28 August 202628 August 2026 nova-Experts (re)introduced: Niels de Beus (M.Sc. Biotechnology) Supporting sustainable decision making through production process evaluation and value chain analysis
Trace additive could help compostable PLA plastics break down in backyard bins Currently, only 18% of the U.S. population has access to industrial composting facilities
Fraunhofer IKTS startet Technologieplattform für Kreislaufwirtschaft und Verfahrenstechnik im Chemiepark Bitterfeld-Wolfen Die TKV soll Unternehmen dabei unterstützen, effiziente Verfahren zu entwickeln, zu skalieren, in industrieller Umgebung zu erproben und in die Anwendung zu überführen
Avantium progresses toward FDCA Flagship Plant start-up, strengthens commercial and licensing momentum, and prepares financing package for next growth phase Avantium N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels: AVTX), a leading company in renewable and circular polymer materials, today provides a business and financial update for the first half of 2026
Indorama Ventures strengthens Packaging business through strategic circular PET partnership The collaboration will introduce Flake-to-Preform™ (FtoP) Direct Recycling Technology to Thailand through Indovida, the packaging business segment of Indorama Ventures
KI-Kühlung verbraucht Milliarden Liter Wasser – Heidelberger Start-up bietet Ausweg blue activity setzt auf biologisch abbaubare Kühlwasserchemie
Cities need robust carbon dioxide removal strategies to meet net-zero targets Without a more rigorous, transparent framework for defining and compensating residual emissions, net-zero targets could entrench inequities and undermine long-term climate integrity
Pragmatism drives MENA’s waste conversion industries One of the most ambitious waste conversion projects in MENA is in the UAE, where a vertical mega-farm is set to turn waste into fertiliser, water, and compost for its crops
27 August 202627 August 2026 How cement plants can remove CO₂ from the atmosphere The production of cement ranks as one of the world’s largest industrial sources of CO₂. A new study now shows how cement production could in future be used to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere – based on a technology utilising lime
Wie Zementwerke der Atmosphäre CO₂ entziehen können Die Herstellung von Zement gehört weltweit zu den grössten industriellen CO₂-Verursachern. Eine neue Studie zeigt nun, wie sich die Zementproduktion künftig nutzen liesse, um CO₂ aus der Atmosphäre zu entfernen. Grundlage dafür ist eine Technologie auf der Basis von Kalk
New RCI report finds that no single method fully captures biodiversity in life cycle assessments The comprehensive review of nine leading approaches provides guidance on current methods, finds real progress and priorities for further research
Full biodegradation of previously indestructible plastics uncovered in new study published by Imperial College London, SIRIM & Polymateria It is estimated that 32% of plastic (packaging) globally escapes into nature, persists for up to hundreds of years, making its way into our oceans and breaking apart into microplastics
China repurposing pharma mega-factories to make novel foods, GFI report reveals Some major manufacturers to explore novel foods by leveraging their existing fermentation capacity to produce mycoprotein, yeast proteins, and precision-fermented fats
kunststoffland NRW Mitgliederversammlung 2026 – Peter Barlog neuer Vorsitzender: Gemeinsam neue Chancen schaffen! Angesichts der anhaltend schwierigen wirtschaftlichen Situation in der Kunststoffindustrie mit hohen Kosten und verhaltener Nachfrage setzt der Verband auf neue Leistungen zur Stärkung seiner Unternehmen
Mitsubishi Electric develops CCU disaster-resilience evaluation with University of Tokyo Method supports municipal and corporate CCU adoption as Japan pursues decarbonization
Is PLA Biodegradable? Regulatory Changes Could Force Companies to Prove It New U.S. and EU rules are closing in on vague biodegradability claims, and could change how PLA filament and the resulting products are marketed to consumers
26 August 202627 August 2026 nova-Institute hosts the chemical industry defossilisation summit The Renewable Materials Conference shows how the transition could work – 22-24 September, Siegburg/Cologne (Germany). With four weeks to go, 240 participants have already registered, and 400–500 are expected
Market Creation is Key to the Success of the Bioeconomy The ongoing discussion in Brussels on introducing a bio-based content target for plastics in packaging under the PPWR (DG ENV) is particularly noteworthy as it would represent the first demand-side measure of its kind for bio-based plastics in Europe
New packaging rules for less waste and easier recycling European Commission: Packaging has to be reusable or recoverable, meaning it can be used again or turned into something else after use
Metsä Group invests EUR 25 million in the production of Muoto fibre packaging in Äänekoski, Finland Metsä Group’s Muoto™ products can be used instead of plastic in food packaging for applications that are more demanding, for example. The company is investing in a new production line for Muoto food packaging in Äänekoski, Finland
Biologisch abbaubar und kompostierbar: Wie gut ist Bioplastik für die Umwelt? Viele Menschen wollen beim Einkauf Gutes tun und achten auf die Umweltverträglichkeit von Verpackungen und Produkten. Warum ausgewiesene Labels zu Biokunststoff irreführend sind
Pilot-scale production of leucine from CO2 The fed-batch bioprocess for leucine production with M. marburgensis mutant strains in bioreactors has proven to be scalable to 150 L pilot-plant scale without substantial losses in leucine quality
BioHarvest Secures 20-Ton Manufacturing and Supply Agreement for Rare Botanical Luxury Fragrance The existing fragrance partner, an undisclosed* customer based in the United Arab Emirates, will reserve BioHarvest's manufacturing capacity for supporting the anticipated commercial requirements
25 August 202624 August 2026 Nature’s original bioplastic is food for animals Various animal species possess enzymes that enable them to break down PHA plastics
Natürliches Bioplastik ist Nahrung für Tiere Verschiedene Tierarten besitzen Enzyme, mit denen sie PHA-Kunststoffe abbauen können
Hyosung Transitioning Bio-Based Spandex Feedstock from Corn to Sugar Advancing sustainability with sugarcane-based spandex, significantly cutting carbon emissions
TECNARO belegt Nachhaltigkeit – lange bevor Greenwashing zum Schlagwort und EmpCo zur Richtlinie wurde Das innovative Unternehmen gibt seinen Kunden Sicherheit – heute ebenso wie unter den zukünftigen Anforderungen der EmpCo-Richtlinie
Valorizing Southeast Asian agricultural residues into high-performance mycelium-based biocomposites Waste streams including sugarcane bagasse, Albizia chinensis woodchips, and cassava pulp can be effectively valorized as feedstocks for the production of high-performance mycelium-based composite materials
GreenDot France Explores Acquisition of EPR Operator Léko Potential deal could strengthen plastic recycling, packaging recovery and circular economy operations in France
24 August 202617 August 2026 ICAR-CIAE, Bhopal and M/s. Natures Bioplastics Pvt. Ltd. Develop Biodegradable Films for Milk and Water Packaging The Government of India has launched a nationwide campaign to ban single-use plastics, aiming to mitigate environmental pollution and promote the adoption of sustainable alternatives
BioBTX: Anlage für Aromaten aus Kunststoffabfällen in Planung Die Anlage soll jährlich rund 20.000 Tonnen gemischten Kunststoffabfall verarbeiten und 35 neue Arbeitsplätze schaffen
Again Acquires Genomatica (Geno), Combining Bio-Manufacturing Scale with Advanced AI Discovery and Design Policies set to mobilize tens of billions of dollars in investment to cement domestic bio-based supply chains
Request to circulate ABATE survey on renewable fuels and residual biomass Have your say: How should residual biomass contribute to future low-carbon fuels?
Länderübergreifendes Kunststoff-Recycling realisieren Im Podcast vom Forschungs- und Demonstrationsprojekt Syschemiq berichtet Frau Dr. Anna Kerps vom Fraunhofer UMSICHT von den Ergebnissen und Herausforderungen
This trail-blazing Chilean lab is bringing biotech to the masses LABVA’s ‘kitchen recipe’ approach breaks biomanufacturing out of the lab and the factory, enabling ordinary people to create biomaterials using what’s around them
Opinion: Europe’s climate-elephant in the room: What to do with left-over emissions when we get to net zero? If we treat some emissions as “unavoidable” too early, without properly examining whether they truly are, we risk following a more costly and less efficient path to climate neutrality
21 August 202618 August 2026 Green Lime: Reducing Carbon Emissions in the Construction Materials Industry A membrane reactor that enables climate-neutral lime production while also recovering new raw materials, is being developed by Fraunhofer-IKTS-researchers
Grüner Kalk: CO2-Emissionen in der Baustoffindustrie senken Ein Membranreaktor, der eine klimaneutrale Kalkproduktion ermöglicht und gleichzeitig neue Rohstoffe schafft, wird von Fraunhofer-IKTS-Forschenden entwickelt
Epoch Biodesign: Übernahme eines PA6.6-Werkes in Spanien Geplant ist nun die Umstellung der Anlagen auf die Herstellung von recycelten Polyamiden auf Basis eigener Technologien
Mitsui Chemicals Invests in Materia Bioworks Creating synergies in bioplastic solutions by leveraging Mitsui Chemicals’ technologies and Materia Bioworks’ AI-powered platform
Strom durch Photosynthese: Algen-Batterie liefert über sechs Jahre lang Energie Algen als Stromquelle sind ein vielversprechender Ansatz für die University of Cambridge-Forscher, funktioniert doch die von ihnen entwickelte Biozelle nicht wie eine klassische Batterie, sondern eher wie eine kleine Solarzelle
A truly green way to power our devices Can Cambridge-developed ‘biocells’ reduce our reliance on batteries?
Oman pilot project to grow crop for biofuels The project aims to strengthen water and food security, reduce carbon emissions and accelerate the transition to clean energy sources
20 August 202613 August 2026 Scientists turn one of the world’s most hated plastics into premium lubricant Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, is among the most common plastics on the planet but also one of the hardest to recycle responsibly. In a new study in Nature, scientists describe a method to strip chlorine from PVC and convert the remaining material into synthetic lubricant-based oils that perform competitively with commercial products
Wissenschaftler verwandeln einen der weltweit am meisten verhassten Kunststoffe in ein Premium-Schmiermittel Sie entdecken etwas, das weitaus vielversprechender ist als eine Recyclingmethode
LignoPure: Growth capital for innovative bio-based ingredients The company, dedicated to the sustainable conversion and recycling of lignin, is developing innovative lignin-based ingredients and is collaborating with biorefineries
Wachstumskapital für innovative biobasierte Inhaltsstoffe: NBank Capital beteiligt sich an der Lignopure GmbH Das aufbereitete Lignin wird nicht nur im Kosmetiksektor eingesetzt, sondern eignet sich unter anderem für verschiedene industrielle Anwendungen im Bereich der Nahrungsergänzungsmittel oder die Herstellung von veganem Lederersatz
Wie Grasfasern den Weg in die Kunststoffverarbeitung finden Im Innovationsraums BioBall wird die stoffliche Nutzung von biogenen Rest- und Abfallstoffen gefördert
Biofuel push risks food crisis, new T&E study warns Food commodity costs have climbed for three straight months and meanwhile major exporters like Brazil and Indonesia are restricting exports of key biofuel crops