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1 September 202631 August 2026

Mit Biopolymeren zu stabileren Böden

Forschende der Empa und der «Khalifa University of Science and Technology» in Abu Dhabi haben Mikroorganismen zur Biopolymerbildung in Wüstensand und für Geotextilien genutzt

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Monthly news from the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI), August 2026

August Highlights: Publication of LCA Biodiversity report, RCI project proposals for 2027, Mass Balance project progressing, CCA: Public letter and 2nd GA in October, EU ETS review and Electrification Action Plan, SBTi White Paper

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The Energy Transformation: First Electrify – And Then Use Methanol Instead of Hydrogen for Everything Else

TU Berlin study conducted simulations for a climate-neutral energy supply

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Energiewende: Erst elektrifizieren – und für den Rest Methanol statt Wasserstoff

Studie der TU Berlin führte Simulationen für eine klimaneutrale Energieversorgung durch

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Wenn Abwasser zu einer neuen Ressource wird

Von Garnelennebenprodukten bis hin zu Nährstoffen im Abwasser erweitern die Vietnam Food Corporation (VNF) und RetriV ihren Ansatz der Kreislaufwirtschaft: Ressourcen zurückgewinnen, Wert steigern und zusätzliche Einnahmen generieren

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US media spotlight CJ CheilJedang’s biodegradable PHA material

CJ CheilJedang announced Friday that its biodegradable biomaterial PHA has been featured in major US media outlets

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Korean County Debuts Plant-Based Leather Made From Discarded Melons

South Korea’s Chilgok County has created a plant-based leather alternative from discarded melon peels, with the aim of boosting farm incomes and the local economy alike

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31 August 202631 August 2026

13 compelling reasons to join the Renewable Materials Conference (RMC)

Three evening events, interactive workshops and the exhibition will provide plenty of opportunities, and six innovations will compete for the “Renewable Material of the Year 2026” Innovation Award

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Energy conversion and energy storage for a climate-neutral industry

Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Fraunhofer IAP and SGC Energy agree to collaborate on CO2 electrolysis, hydrogen and batteries

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Energieumwandlung und Energiespeicherung für eine klimaneutrale Industrie

Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Fraunhofer IAP und SGC Energy vereinbaren Zusammenarbeit bei CO₂-Elektrolyse, Wasserstoff und Batterien

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Rhinoflux and Swing Launch Sewage Sludge-to-Power and CO2 Capture PoC Trial in Japan

The PoC will test Hydro Chemical Looping as a new pathway to convert sewage sludge into power and 99.9%+ pure CO2 without combustion

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Wie Plastikmüll zum Rohstoff wird

Ab 2030 müssen Kunststoffverpackungen einen Mindestanteil an recyceltem Material enthalten. Noch ist unklar, wie das funktionieren soll. Zwei Mittelständler zeigen, wie es heute schon geht

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Hemp Cars: From Ford’s Bodywork to Modern Biocomposites

Natural fiber composites are no longer a niche phenomenon but have found their way into premium and motorsport vehicles

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Edmonton cement plant’s carbon capture project on hold

Three years after the pilot of Edmonton cement plant’s carbon capture project Heidelberg Materials paused the plan

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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KI-Kühlung verbraucht Milliarden Liter Wasser – Heidelberger Start-up bietet Ausweg

blue activity setzt auf biologisch abbaubare Kühlwasserchemie

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Mitsubishi Electric develops CCU disaster-resilience evaluation with University of Tokyo

Method supports municipal and corporate CCU adoption as Japan pursues decarbonization

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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

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26 August 20261 September 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Natürliches Bioplastik ist Nahrung für Tiere

Verschiedene Tierarten besitzen Enzyme, mit denen sie PHA-Kunststoffe abbauen können

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Hyosung Transitioning Bio-Based Spandex Feedstock from Corn to Sugar

Advancing sustainability with sugarcane-based spandex, significantly cutting carbon emissions

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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

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Die Zukunft beginnt heute

Interview mit Björn Theis, Evonik Operations, und Ulrich Betz, Merck

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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

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GreenDot France Explores Acquisition of EPR Operator Léko

Potential deal could strengthen plastic recycling, packaging recovery and circular economy operations in France

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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

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BioBTX: Anlage für Aromaten aus Kunststoffabfällen in Planung

Die Anlage soll jährlich rund 20.000 Tonnen gemischten Kunststoffabfall verarbeiten und 35 neue Arbeitsplätze schaffen

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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

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Request to circulate ABATE survey on renewable fuels and residual biomass

Have your say: How should residual biomass contribute to future low-carbon fuels?

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Länderübergreifendes Kunststoff-Recycling realisieren

Im Podcast vom Forschungs- und Demonstrationsprojekt Syschemiq berichtet Frau Dr. Anna Kerps vom Fraunhofer UMSICHT von den Ergebnissen und Herausforderungen

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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