Alt Materials

From the first company to make chocolate without both cacao and palm oil, WNWN has introduced its second product, called the Waim! Bar—a knock-off of the popular European Mondelez Daim bar. The new limited-edition candy bars are covered…
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Texas-based Bucha Bio says it has closed an oversubscribed Seed funding round, raising $1.1 million for its biobased materials produced by a kombucha-based bacterial nanocellulose along with plant-based materials to replace leather and…
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Perfect Day, the pioneer in animal-free whey created through precision fermentation, has launched Nth Bio—a spin-off platform that will leverage its expertise and technology services for collaboration and hire. The Nth Bio name is taken…
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Emerging from stealth mode, the celebrity-backed Prolific Machines is about to bring down the price of cultivated meat significantly. Profilic Machines' $42 million was raised a year ago and comes from a long list of seed and an…
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As authorities crack down on greenwashing, frequent offenders H&M and Decathlon say they're adjusting or removing sustainability claims. In recent announcements, both fast fashion brand H&M and sportswear retailer Decathlon…
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Our planet is suffering from the deluge of plastics polluting our ocean and environment, harming biodiversity, animals and fuelling climate change. Even if we slashed plastic consumption by 80%, we’re still looking at dealing with an…
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Biotech is a priority for the Biden Administration, as the President signed an executive order earlier this week implementing support for the emergent category. Funding amounts were not disclosed but Biden says biotech holds the potential…
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Your coffee habit is on notice. Swiss retail giant Migros says it is launching a proprietary coffeemaking system aimed at replacing single-use coffee pods. Launching in Switzerland and France, Migros' CoffeeB Coffee Balls were five…
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South Korea's Mycel is poised for rapid expansion with the closing of its $10 million Pre-Series A funding round. The mycelium wave has been sweeping food and fashion in recent years, and South Korea's Mycel is the latest to tap into…
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Synthetic bio startup Huue has raised $14.6 million in a Series A funding round for what it says is the world's first clean and scalable indigo dye for denim. “The world can’t wait for sustainable solutions, and consumers are starting…
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New York sustainable materials startup AlgiKnit has closed a $13 million Series A funding round, led by Collaborative Fund. Other participants include H&M CO:LAB, Starlight Ventures, Third Nature Ventures, and existing backers Horizons…
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Alternative material innovator and casual wear brand Pangaia Lab has announced the launch of a capsule collection powered by Brewed Protein, a biomaterial made by Spiber. The collection includes the NXT GEN Hoodie, a sweater that contains…
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Modern Synthesis has closed a $4.1 million seed funding round. The U.K.-based biomaterials startup scooped investment from AgFunder, Collaborative Fund, Acequia Capital and Petri Bio, amongst numerous others. Funding will be used to…
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French-based luxury fashion corporation Kering has announced it has backed San Francisco's VitroLabs, a biotech startup that has created a platform for growing highly scalable, cultivated animal-derived leather that is environmentally…
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As consumers become increasingly conscious of their fashion choices, the industry is scrambling to switch to more animal-free and vegan leather to retain their share in the quickly shifting market. According to a recent report, the…
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It’s everywhere. Impossible Foods, Perfect Day, MeliBio, Nature’s Fynd, Mighty Drinks — these are just a few of the dozens of companies championing fermentation to make greater strides in the alternative protein sector, particular when it…
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In the effort to curb plastic waste, scientists from the U.K.’s University of Birmingham and Duke University say they’ve succeeded in turning elements found in sugar alcohols into what they claim is degradable and recyclable bioplastic. …
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Turning mushrooms into leather is proving to be big business for MycoWorks, the Bay Area startup that has produced vegan leather for a number of brands including luxury French fashion house Hermès. Now, MycoWorks has raised $125 million in…
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As consumer dissatisfaction with traditional plastic packaging grows stronger and as the global plastic waste crisis continues to worsen daily, a slew of new material science startups are looking to algae for solutions, and investors are…
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Australia’s Wide Open Agriculture (WOA) announced it has raised $20 million to support a move to domestic plant-based production for its low carbon oat milk. Funding was raised through share purchases, both institutional and individual,…
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Could brewing protein for biomaterials become the future of fashion? Japanese biotech Spiber thinks so. Conscious consumerism is on the rise, with sustainable cruelty-free fabrics becoming trendier day by day. But while brands…
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