Chemistry, Materials & Packaging
The latest developments in safe and sustainable chemicals, new materials, fuels, and more.
These 3 Plant-Based Serviceware Brands Are Deliciously Diverting Plastic Waste
Loliware, Uuvipak and Twiice have created rapidly biodegradable (and even edible) bio-based products that completely upstage their petroleum-based, single-use plastic-polluting counterparts.
bluesign Continues to Clean Up Fashion with Expansion into Denim, Footwear
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. Partnerships with brands including Madewell and Vibram will help adapt bluesign’s existing standards and guidelines for two untapped industries.
Consumers Want More Sustainable Packaging But Struggle to Identify It
Cross-Posted from Behavior Change. Retailers continue to refine what packaging they find acceptable to answer consumer demand for more sustainable solutions — and consumer goods companies must keep innovating to keep pace.
New Insulating Paints Reduce Energy, Costs, Emissions, Discomfort in Extreme Temperatures
The paints, developed by Stanford researchers, can reduce the need for both heating and air conditioning in buildings, as well as refrigerated cargo spaces such as trains and trucks.
Royal Society of Chemistry Task Force Aims to Make Liquid Polymers ‘Benign by Design’
The Sustainable Polymers in Liquid Formulation (PLFs) Task Force will collaborate to innovate throughout the value chain and across sectors including cosmetics, water treatments, lubricants and agricultural products.
Beyond Bioplastics: Agricultural Waste Streams Becoming Next-Gen Packaging Materials
By upcycling agricultural waste, these three startups are replacing plastic with a new wave of packaging materials that ‘make no compromises along the supply chain.’
On the Importance of Made-to-Scale, Sustainable Chemicals for Products
Consumers deserve access to functional, sustainable and affordable products without having to sacrifice quality or their health. Scalable, bio-based chemicals hold tremendous promise in accomplishing these goals.
Textile Additive Expedites Breakdown of Stubborn, Synthetic Fibers
Despite its potential to address microplastic pollution on a number of fronts, the makers of CiCLO stress they don’t want to enable more unnecessary plastic consumption justified by ‘biodegradability.’
Change the Product, Not Just the Packaging: A Crucial Step Towards a Sustainable Food Future
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.
Industry of All Nations’ Undyed Cotton Initiative Shows Proof of Concept for a More Natural End Product
The popularity of the company’s undyed apparel collection proves the business case and consumer demand for more consciously produced, less toxic clothing.
Could This Circular Textile Put Conventional Leather Out to Pasture?
Modern Meadow’s Bio-VERA™ is a high-performance, upcycled alternative to traditional bovine leather with significantly lower environmental and supply chain impacts.
What Plastic Pollution? These Companies Are Making Packaging Disappear
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.
Global Fashion Houses, NGOs Call on Industry to Commit to Deforestation-Free Leather
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. The Deforestation-Free Call to Action for Leather calls on brands and retailers to ensure sourcing of bovine leather from deforestation-free supply chains by 2030 or earlier.
These Fermented Oils Could Be a Game-Changer for Human, Planetary Health
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.
Closed-Loop, Reusable Distribution System Saves Spirits Producers Costs, Emissions, Materials
Cross-Posted from 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.
Next-Generation Beauty: How Nature-Inspired Biotech Is Evolving Ethical Skincare
Modern Meadow’s Bio-Coll@gen offers a solution to a long-standing cosmetic and skincare challenge: finding a safe, sustainable and scalable replacement for animal-derived collagen.
US States Cracking Down on Toxic Chemicals in Processed Food, Cosmetics
California and Washington are the latest states to attempt to fill gaps in public-health safeguards, thanks to a lack of federal protections against certain commonly used chemicals.
Cornell Researchers Upcycling Polyester Textile Waste into Functional Coatings
Cross-Posted from Waste Not. A new method chemically breaks down old fabric and reuses polyester compounds to create fire-resistant, anti-bacterial or wrinkle-free coatings that can then be applied to new clothes and fabrics.
Champagne Telmont Raises a Glass to World’s Lightest Champagne Bottle
The bottle, 35 grams lighter than the commercial standard, could represent a significant decrease in the carbon footprint of Champagne bottling.
One Company May Just Solve Some of Our Most Material Issues
Bio-design tech company Modern Meadow develops circular and regenerative approaches to creating a wide range of versatile materials, with no loss of performance or quality, that can be quickly scaled and brought to market.
