Chemistry, Materials & Packaging
The latest developments in safe and sustainable chemicals, new materials, fuels, and more.
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 [email protected] 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.
How eCommerce Retailers Can Satisfy Today’s Sustainability-Demanding Shoppers
Cross-Posted from Product, Service & Design Innovation. Gen Z shoppers are more informed about what sustainability should look like in practice — but whether they know it or not, their shopping habits don’t always reflect that. Either way, retailers are striving to keep up sustainably.
Apparel Giants Bringing Future-Friendly Fabrics to the Mainstream
The apparel industry is awash in launches of circular, plant-based and carbon-sequestering fabrics set to help future-proof fashion.
PFAS-Removal Solutions for Consumer Products Show Promise But Remain Costly
In light of new EPA guidance and increased consumer awareness, remediation strategies for the so-called ‘forever chemicals’ are coming under increased scrutiny.
As Forests React to Climate Change, Can Genetically Modified Trees Stand in the Gap?
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.
Trending: Retailers Embrace Reuse, Credits in Ongoing Fight Against Plastic Waste
rePurpose Global helps Thrive Market achieve plastic neutrality for its own-brand products, while The Body Shop expands its refillable offerings in the US.
How to Select Sustainable Textiles for the Built Environment
Acknowledging that many textile manufacturers are vague about their products, with little to no proof of sustainability or misrepresenting their claims, can be disheartening. But there are a few key ways to identify a greenwashed product.
ChemSec Approaches Complex Chemistry Discussions with Collaboration and Humor
ChemSec works to eliminate toxic chemicals in products by engaging with companies and policymakers across cultures, industries and governments; ED Anne-Sofie Bäckar says trust, transparency — and sometimes, keeping things light — are key.
Allbirds Reveals World’s First Zero-Carbon Shoe
Made from a number of carbon-negative materials, M0.0NSHOT could be a giant leap for the shoe industry; Allbirds is open-sourcing the toolkit used to create the shoe and inviting others to follow in its footsteps.
Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize Winners Offer Viable, Marine-Safe Solutions to Thin-Film Waste
The three winners are sourcing and scaling biobased and degradable alternatives to traditional, thin-film plastic made from fossil fuels.
Crate Uplevels Sustainable Packaging with World’s First Label-Less Wines
Crate aims to shake up the industry — where most of the sustainability discussion is about the impact of plastic in packaging, but little acknowledgement that paper labels are also part of the problem.
New Guide Details Tangible Solutions for Retailers to Move ‘Beyond the Bag’
Cross-Posted from Product, Service & Design Innovation. Playbook highlights solutions from the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag that drive near-term, positive environmental impact and cost savings from eliminating single-use plastic bags.
3 Material Innovators Using Algae to Paint Greener Picture for Fashion
Living Ink, Algaeing and Mounid are changing the game with carbon-negative, fast-to-produce alternatives to carcinogenic, petroleum-based inks, dyes and textiles.
McKinsey: Circular Economy for Cement Could Be Worth €110B by 2050
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. The concrete industry is responsible for 8% of all global carbon emissions; and 30-40% of today’s solid waste is created through the construction and maintenance of the built environment.
Red Carpet Fashion Needs to Be Green
Imagine if, the day after the Oscars, discussion of the best (and worst!) dressed attendees focused as much on the sustainability characteristics of their choices as on how they looked.
