impactful on the environment. Most carpets are synthetic — nylon, polyester, acrylic — all of which are petroleum-based products. Throw in other petroleum-based adhesives and materials used to back the synthetic fibers, chemical dyes to repel stains and fire, and a lack of reliable recycling methods, and you’ve got a recipe for some unsustainable practices.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Researchers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC) have found a new way to break down the strong bonds of polyethylene, the most commonly used synthetic plastic, and convert it into useful liquid fuels and waxes. The new technique is less toxic and less energy-intensive than current approaches to breaking down the polymers' chemical bonds.
COLLABORATION -
Last week, The Dow Chemical Company released its 2015 Sustainability Report, which examined the company’s journey toward reaching its 2015 goals and what it’s already achieved looking ahead to 2025. I caught up with corporate VP and Chief Sustainability Officer Neil Hawkins to learn more.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Two new industrial facilities that will bring the circular economy one step closer were officially opened in Europe on Friday: a carbon dioxide-based chemical plant in Germany and a nutrient recovery facility in the Netherlands. The transition from a linear take-make-waste economy to one which keeps materials ‘circulating’ for as long as possible (or, ideally, indefinitely) has been an international priority in the continent.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Chemicals have a huge impact on our health and environment. Over 3,000 chemicals come onto commerce each year and only a small percentage of those chemicals are ever tested for health impacts. Fortunately, some organizations are undertaking the big, important task of understanding their own and others’ chemical footprints through the Chemical Footprint Project (CFP).
PRESS RELEASE -
Philadelphia, PA (June 6, 2016) – EEQO, a privately owned company located in The Netherlands, Europe, which produces a broad range of natural cleaning and maintenance products under the brands Rhinoc, Rhinoc Sport, and Seesoo, announces a partnership with companies Avery Dennison and Braskem to use biobased polyethylene self-adhesive labels in their packaging. All EEQO’s products use mainly natural ingredients, are biodegradable and, in some cases, even probiotic.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Sustainable Brands ’16 San Diego is coming up June 6-9, and part of the fun includes this year’s competition for game-changing, purpose-driven startups — the SB Innovation Open, hosted by Target. In part two of our two-part introduction to our inspiring semi-finalists (meet the rest in part one), we meet a soccer ball manufacturer fighting poverty; a truly natural, earth-friendly soap; a clean way to extract copper, and more.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Procter & Gamble announced today that it will eliminate phosphates from all of its Fairy dishwasher tablets by 2017. This change will apply to retail brands globally, going beyond current legislation*, and represents the removal of 14,000 tons annually — enough phosphates to cover 270,000 soccer pitches**. Additionally, P&G will also remove phosphates from all of its professional dishwasher tablets globally, an area currently unregulated.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
21- and 22-year-old Jeanny Yao and Miranda Wang are making the most of their student years; since high school, the pair have filed 2 patents, founded a company, and raised about $400,000 in pursuit of developing a bacteria that can break down ocean-bound plastic waste.
NEW METRICS -
In the first initiative of its kind to publicly benchmark corporate chemicals management, the Chemical Footprint Project has published its inaugural report. The results provide valuable insights into how leading companies manage chemicals in their products and supply chains, and how all companies might manage these issues in the future.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
AkzoNobel and agro-industrial cooperative Royal Cosun have partnered to develop novel products from cellulose side streams resulting from sugar beet processing.
The partnership will combine Royal Cosun's specialist knowledge in separating and purifying agricultural process side streams with AkzoNobel's expertise in the chemical modification of cellulose.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Do Europeans have unreasonable expectations for the agriculture industry? New poll results suggest that 91 percent of consumers think food should remain affordable, but just 54 percent think that farmers should be able to use pesticides to keep prices down.
PRESS RELEASE -
As the Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Games and the Official Carbon Partner of Rio 2016, The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) has launched an innovative Microfoaming Technology for the packaging industry in Latin America. The project is part of a comprehensive Dow program focused on mitigating the carbon footprint of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
"Packaging plays an important role in helping minimize food waste. The leveraging of the Microfoaming technology as one of the Rio 2016 carbon mitigation projects promotes a rational utilization of packaging and showcases how it can help enable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,” said Paloma Alonso, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics Latin America commercial vice president.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
It’s the pinnacle of tax season here in the U.S. this week, and it’s easy to imagine coffee being in high demand at the Internal Revenue Service. So in the midst of their most grueling week of the year, a group of businesses and advocates are calling on the IRS to go one day without coffee — one of many crops that relies on pollination — to help drive home the potential implications of a future without pollinators.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
A report released today by six non-profit organizations found that 67 percent of nearly 200 tested food can linings contained Bisphenol A (BPA). The report also identified the replacement materials and to what extent their safety has been studied. Ahead of the report’s release, both Campbell Soup Co. and Del Monte Foods announced plans to switch to BPA-free packaging.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
A non-animal, non-vegetable feed for fish farms could help reduce the negative impacts of our fish consumption. Fish is likely an inevitable part of how the world will meet the protein demands of over 9 billion people by 2050, and the World Bank predicts that fish farms will produce nearly two thirds of global supply by 2030.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
As the old African proverb famously asserts: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Chemical giant BASF has taken this to heart, as evidenced by its collaborative approach to sustainability innovation.
We spoke with Peter Gräve, director of Communications and Advocacy at BASF Española, to learn more about the many ways the global company is engaging and collaborating to fulfill its commitment to “create chemistry for a sustainable future.”