31 January 202227 January 2022 Ingenza collaborates with Johnson Matthey for efficient industrial enzyme synthesis Together, the companies have developed new, efficient approaches for the production of industrially-relevant enzymes – including cytochrome P450 – through judicious selection of suitable microbial hosts
28 January 202222 January 2022 Straw pulp: agricultural residues become sanitary paper products Together with Sustainable Fiber Technologies, Essity aims to use SFT's process for producing pulp from wheat straw and to develop its sanitary paper products from this interesting material
Fish oils used to create key component for eco-friendly detergent With funding support from the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), Eco Clean is aiming to develop a more sustainable alternative to traditionally petrochemical-based surfactants, which can be produced at scale
MycoWorks Raises $125 Million Series C Financing to Fund Mass Production of Fine Mycelium™ Led by Prime Movers Lab, Financing to Launch MycoWorks' First Full-Scale Production Plant to Meet Demand for Sustainable, Luxury-Quality Leather Alternatives
27 January 202225 January 2022 Covestro and Genomatica produce important chemical raw material using biotechnology Breakthrough for HMDA, widely-used ingredient, paves the way for more sustainable coatings, apparel, adhesives and plastics
Arkema to increase its global Pebax® elastomers production capacity by 25% To support its customers’ strong growth, in particular in the sports and consumer goods markets, Arkema will increase its global manufacturing capacity for Pebax® elastomers by approximately 25% through an investment at its Serquigny plant in France
Peelsphere is a leather-alternative biomaterial made from fruit waste and algae German designer developed a material that could replace animal hide yet still retain the same versatility and strength of leather
ISO 16128’s Growing Impact on the Cosmetics Ingredients Industry In an effort to provide standardization around the definition of “natural,” various certification bodies started to appear (e.g., Cosmos, Ecocert, and Nature) and companies began to be required to list their ingredients to varying degrees
26 January 202221 January 2022 Yoloha Brings Eco-Conscious Design to Yoga Mats with HEXPOL TPE Biobased Material The TPE has 55% biobased content and a high melt strength and drawability to easily produce foamed materials with a uniform foam structure
25 January 202220 January 2022 Sulzer’s PLA bioplastics production technology selected for NatureWorks’ new plant with annual capacity of 75’000 tons Sulzer is delivering customized state-of-the-art production technology to NatureWorks’ latest biopolymer manufacturing facility which will be located in Nakhon Sawan Biocomplex, Thailand
Report: Investment in Seaweed Industry Sees Major Growth Venture capital funding increased 36% in 2021 with $168 million raised
24 January 202219 January 2022 Can Bioplastics Really Make Fashion More Sustainable, Biodegradable, or Recyclable? As the appetite for bioplastics grows, it’s worth asking whether this “green” alternative to petroleum-based plastics really is as good as it sounds. Are bioplastics really the answer to fashion’s plastic problem?
21 January 202218 January 2022 VistaTek develops highly sustainable garden pots The company sells its plant-based garden pots and also drinkware under the SelfEco trade name
Proportion of bio-components in diesel at a record high in 2020 An openness to employing technology is a prerequisite for fulfilling the increasing quota demands
LanzaJet Secures $50M in Funding from Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund LanzaJet partners with Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund to enable the transition towards net-zero sustainable fuels
20 January 202219 January 2022 Experts on biological feedstocks and bio-based value chains: Join the survey to evaluate environmental requirements for future EU funded bio-based demonstration and flagship projects and their feedstocks Early guidance to ensure funded projects meet certain environmental sustainability criteria and avoid awarding projects that cannot
Solvay to collaborate with Trillium on bio-based acrylonitrile for carbon fiber applications New agreement with Trillium Renewable Chemicals will enable Solvay's development of sustainable, bio-carbon fiber for use in various applications
Origin Materials and Mitsui Form Strategic Partnership to Industrialize Advanced Carbon-Negative Chemicals and Materials Mitsui signed a multi-year capacity reservation agreement to purchase sustainable carbon-negative materials from Origin Materials
Texon marks Veganuary with Vegan Society certification for Vogue material Vegan alternative for leather is ready for market - and for a versatile range of products along the fashion industry
Neste’s aim of 100% renewable electricity use to be achieved ahead of schedule in Finland ⎯ new hydropower agreement with Vattenfall Neste has signed its first renewable hydropower purchase agreement with Vattenfall, one of Europe’s largest producers and retailers of electricity and heat. Vattenfall will deliver the hydropower from its Nordic hydropower plants and the deliveries will start at the beginning of January 2022
19 January 202214 January 2022 Plastic Energy and TotalEnergies sign an Agreement for an Advanced Recycling Project in Spain New plant to transform end-of-life plastic waste into a recycled feedstock called TACOIL which TotalEnergies will convert into virgin-quality polymers, to be used for food-grade packaging
Are Eco-Friendly Fireworks Possible? In recent years, chemists and military engineers have invested a great deal of time and effort in making pyrotechnics less problematic. Here are some examples
18 January 202213 January 2022 Ecological coating for Bananas Researchers at Empa in St. Gallen have now used life cycle assessment analyses to calculate how food waste can be offset against the environmental impact of plastic packaging on imported fruit and vegetables
17 January 202211 January 2022 Outdoor equipment made from cellulose, castor oil and coffee grounds – functional and durable Renewable raw materials and the circular economy in the textile industry
Creating bioplastic from wastewater Young Malaysian students team developed a method of cleaning water and creating something useful at the same time
LipLid named world’s best lid, wins 2022 WorldStar Packaging Awards Patented cup lid is made of 100% cellulose fibers. It is recyclable and completely biodegradable in soil and marine environment
An exclusive interview with Jennifer Holmgren, the Most Innovative Bioeconomy CEO 2021 Interview with the winner of Il Bioeconomista's 2021 CEO most innovative bioeconomy survey
14 January 20228 January 2022 Green Science Alliance develops novel sargassum-based biodegradable plastic Company has succeeded in creating a 100% biomass-based resin pellet, which can be moulded into products from its waste
Cargill to acquire Croda’s bio-based industrial business, expanding natured-derived solutions for customers New investment to dramatically expand the company's bioindustrial footprint on searching for "greener" ingredient solutions
Recycling CO2: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to LanzaTech A picture gallery of the company's achievements for sustainability and a circulareconomy
13 January 20228 January 2022 Covestro signs first global agreement to supply mass-balanced TDI to Sinomax Further step in expanding circular portfolio
The third wave of biomaterials: When innovation meets demand How corporate sustainability commitments could catalyze the next generation of bio-based chemicals and materials
Seaweed Yarnmaker AlgiKnit Unveils New Facilities To ‘Help Cut The Fashion Industry’s Emissions In Half’ The new innovation hub will bring together all R&D and manufacturing capabilities in one location
France Built the World’s First Carbon-Negative Public Building. And It’s Made of Hemp? It's a sports hall
12 January 20226 January 2022 TENCEL™ introduces performance fabric with 100% cellulose fibers The double-layer construction consists of a blend of TENCEL™ branded modal fibers with Eco Color technology and kapok fibers on the inside and 100% TENCEL™ Modal fibers on the outside
Keep food fresh with this bacteria-killing packaging Corn-based biodegradable film shown to help fresh foods last longer
Total Corbion PLA transitions to TotalEnergies Corbion TotalEnergies Corbion expects to launch its updated brand identity in a phased approach from this January
Hexion Inc. Announces Pernis Site Expansion Company to boost epichlorohydrin capacity at Pernis, Netherlands
Biobased materials ‘super important’ for LEGO That is why the company is experimenting with bioplastics as well as with recycling and reuse, to get the best opportunities for the circular value chain
11 January 20225 January 2022 New German government gives go-ahead for H2Global initiative The H2Global scheme to support investments in the production of renewable hydrogen in non-EU countries, which will be then imported and sold in the EU
10 January 202210 January 2022 The need for a Marshall Plan for the expansion of European solar PV production capacity by 100 GW until 2030 A better alternative to the expensive, slow, risky and misguided path of nuclear energy
Firmenich Announces Sustainable Innovation Partnership with Jungle: Launches World First with Muguet Firgood™ Partnership explores vertical farming to help produce unique and exclusive natural perfumery ingredients
Avantium and Tereos announce Strategic Supply Agreement Tereos to supply High Fructose Syrup, a locally produced bio-based raw material, to support Avantium’s production capacities in advanced bio-based polymers production
6 January 20222 January 2022 Trinseo Broadens Portfolio with Bio-attributed Polystyrene, ABS, and SAN Company Expands Styrenics Portfolio Based on Mass Balance
FAO and JRC launch new guidance note on monitoring bioeconomy sustainability New bioeconomy Guidance note describes in easy-to-follow steps how countries and macro-regions, such as the European Union (EU), can monitor sustainability along with their bioeconomy strategies and policies
Genecis Bioindustries Inc and Helian Polymers announce cooperation By combining both companies’ strengths, converting food waste into biodegradable plastics for Genecis and creating unique PHA based materials from various building blocks for Helian Polymers, the possibilities of unique materials arise
Matt + Nat Makes Vegan Leather Handbags from Apple Waste for the First Time Beloved vegan brand Matt + Nat is making its handbags even more sustainable, starting with its Studio 901 collection, made from the waste recovered from the apple juice industry
5 January 20222 January 2022 ‘It’s time for a Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty With the global mean temperature of the earth’s atmosphere rising at the fastest pace ever, some NGO Leaders are redoubling efforts to do something all 25 COPs have failed to do - put an end to developing new coal, oil and gas assets around the world
Hemp slowly making inroads in the cement and construction industries Hemp construction is still a niche market waiting to break through into the mainstream, as the CBD industry experiences a glut, the hemp’s undeveloped industrial supply chain has been stuck
Novozymes to deliver on strategy with carbon capture collaboration agreement Novozymes launched its 2025 strategy with a clear objective to explore new growth opportunities. The company is now delivering on its strategy by entering a collaboration agreement with Saipem, a leading engineering company, to deliver new biotech solutions for enzymatic carbon capture