Bio-based creora® gets global SGS certification

August 9, 2022  |  EcoNote

Global elastane manufacturer Hyosung has received eco-product certification from Standard Global Services (SGS) guaranteeing that creora® bio-based elastane is made with plant-based materials and is produced in a harmless and eco-friendly environment, a Knitting Industry article reports. Hyosung…
Collaboration produces plant-based nylon-6

July 25, 2022  |  EcoNote

San Diego-based biotechnology company Genomatica, with its collaborator Aquafil, has successfully completed the first demonstration scale production runs for plant-based nylon-6. Aquafil is a major producer of nylon in Italy and worldwide. The new material is intended to contribute to reshaping the…
High-tech clothing company turns to black algae and hemp

July 11, 2022  |  EcoNote

Black algae and hemp are two of the most futuristic materials on the planet, says London-based high-tech clothing startup Vollebak. The company has just launched hoodies and sweatpants made entirely out of these materials, which, the company says, produce oxygen, clean up carbon dioxide and can even…
A wearable for cows among Terra Carta winners

June 27, 2022  |  EcoNote

A methane-reducing mask for cows was among the winners in a U.K. climate solution competition. Prince Charles and former Apple CDO Jony Ive recently announced the four winners of Terra Carta Design Lab, founded to develop climate crisis solutions. Out of 125 submissions, the awarded projects i…
Pilot production of cell-cultivated leather funded

June 9, 2022  |  EcoNote

VitroLabs has raised $46 million to build and scale what it says is the world’s first pilot production of cell-cultivated leather. The biotech company, based in Milpitas, Calif., says that funding is led by Aronomics; among additional investors are BESTSELLER’s Invest FWD, global luxury group K…
Nike sneakers recycle in three pieces

May 23, 2022  |  EcoNote

Recycling sneakers has been a problem because of the methods and materials used to make them. Nike will soon launch its new ISPA Link, a sneaker made without glue that, at the end of its usefulness, can be separated into three pieces for recycling.  The ISPA (Improvise, Scavenge, Protect, Adapt…
Scientists develop enzyme that breaks down PET 

May 23, 2022  |  EcoNote

A multidisciplinary team in primarily working at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), has developed a polyethylene terephthalate hydrolase (PETase) capable of breaking down untreated post-consumer PET in a single week, according to a study published in Nature.
Winners recognized in Microfiber Innovation Challenge

March 28, 2022  |  EcoNote

Five innovations have won a total of $525,000 as a part of Conservation X Labs’ Microfiber Innovation Challenge for their ability to reduce or prevent microfiber pollution. Submissions were received from 19 countries for their solutions designed to prevent or reduce the shedding of microscopic fib…
Solar panels are made from plant waste

March 28, 2022  |  EcoNote

Engineering student Carvey Ehren Maigue has found an innovative way to make a solar panel that functions even in cloudy weather. The product called “AuReus” harvests the unseen ultraviolet (UV) light that comes through dense cloud coverage. According to Maigue, preliminary testing shows that the…
Solar-powered electric catamaran features a kite wing 

February 21, 2022  |  EcoNote

SILENT-YACHTS has unveiled its new SILENT 60, a solar-powered catamaran with a kite wing instead of conventional sails. The company, located in Mallorca, Spain, and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., says that the yacht’s 42 solar panels generate 17 kWp to power two electric motors of 200 kW each. The 60…