CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
A growing industry solution to plastic packaging pollution is to create food products that are more stable and
compatible with more minimal and sustainable packaging materials.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Robert Downey Jr's FootPrint Coalition is taking a three-pronged approach to boosting environmental science and technology — including a science engine that funds non-traditional innovators, a VC fund for scaling promising solutions, and a media platform that amplifies the innovations.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
In 2021, global construction projects consumed 30B tonnes of cement to make concrete — with every tonne emitting almost a tonne of CO2. The good news is, technologies already exist to reduce the impact of concrete production.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
As innovators such as Notpla and B’ZEOS continue to prove, the potential uses for seaweed — including as plastic alternatives that are truly compostable and biodegradable — are endless.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
CCS proponents argue it can offset emissions from hard-to-abate sectors such as energy and heavy industry; while opponents fear it could further the status quo and distract from the need for real emissions reductions.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Along with being sub-optimal for human health, many conventional cooking oils contribute to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and soil and water pollution. Fermented oils could save both the environment and our diets.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Precision AI has developed the world's first AI drones for plant-level herbicide application — on a mission to create healthier, more sustainable, profitable farms.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
EcoSPIRITS’ EcoTOTE system replaces traditional, 1.75-liter liquor bottles with reusable glass containers that reduce emissions by 60-90% while maintaining product quality.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
By thinking of suppliers more as business partners, companies such as Tengri are creating new models for ethical, regenerative supply chains.
CLEANTECH -
The California-based carbon-transformation company is emerging as a leader in ‘CO2Made’ products — from everyday consumer goods to sustainable jet and marine
fuels.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Creating truly sustainable models that benefit local communities is a serious and often challenging commitment. But the benefits can be tremendous — both for the business and those in impoverished rural farming regions.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The Foundation’s Big Food Redesign Challenge will bring together producers, retailers, startups and suppliers to bring circular food design into the mainstream.
COLLABORATION -
rePurpose Global, The Ocean Cleanup launch alliance of leading plastic-waste solutionists dedicated to empowering balanced and informed policymaking.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The startup upcycles food waste and byproducts into a new kind of high-protein, high-fiber, vegan meat. Unlike most products in the crowded alt-protein market, it has achieved both great taste and price parity.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Green City Solutions has combined air-purifying moss with IoT technology in a smart biotech filter that can clean 82% of fine dust particles from the air, and humidify and cool it by up to 4°C.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The Foundation invites businesses to discover startups through its Circular Startup Index to help accelerate innovation that facilitates transition to a circular economy.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Mycorena and Revo Foods have combined mycelium-based protein and 3D printing to create a potential win-win for seafood fans and overexploited fish populations.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
In the lab, Living Carbon’s GM poplars accumulated biomass up to 53% faster, trapping as much as 27% more carbon than non-engineered poplars. But skeptics aren’t convinced they’re seeing the forest for the trees.
WASTE NOT -
Some say the outsized focus on legacy plastics cleanup is analogous to carbon removal versus reducing carbon emissions at the source: ‘like putting a band-aid on a broken leg.’
SUPPLY CHAIN -
While the 4th edition of the Chocolate Scorecard examines over 70 chocolate companies on their social and environmental performance, WNWN Food Labs’ ‘Wegg’ offers a look at a truly sustainable alternative.