Plastic Pollution

London-based Solena Materials has secured $6.7M in seed funding for its microbial protein fibres, which are created using AI and provide a plastic-free alternative for the fashion industry. Making fibres from microbial proteins, Solena…
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US startup Hiro Technologies has unveiled MycoDigestible Diapers, which come with plastic-eating fungi that break the material down in landfill. What can mycelium not do? It can feed humans, stand in for leather, turn into sustainable…
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Food delivery giant Just Eat Takeaway's German arm has introduced plastic-free food boxes using Xampla's plant-based, 100% biobased Morro Coating. In addition to its partnership with seaweed packaging maker Notpla, Just Eat Takeaway has…
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Coffee giant Starbucks has introduced biodegradable straws made from plant-based materials in Japan to cut plastic use and waste. Five years after ditching plastic for paper, Starbucks Japan is bidding adieu to paper for bioplastics. …
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Researchers in India highlight how microplastics harm the human gut microbiome, and subsequently our overall health. From takeaway coffee cups and washing machines to sea salt and tap water, microplastics are omnipresent in the…
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Donald J. Trump is president-elect again. Based on his track record and policy proposals, his election promises a rocky period for the US food tech sector. America has just elected a climate change denier as president. In his first…
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US startup GOB, which makes eco-conscious wearables, is debuting mycelium foam earplugs in collaboration with Billie Eilish and The Lumineers. Last month, New York startup Ecovative closed a $28M funding round for its mycelium-based…
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Devising a national action strategy for alternative proteins is crucial for countries' climate targets and global food security – a new report shows how. In the next 25 years, the world will need 56% more food to feed its expanding…
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The take-back schemes run by UK supermarkets to recycle soft plastics have misled consumers, with 70% of this waste being burned instead, an investigation has found. Tesco and Sainsbury's – the UK's two largest retailers – are being…
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UK seaweed packaging startup Notpla has closed a £20M ($26.8M) Series A extension to expand to the US and replace 100 million single-use plastic items by 2026. Notpla, the London-based maker of sustainable packaging, has snapped up £20M…
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Australian startup Algenie has come out of stealth with early funding for its photobioreactors that can create sustainable fuels, plastics and feed from algae. Armed with helix-shaped photobioreactors that can dramatically reduce the…
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One of the largest plastic producers, the US intends to support a global treaty to reduce plastic manufacturing, marking a shift from its previous position. The US will support an international target to curb plastic production, giving…
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General Motors has unveiled a new concept EV under its Cadillac division, which features biomaterials made from MycoWorks' mycelium. We've heard a lot of comparisons between electric vehicles (EVs) and alternative proteins, but could…
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A coalition of cafés and restaurants are participating in a city-wide reusable cup project in Petaluma, California, with the goal of reducing waste from single-use plastics. More than 30 eateries, including Starbucks, KFC, Dunkin',…
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Recent lawsuits say Arrowhead, Evian, Poland Spring, and other water bottlers are deceiving customers. By Joseph Winters Is bottled water really “natural” if it’s contaminated with microplastics? A series of lawsuits recently filed…
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Israel is becoming a major hotspot for alternative proteins, accounting for 10% of the sector's investments last year, and expected to net $2.5B to the national economy by 2030, according to a new report. A robust research landscape,…
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Swedish packaging solutions startup Saveggy has raised SEK 20M (€1.76M) to scale up its plastic-free, plant-based coating for fruits and vegetables, starting with cucumbers. Lund-based Saveggy's latest funding round of €1.76M…
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An ESG leader and one of the world's largest CPG companies, Unilever is pushing back its climate and social pledges amid increased pressure to focus on financial goals above everything else. Unilever is either abandoning or watering…
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There's a new Bechdel-Wallace Test in Hollywood – but this one focuses on climate change. Which Oscar-nominated movies pass the Climate Reality Check for 2024? "Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds." It's an ancient line…
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From one greenwashing scandal to the next, carbon offsets have developed a notorious reputation over the last few years. As more investigations call out their inflated claims and regulations clamp down on the sector, could the voluntary…
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Vyld, the female-founded Berlin startup making sustainable period products from algae, has secured a seven-figure sum in seed funding that includes a financing instrument they created themselves. Three years after launch, Vyld has…
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