H&M, Good News launch sustainable shoe collection

April 12, 2021  |  EcoNote

A partnership with retailer H&M and U.K.-based shoe brand Good News has produced a unique trainer collection that uses recycled rubber from car tires and old shoes, with uppers made of recycled cotton, Vegea® and Bananatex®. Bananatex is a material based on the fiber from the banana plant fami…
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New technology makes foldable solar cells possible

March 8, 2021  |  EcoNote

Researchers at Pusan National University, Rep. of Korea, have built on recent developments in foldable electronics and phone screens to develop a foldable technology in solar panels. A key requirement for an efficient foldable conductor is the ability to withstand the pressure of bending within…
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Green Button: Hohenstein named an authorized certification body

February 17, 2021  |  EcoNote

Textile testing provider Hohenstein has been authorized by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to verify compliance for the Green Button, a German government certification for sustainable textiles. Now, in addition to certification for MADE IN GREEN by OEKOTEX®, a qu…
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Process for reusing silk textiles in thermal insulation developed

February 5, 2021  |  EcoNote

Freudenberg Performance Materials and Ratti, the Italian fashion textile company, have been working together on sustainability projects. The first fruit of this collaboration is a process for reusing silk textiles in the manufacture of high-performance thermal insulation.  The practice of using rec…
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Partnership pursues closed-loop textile recycling

January 25, 2021  |  EcoNote

Swiss fluid engineering company Sulzer announces that its partnership with H&M Group and Worn Again Technologies is developing technology for closed-loop recycling of textiles. Textile waste is one of society’s pressing environmental issues, Sulzer says, and because of the complexity of garme…
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DSM and Clariter partner in chemical recycling solutions

January 19, 2021  |  EcoNote

Royal DSM, a global science-based company and Clariter, an international clean-tech company, have announced a strategic partnership to pursue a next-generation chemical recycling solution for products based on DSM’s Dyneema®, an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber.  In line w…
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Fungus can be used as a sustainable sound absorber

January 11, 2021  |  EcoNote

The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT) reports that it has teamed up with the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP) to investigate the use of fungus-based materials for the fabrication of eco-friendly sound absorbers. Sound absorbers can improve …
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“The Sweater” is knitted from a plant-based biopolymer

December 21, 2020  |  EcoNote

Japanese technical apparel brand, Goldwin, and biomaterial innovator, Spiber, have created what the companies call the world’s first knitted garment made with Brewed Protein™, a biopolymer created from a plant-based microbial fermentation process. Named simply “The Sweater,” it is the pa…
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Designer grows shoes from bacteria

December 7, 2020  |  EcoNote

Biodesigner Jennifer Keane is moving forward with her efforts to help create a more sustainable future by “replacing the petrochemical-based materials of today with more sustainable ones.” She has been working with the k.rhaeticus bacteria that “naturally grow a tiny fiber calle…
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Pvilion honored with architectural award

October 26, 2020  |  EcoNote

Pvilion, Brooklyn, N.Y., was recently chosen as a winner in the Outdoor Products category in the Architectural Products Design Awards for its Solar Sail shade canopies. The canopies provide both shade and solar-powered USB ports for cellular charging, AC outlets and LED lighting.  The solar can…
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