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

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Collaboration & Co-CreationCollaboration & Co-CreationMaterials & Packaging
Lincoln Introducing Tree-Based Alternative to Fiberglass for Interior Parts in 2014 MKX
Lincoln Introducing Tree-Based Alternative to Fiberglass for Interior Parts in 2014 MKX
Published on December 20, 2013
About a 2 minute read

While many Lincoln MKX drivers may be tying trees to the top of their vehicles this time of year, 2014 will see the MKX crossover with tree-based components inside the vehicle.A three-year collaboration between The Lincoln Motor Company, timber giant... View More

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Collaboration & Co-CreationCollaboration & Co-CreationMaterials & Packaging
Seventh Gen, Annie’s, Eileen Fisher Among Companies Pushing Congress for Better Chemicals Policy
Seventh Gen, Annie’s, Eileen Fisher Among Companies Pushing Congress for Better Chemicals Policy
Published on December 14, 2013
About a 3 minute read

A group of the country's leading consumer brands have formed a new coalition to persuade Congress to update the nation's out-of-date and ineffective chemical safety laws. Strong lobbying by other industry groups has given policymakers the impression ... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Companies Need a New Game Plan for Chemical Management
Companies Need a New Game Plan for Chemical Management
Published on December 8, 2013
About a 5 minute read

Consumer products companies are faced with a new chemical agenda. The market expectation has shifted from outdated regulatory compliance to greater ingredient transparency and more stringent health and environmental protection. Companies have traditi... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Amazon Now Offering 200,000 Products with 'Frustration-Free' Packaging
Amazon Now Offering 200,000 Products with 'Frustration-Free' Packaging
Published on December 6, 2013
About a 2 minute read

On Thursday, Amazon announced that its Frustration-Free Packaging initiative, the retailer’s effort to liberate products from hermetically sealed clamshell cases and plastic-coated steel-wire ties, now offers over 200,000 items, up from 19 when the... View More

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Collaboration & Co-CreationCollaboration & Co-CreationMaterials & Packaging
8 Major Consumer Brands and WWF Form Alliance to Promote Plant-Based Plastics
8 Major Consumer Brands and WWF Form Alliance to Promote Plant-Based Plastics
Published on November 21, 2013
About a 2 minute read

Coca-Cola, Danone, Ford, Heinz, Nestlé, Nike, P&G, Unilever and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have formed a new organization to support the responsible development of plastics made from plant material and promote a more sustainable future for the bi... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
The Story of Stuff's 'The Good Stuff' Examines Roadblocks to Greener Chemistry
The Story of Stuff's 'The Good Stuff' Examines Roadblocks to Greener Chemistry
Published on November 16, 2013
About a 4 minute read

Do you read the ingredient labels of your products? Here are some from a popular baby shampoo:“Purple paraben, quarternium-15, sorbitan laurate…,” rattles off Annie Leonard, co-director of The Story of Stuff Project, during the most recent epis... View More

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Collaboration & Co-CreationCollaboration & Co-CreationMaterials & Packaging
Driving Innovation: Coke and Ford Unveil Fusion Energi with Interiors Made from PlantBottle Technology™
Driving Innovation: Coke and Ford Unveil Fusion Energi with Interiors Made from PlantBottle Technology™
Published on November 15, 2013
About a 4 minute read

The Coca-Cola Company and Ford Motor Company have teamed up to fuel more sustainable design by collaborating on a first-ever interior fabric made from the same renewable material used to produce Coke’s PlantBottle packaging. ... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular EconomyMaterials & Packaging
New Wastewater Mining Tech Isolates Biosolids for Use as Paper, Pulp, Plastic, Fuel
New Wastewater Mining Tech Isolates Biosolids for Use as Paper, Pulp, Plastic, Fuel
Published on November 12, 2013
About a 3 minute read

A Dutch wastewater treatment facility (WWTP) and paper mill are testing out a new sewage recycling system that reduces sludge formation by half, cuts operational costs by 30 percent, significantly increases treatment capacity and yields biosolids tha... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Biome Bioplastics Serving Up Compostable Coffee Pods
Biome Bioplastics Serving Up Compostable Coffee Pods
Published on November 7, 2013
About a 2 minute read

UK-based Biome Bioplastics has announced its new biodegradable coffee pod, the latest in a spate of innovations lessening the environmental impact of the roughly $6.6 billion single-serve market.According to Biome, an estimated 9.1 billion single-ser... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Sochi 2014 Pledging to Be First Carbon-Neutral Olympic Games — For Real, This Time
Sochi 2014 Pledging to Be First Carbon-Neutral Olympic Games — For Real, This Time
Published on November 5, 2013
About a 3 minute read

The upcoming Sochi 2014 Olympics will be the first in history to achieve carbon neutrality, according to a recent announcement by The Dow Chemical Company, the Official Carbon Partner for the Games. This includes carbon footprints associated with the... View More

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Materials & PackagingInnovation & TechnologyMaterials & Packaging
PulpWorks Out to Save People and Planet from Painful Plastic Packaging
PulpWorks Out to Save People and Planet from Painful Plastic Packaging
Published on November 1, 2013
About a 4 minute read

Each week leading up to our SB London conference, where the winner of the SB London Innovation Open (SBIOL) will be announced on November 18, we will get to know each of our four finalists. This week, meet PulpWorks. ... View More

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Collaboration & Co-CreationCollaboration & Co-CreationMaterials & Packaging
DuPont, Huntsman Partnership Dramatically Increases Yield, Reduces Impacts of Cotton Bleaching
DuPont, Huntsman Partnership Dramatically Increases Yield, Reduces Impacts of Cotton Bleaching
Published on October 28, 2013
About a 4 minute read

DuPont Industrial Biosciences, in collaboration with Huntsman Corporation — a global provider of textile dyes and chemicals — recently announced the results of a case study that demonstrates the benefits of its Gentle Power Bleach™, powered by ... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
P&G’s New Plastic Mold Process Could Save $1 Billion Annually
P&G’s New Plastic Mold Process Could Save $1 Billion Annually
Published on October 23, 2013
About a 2 minute read

Procter & Gamble has developed a new process to mold plastic that it claims is thinner, cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the current industry standard and could save the company $1 billion a year by using less plastic and different ... View More

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Materials & Packaging
Royal DSM Approves Genomatica's Bio-Based BDO for Use in Arnitel Thermoplastics
Royal DSM Approves Genomatica's Bio-Based BDO for Use in Arnitel Thermoplastics
Published on October 16, 2013
About a 3 minute read

Royal DSM, the global life sciences and materials sciences company, announced last week that in-depth testing has proven that Genomatica’s renewable form of the organic compound 1,4-butanediol (BDO) has excellent purity and shows equivalent perform... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular EconomyMaterials & Packaging
New Bioplastic Could Eliminate 50 Million Tons of Annual E-Waste
New Bioplastic Could Eliminate 50 Million Tons of Annual E-Waste
Published on October 15, 2013
About a 2 minute read

Italian biotech firm Bio-on has developed a bioplastic called PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate), made from agricultural processing waste materials, which is 100 percent biodegradable in water and soil and can be used as a substrate for electric circuits. Wh... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular EconomyMaterials & Packaging
University of Bath Researchers Treating Wastewater with Seafood Shells
University of Bath Researchers Treating Wastewater with Seafood Shells
Published on October 4, 2013
About a 3 minute read

The thousands of tons of waste seashells created by the edible seafood sector are being used to treat wastewater in a new project undertaken by researchers at the University of Bath in the UK.Dr Darrell Patterson, from the University’s Department o... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
BASF and Heritage Plastics Partnering to Bring ecovio® Bioplastics Production to U.S.
BASF and Heritage Plastics Partnering to Bring ecovio® Bioplastics Production to U.S.
Published on October 1, 2013
About a 2 minute read

BASF has announced a strategic manufacturing partnership with Heritage Plastics, Inc. to produce the chemical company’s ecovio® compostable bioplastic products in North America.The partnership enables BASF to expand manufacturing of its ecovio bio... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Republic of Tea Launches 95% Biodegradable Single-Serve Pod
Republic of Tea Launches 95% Biodegradable Single-Serve Pod
Published on September 27, 2013
About a 1 minute read

Socially conscious tea purveyor the Republic of Tea has announced a new line of environmentally friendly, single-serve One Cuppa™ tea pods, that are 95% biodegradable and compatible with most single-serve coffee- and tea- brewing machines. The comp... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
McDonald’s Agrees to Phase Out Polystyrene Cups
McDonald’s Agrees to Phase Out Polystyrene Cups
Published on September 25, 2013
About a 2 minute read

McDonald’s Corp. has confirmed that it will replace all polystyrene beverage cups with paper cups at its 14,000 U.S. outlets, according to As You Sow (AYS), a nonprofit organization that promotes corporate responsibility through shareholder advocac... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Clariant Releases Paraben-Free Alternative to Cosmetics Preservatives
Clariant Releases Paraben-Free Alternative to Cosmetics Preservatives
Published on September 19, 2013
About a 3 minute read

Swiss chemical giant Clariant today announced the launch of Nipaguard® Zero — a powerful line of optimized preservative blends for cosmetics that contain no parabens, yet deliver a comparable performance.Clariant offers a broad portfolio of single... View More

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