Tag: Top 8

Algae-based batteries, biodegradable COVID-19 tests, BMW’s biobased coatings, Heinz biobottles, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of May 19th

May 18, 2022 | Helena Tavares Kennedy

Can you imagine running a computer chip on algae – yes, algae – for more than six months? Apparently, that’s now possible thanks to biochemists at the University of Cambridge who created the biobased battery alternative to power small electronics during their “pandemic project”. And speaking of the pandemic, goodness knows we’ve taken more COVID-19 […]

Microbial cellulose as leather alternative, flax fiber bridge, cacao pod waste for whiskey packaging, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of May 12th

May 11, 2022 | Helena Tavares Kennedy

Biomaterials company Nanollose is now working with California-based leather alternative company von Holzhausen on microbial cellulose as potential leather alternatives. A Dutch city opened up a pedestrian bridge made of flax fiber, biobased resin and polyurethane foam. In Scotland, famed whiskey distiller Macallan launched a new whiskey that uses cacao pod waste for its packaging. […]

Bioluminescent bacteria, rockin’ packaging, McDonald’s biobased cups, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of May 5th

May 4, 2022 | Helena Tavares Kennedy

In France, the next City of Lights might just be illuminated by bioluminescent bacteria for an eco-friendly solution. And a new packaging alternative made from calcium carbonate, a naturally occurring material found in rocks, eggshells, and gastropods, is being launched in Florida. McD’s is getting on the bio-bandwagon too with their biobased cups pilot in […]

Floating Fungi buoys, bioplastic LP records, space bricks, Wilson tennis rackets, Saucony sneakers and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of April 28th

April 27, 2022 | Helena Tavares Kennedy

From sports enthusiasts going more biobased in their gear like Wilson tennis rackets and Saucony sneakers made from pineapple leather to groovy biobased LP records for music fans, it’s been a fun week with bioeconomy innovations. In today’s Digest, from sporty and groovy biobased ways to floating fungi in the form of mycelium buoys, shrimp […]

Are you a biohacker? Bioplastic encapsulated chips in your body, lab-grown caviar and oysters, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of April 21st

April 20, 2022 | Helena Tavares Kennedy

Imagine embedding a chip encapsulated in bioplastic in your hand that allows you to pay for things, open your door, and other daily tasks without fumbling for your phone, keys, or wallet anymore…that’s exactly what ‘biohackers’ are now doing. If that’s too off the wall for you, perhaps lab-grown caviar or lab-grown oysters are more […]

Biobased Mattel toys, lion burgers & tiger tacos, biobased textiles at the Academy Awards, DOE & Bridgestone guayule rubber, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of April 7th

April 6, 2022 | Helena Tavares Kennedy

The bioeconomy is up and roaring with lion burgers and tiger tacos, but don’t worry, no animals are actually killed for the exotic meat. It’s Primeval Foods lab-grown, cultivated exotic meats that people would otherwise not get to consume. And if that’s not fun enough for you, check out Mattel’s new biobased, carbon neutral toys […]

Frito-Lay biopackaging, Braskem, Sojitz biobased MEG & PET plants, seaweed innovations, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of April 1st

March 31, 2022 | Helena Tavares Kennedy

It’s quite a mish-mash in this week’s Top 8 Innovations starting with Frito-Lay’s biobased packaging that will also be quieter than the original packaging making it easier than ever to sneak those snacks in at the movies or for those midnight munchies. Then we’ve got seaweed-based tampons, repurposed coffee ground oils for personal care products, […]

Honey without the bee, greener circuit boards, plant-based asphalt, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of March 24th

March 23, 2022 | Helena Tavares Kennedy

We’ve reported on beef without the cows, pork without the pig, dairy without the cow and now we have honey without the bee from California start-up MeliBio which raised $7.5 million to scale and commercialize its precision fermentation and plant science and tech to manufacture honey. In today’s Digest, we also have Texas-based Dell exploring […]

Chitofoam and plastic-eating mealworms as Styrofoam solution, diamond made from ranch dressing, cannabis car, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of March 16th

March 15, 2022 | Helena Tavares Kennedy

Chitofoam – The transformation of the exoskeletons of plastic-eating mealworms into biodegradable polystyrene substitutes – by feeding that nasty Styrofoam to mealworms in order to make chitosan bioplastic foam is only one of the crazy Top 8 Innovations this week as we kick off ABLC this week. In today’s Digest, we’ve also got a lab-grown […]

Big Names Go Biobased – Anheuser-Busch, Coors, Amazon, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of March 10th

March 9, 2022 | Helena Tavares Kennedy

Lately, we all seem to need a drink and world’s largest brewer Anheuser-Busch’s Brazilian arm is making it more green by tapping into Israel’s UBQ for integrating waste-based plastics into its packaging mix. Coors Light is ditching the plastic ring packaging that hold six packs together. And vineyard waste, specifically grape marc, is being converted […]