The latest developments in safe and sustainable chemicals, new materials, fuels, and more.
Cross-Posted from New Metrics. In order to better help its customers align environmental and societal considerations with business success, BASF has developed a new process for steering its portfolio based on sustainability criteria. Launched today, the Sustainable Solution Steering method is used to systematically review and evaluate the sustainability aspects of the approximately 50,000 relevant product applications in the company’s portfolio, which represent sales of €56 billion. The benefit: This externally validated process makes it possible to measure the products’ contribution to sustainability within their various markets and industries and to increase this contribution through targeted steps.
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. Novelis, a global leader in rolled aluminum products, is in the process of shifting its entire business model from a traditional linear model to a closed-loop or circular model. The company is embracing an entirely new way of thinking and operating in order to radically transform itself — and, in the process, reap the brand value associated with being a clear leader on that front in its industry.In 2013, Novelis introduced evercan™, the first independently certified, high-recycled-content (currently 90 percent, with a goal of 100 percent) aluminum beverage can sheet, while committing to making it available at no extra cost.
Sustainable chemical technology company Genomatica has published the results of a major survey of sustainability issues in the mainstream chemical industry that shows the topic is now considered a high priority in the field, with Genomatica itself ranking alongside industry giants such as BASF and Dow that come to mind when respondents think of those leading the charge.
Tetra Pak‘s just-released 2014 Sustainability Update highlights the processing and packaging giant's 2013 progress in a variety of areas.
The growing amount of solid waste being added to landfills from product packaging is an environmental concern to Cisco. To address this, we strive to design packages that protect against shipping damage while minimizing material usage.Our employee-led “Pack It Green” Initiative, which promotes optimized packaging and order fulfillment, is a big part of this commitment.In fiscal year 2014* we eliminated 1.9 million pounds of material and the equivalent of 3.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions through 30 Pack It Green projects. These included bulk-packed products, integrated product shipments, the reuse of packaging materials, and expanding opportunities for customers to “opt out” of physically delivered products.
Boeing and Russell Brands LLC have announced that they are working together to incorporate excess carbon fiber from the production of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner in Russell Athletic protective gear.The companies will expand an initial collaboration to put 787 carbon fiber into Russell Athletic's new CarbonTek football shoulder pad system. The companies say they see significant benefits in using aerospace-grade carbon fiber because the carbon filaments provide a high strength-to-weight ratio and greater durability.
UK waste-management company Network Waste recently announced it has been working with the Adapt Low Carbon Group at the University of East Anglia on a groundbreaking approach to waste management that could lead to paper waste being turned into bioplastic.The Norfolk-based company is in partnership with the University’s Adapt Low Carbon Group on a project involving paper crumb — the waste from paper milling — in cooperation with a Network Waste customer that produces up to 7,000 tons of damp paper crumb waste per year at its mill.
Plastic is the boon and bane of our times. While its uses are numerous and at times, even critical, its waste and the resultant pollution clogs up our rivers and oceans and pollutes our lands. But recent advancements in packaging offer hope.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) has released its 2014 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, highlighting progress toward its 2015 goals. Of note are the fact that the beverage giant exceeded two of its environmental sustainability goals: conserving 60.7 million pounds of PET through lightweighting and packaging redesigns since 2007 (the company says it offers the lightest 2-liter bottle in the industry) — the goal was 60 million pounds by 2015 — and replacing nearly 69,000 outdated coolers and vending machines with more energy-efficient equipment since 2009 (relative to its goal of updating 60,000 by 2015).
Scientists at City University, Hong Kong have developed a treatment for cashmere that enables it to self-clean with some help from the sun.The technology coats cashmere fibers with tiny particles of the mineral anatase titanium dioxide. When exposed to sunlight for 24 hours, the mineral starts a chemical reaction creating oxidants that act as tiny electric currents to break down dust, dirt, bacteria and even trickier stains such as coffee and wine.
NASA research shows Earth's atmosphere contains an unexpectedly large amount of an ozone-depleting compound from an unknown source decades after the compound was banned worldwide.Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), which was once used in applications such as dry cleaning and as a fire-extinguishing agent, was regulated in 1987 under the Montreal Protocol along with other chlorofluorocarbons that destroy ozone and contribute to the ozone hole over Antarctica.Parties to the Montreal Protocol reported zero new CCl4 emissions between 2007-2012. However, the new research shows worldwide emissions of CCl4 average 39 kilotons per year, approximately 30 percent of peak emissions prior to the international treaty going into effect.
A team of South Korean scientists has converted cigarette butts into a valuable material that they say could be used as an energy storage device in computers, electrical vehicles, wind turbines and various handheld devices.As reported by the Institute of Physics (IOP), and published in their journal Nanotechnology, the researchers demonstrated that the material proved superior to commercially used alternatives such as carbon, graphene and carbon nanotubes. The breakthrough could represent a win-win — acting as an electrical storage device while providing a solution to the increasing environmental burden caused by used cigarette filters.
BASF has developed a versatile, high-performance polyamide called Ultramid®, which is derived from renewable raw materials — the company says it replaces up to 100 percent of the fossil-based resources used at the beginning of the integrated production process with certified biomass.“Consumer demand for products made of renewable raw materials continues to rise,” says Joachim Queisser, SVP of the Polyamides and Precursors Europe regional business unit. “This offering opens excellent possibilities for packaging film manufacturers to market their products accordingly.”
The American Institute for Packaging and the Environment (AMERIPEN) has published a new brochure called Reducing Fresh Food Waste: The Role of Packaging.The free brochure explains that Americans throw away 36 million tons of food each year, worth $162 billion, and says that “one factor accounts for about two-thirds of the problem: spoilage from not being used on time.”It says that better packaging can help alleviate spoilage and other forms of waste and lists all the benefits it offers:
Thanks to the company’s new coatings technology EvCote™ Water Barrier 3000 — made from plant-based oils and recycled PET bottles — companies and consumers can now select a more sustainable cup in which to serve cold drinks. The company says the cups don’t require any modification in the current recycle stream or special handling and are fully compostable and recyclable.
A group of scientists at the University of Birmingham is calling for soft furnishings to be discarded with the same caution as electronics. Waste from soft furnishings such as curtains, cushions and sofas contain brominated flame retardants (BFRs), which have been shown to damage the environment and human health.In the United Kingdom, at least two thirds of electronic waste (e-waste) must be treated before it can enter landfill. However, the millions of tons of furniture and textile waste disposed of by UK households each year currently goes unregulated. Most of this waste ends up in landfill, while the rest is incinerated.
A recent report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says that the use of new nanomaterials in tire production could help further the sustainability of the industry and reduce the environmental impact of vehicles, provided the environmental, health and safety risks of the technology are managed carefully.
Sustainable chemical technology company Genomatica, which develops manufacturing processes using alternative feedstocks that enable its licensee partners to produce the world’s most widely-used chemicals a ‘better way,’ announced this morning that major nylon intermediates — including hexamethylenediamine, caprolactam and adipic acid (HMD, CPL and ADA) — are the focus of its third publicly disclosed development program. Genomatica is developing complete process technologies for the bio-based production of these intermediates to license to major firms in the nylon value chain.
Solazyme, Inc, a pioneer in renewable oils and bioproducts, and AkzoNobel, a global producer of paint, coatings and specialty chemicals, announced today they have expanded their previous agreement for the joint development of Tailored™ algal oils. The expansion provides for funded development, as well as agreed key terms for a multi-year supply agreement targeting annual supply of up to 10,000 MT of the oils, pending successful product development.The parties expect that the algal oil will be able to replace both petroleum- and palm oil-derived chemicals. The target product is designed to have improved functional and environmental performance, as well as a lower overall cost to AkzoNobel.
As the demand to reduce carbon-based raw materials intensifies, companies are not only looking at how they can reduce their consumption, but also at how they can find appropriate replacements for fossil fuel-based raw materials.To meet this challenge, a number of forward-thinking companies in the chemicals industry are developing strategies aimed at driving a successful transition to renewable alternatives. But how do companies successfully manage this transition? And what are the challenges?