Materials & Packaging
The latest developments in materials, feedstocks and processes that are transforming the way many conventional products are made and packaged — and eliminating their negative impacts
Trending: Sustainability Demand Spurs New Packaging Innovations
A recent report from Transparency Market Research revealed that sustainability awareness is driving the demand for paper packaging. Paper is the largest material type in the packaging market and is growing, since it is both economically and environme... View More
Seventh Generation Detergents Join Target’s ‘Made to Matter’ Collection
Seventh Generation, which makes eco-friendly household and personal care products, on Monday launched a new line of laundry and dishwasher detergents designed to save consumers energy and money, while also helping to protect and care for the environm... View More
Trending: Biobased Microbeads, Flexible Foams Could Offer Renewable Materials for Hundreds of Products
TerraVerdae BioWorks, an industrial biotechnology company developing advanced bioplastics and environmentally sustainable biomaterials, announced Monday that it has successfully achieved key milestones for the commercial production for its line of Po... View More
Researchers Unveil New Method for Converting Greenhouse Gas to Building Material
This week, researchers at George Washington University (GWU) unveiled a new method to convert carbon dioxide into nanoscale carbon fibers that may serve as valuable future building materials (think: aircrafts, fitness equipment and sports cars), as w... View More
Could Genetically Modified Algae Replace Petroleum in Plastic?
Conventional plastic — found just about everywhere you can think of and in many places you wouldn’t — is made from ethylene, a cheap hydrocarbon made using petroleum and natural gas – through a process that emits more carbon dioxide than any ... View More
Trending: Clay-Based Concrete, Upcycled Waste Latest Innovations in Sustainable Building Materials
The days of conventional concrete and carbon-intensive building materials are waning. ... View More
Brazilian Design Students 'Re-Pack Milk' with Easily Recyclable Container
Until we achieve widespread optimization of industrial materials use (quite a few years off, yet), recycling is still our best option for retaining value and extending the life of those materials.Not one of the better examples of this, modern milk ca... View More
Kodak Opens Facility For Zero-Water, Zero-Chemical, Low-Energy Print Solution
Kodak today opened a new manufacturing line at its Columbus, Georgia facility that will produce its KODAK SONORA Process Free Plates. Kodak says SONORA Process Free Plates deliver the productivity, quality and print capabilities of mainstream process... View More
16-Year-Old Scientist Finds Scalable Solution to Pharmaceutical Pollution in Water
For many of us, our high school science fair likely involved creative experimentation that may have yielded one more baking soda and vinegar volcano. Not so for 16-year-old Maria Elena Grimmett, a student at the Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches i... View More
BASF, thinkstep Scaling Collaborative Approach to Sustainable Product Portfolios: Part 2
At SB ’15 San Diego last month, chemical giant BASF and sustainability software and consulting company thinkstep announced their collaboration in making BASF’s Sustainable Solution SteeringTM method — for management of, and transition to, a sus... View More
P&G Fabric Care Overhauling Packaging to Make 230M Bottles a Year from Recycled Plastic
Procter & Gamble (P&G) Fabric Care has announced a new initiative that will see 230 million bottles of flagship brands such as Ariel, Dash, Lenor and Unstopables made out of Post-Consumer Recyclate (PCR — aka recycled packaging). If laid ou... View More
Trending: Coca-Cola, Liquid Light, Monadnock Advancing Sustainable Packaging Technologies
The Coca-Cola Company has launched a development agreement with Liquid Light, a technology company focused on converting carbon dioxide into major industrial chemicals, to accelerate production of mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) – a component used to ma... View More
New Genomatica-Cargill Collaboration Will Bring More Renewable Chemicals to Market
Sustainable chemical technology company Genomatica announced today it has partnered with Cargill to accelerate the production of renewable chemicals for industrial applications. The collaboration will give chemical producers, distributors and users a... View More
Scientists Looking to Agave, Other Succulents as Model for Engineering Drought-Resistant Plants
As a punishing drought continues to grip California and other areas around the globe, scientists are exploring hardy succulents as a pathway to genetically engineer plants to use less water.Agave and other succulents such as the prickly pear, pineapp... View More
2015 Green Chemistry Challenge Award Winners Tackle Climate Change, Water, Biobased Materials
For the 20th year in a row, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is recognizing landmark sustainable chemistry technologies developed by industrial pioneers and leading scientists that turn climate risk and other environmental problems into... View More
Nestlé Waters’ resource® Now Comes in 100% Recycled Bottles
Yesterday resource® Natural Spring Water announced the debut of a remodeled bottle made entirely of recycled plastic (rPET). Part of the Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) portfolio of bottled waters, the resource brand reflects Nestle’s explorat... View More
With No-Label Can, Coca-Cola Asks Us to 'Remove Labels' This Ramadan
Coca-Cola has launched a new campaign to discourage stereotyping and prejudice. In time for the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, the beverage giant will remove labels from its soda cans throughout the Middle East.The company explained its rationale behind ... View More
New Bioplastic Production Process May Increase Viability as Alternative to Oil-Based Counterparts
The bioplastic known as polylactic acid (PLA) is already a part of our everyday lives — comprising items such as biodegradable drinking cups and vegetable wrapping foil — yet, it is not considered a fully viable alternative to traditional petrole... View More
Trucost, ASBC Report Outlines #BusinessCase for Safer Chemicals
Trucost recently released a report, commissioned by the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) and the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3), evaluating the market potential of safer chemicals — as well as the business and economic ris... View More
Report: Biobased Products Industry Adds $369B, 4 Million Jobs to US Economy
A new report suggests the U.S. biobased products industry has a notable impact on the nation’s economy. It is the first research effort to quantify the effect of this industry from an economics and jobs perspective, according to U.S. Agricultural S... View More
