4Mins Read Health professionals and experts have urged for a global phase-out of PFAS, as more evidence over the harmful effects of these “forever chemicals” comes to light. The call, made by a global coalition of women’s health organisations under the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), says that existing policies are “failing to control widespread […]
9Mins Read A new Alternative Proteins Summit hosted by Future Food-Tech is set to take place virtually on June 22-23 this year, showcasing some of the most innovative solutions to solve our unsustainable global food system. The organisers at Rethink Events have “scoured the globe” in search of the trailblazers across the plant-based, fermentation and cell-based sectors, […]
3Mins Read As carbon labelling becomes more mainstream, Stockholm-based startup Klimato has closed 6.5 million SEK (approx. US$785,000) in a recent investment round. The capital will be used to fuel the company’s growth and expansion of its software that helps foodservice businesses such as restaurants and caterers calculate the climate impact of their dishes and carbon label […]
3Mins Read As carbon labelling becomes more mainstream, Stockholm-based startup Klimato has closed 6.5 million SEK (approx. US$785,000) in a recent investment round. The capital will be used to fuel the company’s growth and expansion of its software that helps foodservice businesses such as restaurants and caterers calculate the climate impact of their dishes and carbon label […]
3Mins Read Lisbon-based sneaker brand Undo for Tomorrow has recently launched its vegan-friendly Nuven sneakers made from upcycled party balloons and waste from rubber car tyres. The startup is making their sustainable casual sneakers available through a crowdfunding system to responsibly ensure that they only make enough to meet the demand, avoiding overproduction and extra waste creation. […]
3Mins Read Spanish plant-based meat maker Heura has attracted an impressive €4 million (approx. US$4.8 million) within just 24 hours of launching its campaign on the crowdfunding platform Crowdcube. The Barcelona-based startup will be using the funds to fuel its R&D and launch new plant-based meat products on the market, after managing to triple its turnover in […]
5Mins Read Silk is often the first fabric that people think of when it comes to luxury sleepwear. But behind silk is a production process that isn’t as shiny or soft as it looks, with thousands of silkworms often boiled or gassed alive to obtain their precious threads. There’s nothing comforting about cruelty, so Miami-based brand niLuu […]
3Mins Read Quorn’s parent company Monde Nissin has made its debut on the Philippine Stock Exchange, raising a total of ₱48.6 billion pesos (US$1.02 billion), marking the country’s biggest IPO. The proceeds will go towards fuelling the Manila-headquartered corporation’s plan to bring its meatless brand Quorn to more international markets and solidify its position in the plant-based […]
3Mins Read As sustainable investing gains momentum, more funds touting themselves as “green” are misleading investors. According to a report published by the Economist, some of the world’s biggest ESG funds are “stuffed full of polluters and sin stocks”, suggesting widespread greenwashing practices in the realm of sustainable finance. Sustainable investing has been steadily gaining momentum globally, […]
3Mins Read H&M has announced it will be adding Higg Index Sustainability Profiles onto its clothing in an effort to provide customers with information about the environmental impact of the product. In addition, the Swedish fashion giant has brought its online secondhand startup Sellpy to 20 new countries, in yet another move to tap the conscious consumption […]
4Mins Read Every year, 92 million tonnes of textile waste is sent to landfills. That’s one truckload dumped every single second. Growing up, Stephanie Benedetto and Phil Derasmo, whose families were in the fabric and fashion business, saw the reality of fashion waste firsthand and wanted to come up with a solution – one that actually made […]
4Mins Read Travel by air is increasingly frowned upon as awareness of the climate crisis continues to grow. But soon, conscious travellers might be able to board an alternative flight on a hybrid aircraft that releases 90% less emissions than conventional planes and offers incredible views with floor-to-ceiling windows. British firm Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) recently revealed […]
4Mins Read After a century of land loss, there’s now a rising movement of young Black Americans reclaiming their agricultural power and ownership of farmland. It combines the dismantling of racism and marginalisation amid the social justice movement sweeping across America with the growing awareness of the linkages between a sustainable food system and equality. From California […]
4Mins Read More than 8 in 10 consumers now expect businesses to help solve global climate and social justice issues, a recent survey has found. Part of a report on the rise of sustainability, the poll also revealed that the majority of shoppers have held brands to a higher bar since the pandemic, and are actively rethinking […]
3Mins Read Australian startup Magic Valley has launched as the first Australian food tech cultivating lamb meat. Based in Melbourne, it wants to be the leading provider of slaughter-free cultured lamb mince, chops, strips and even lamb steaks, grown directly from cells and without the use of FBS or animal-based products. Founded by Paul Bevan, Magic Valley […]
3Mins Read Disposable consumer products giant Bic has launched a new carbon neutral bamboo razor, as demand for sustainable alternatives continues to grow. The new eco-friendly razor has debuted in Sweden, packaged in plastic-free paper and comes with refills. Bic says the move is an “example of how Bic Company innovates to reduce the environmental footprint of […]
5Mins Read Mammalian milk food tech startup Biomilq has announced that it has moved from the proof-of-concept stage into proof-of-complexity, producing what it says is the “world’s first cell-cultured human milk outside of the breast”. This puts the company at the forefront of disrupting the soon-to-be US$103 billion infant formula industry with its far more sustainable and […]
13Mins Read Based out of Minneapolis in the U.S. Midwest, Puris is the largest pea protein producer in North America, supplying famed plant-based burger maker Beyond Meat and backed by major food giants like Cargill. We recently had the chance to speak to Tyler Lorenzen, former NFL player and now the CEO of Puris Proteins, about the […]
3Mins Read Chicago-based food tech Aqua Cultured Foods is launching what it claims is the world’s first whole-muscle cut seafood analogue developed using microbial fermentation. Looking to become a first mover in the category, much like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods has done in the plant-based space, Aqua Cultured is set on disrupting aquaculture by growing the […]
4Mins Read Brinc, the Hong Kong-headquartered accelerator and venture capital dedicated to investing in over 1,000 climate-conscious firms within five years, has recently welcomed a new batch of startups joining its Spring 2021 Food Technology program. This time, eight food techs have been selected for their sustainable solutions, changing the way we eat with everything from cultured […]
5Mins Read California-based anti-food waste startup SAVRpak has closed US$3.5 million in its Series A financing led by celebrity investor Mark Cuban, after co-founder Greg Maselli’s took a shot with an email pitch. Formerly known as Soggy Food Sucks, SAVRpak’s solution helps absorb moisture in food containers to keep insides fresh and crisp, preventing spoilage and food […]
For years, climate scientists and environmental activists have been calling for the end of fossil fuels as the number one thing that must happen if we are to save the planet. They have fought tooth and nail to push back against the dirty energy industry’s billion-dollar efforts to spread disinformation and sow public doubt over climate change, campaigned to raise awareness about the devastating health, environmental and economic consequences of continued inaction. But now, it looks like fossil fuel giants are going to be facing some dark days ahead. Here’s why.
1. Shell ordered to cut emissions by 45%
In what many industry watchers have described as a “turning point” for fossil fuels, the world’s largest private oil trader Royal Dutch Shell was ordered to slash its greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by the end of the decade by a court in the Netherlands. It marked the very first time that a company has been legally bound to change its business practices and align its policies with the Paris agreement.
2. Investor rebellion at ExxonMobil
At ExxonMobil’s annual shareholder meeting in 2021 activist hedge fund Engine No. 1 managed to rally up enough support – including the world’s largest asset manager BlackRock and New York’s state pension fund – to force the company to diversify away from dirty oil and gas. The biggest American oil company now has two dissidents on its 12-member board who are going to hold the firm accountable over climate action.
Teenagers involved in the class action lawsuit against the Whitehaven coal mine. (Image: ABC News / Brendan Esposito)
3. Australian teenagers’ case against Whitehaven coal mine establishes duty of care to future generations
Eight teenagers went to court to stop the Australian government from approving the giant Whitehaven coal mine project. While the federal court didn’t issue an injunction as the teenagers sought, Justice Mordecai Bromberg agreed that the Australian environment minister Sussan Ley had a legal obligation not to cause younger generations “startling” harm by exacerbating climate change with new coal mines. Experts say that there is now a legal precedent of duty of care being set, opening the door to claim damages as a result of inaction over the climate crisis.
4. Another rebellion – this time at Chevron
Chevron’s shareholders rebelled against the company’s board, with 61% voting in favour of a proposal put forward by activist group Follow This to force the company to slash its carbon emissions. It’s the third successful campaign Follow This coordinated this month, after it won votes to ensure ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66 would also slash its emissions. Quite remarkably, Chevron won’t just have to reduce its own emissions – the big oil giant is also going to have to slash the footprint coming from its oil and gas-burning customers.
5. World energy watchdog orders no more new fossil fuels
The global energy watchdog International Energy Agency (IEA) has spoken out clearly this time, saying in a landmark report that there must be no more new oil, gas or coal if we are to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, as outlined under the Paris agreement. From now, IEA says there should no longer be any investments into fossil fuel projects and no more sales of internal combustion engines by 2035. It followed an earlier call from the agency that renewables have proven over the pandemic to be the only source resilient to energy shocks.
ExxonMobil polyethylene production plant. (Image: ExxonMobil)
6. Divestment gains momentum at universities
After years of campaigning, a number of prominent U.S. universities have pledged to divest from fossil fuels. Yale has announced that its multibillion-dollar endowment will now follow ESG guidelines, while Rutgers University says it’ll divest from all fossil fuel investments and reinvest in renewable energy projects within one year. These moves come shortly after similar commitments made by the USC, Brown, Columbia and Georgetown.
7. Fossil fuel’s plastic pollution role exposed
Beverage giants like Coca-Cola and Pepsi are often the first companies that come to mind when plastic waste is mentioned. Now, a new report has exposed the real culprits who are the source of the problem: the small group of twenty petrochemical businesses who are behind more than half of global single-use plastic pollution. Topping the list was ExxonMobil, followed by Dow and Sinopec.
3Mins Read Fortuna Cools, a Philippines-based agritech startup making sustainable coolers out of coconut fibre, has closed its round of seed funding. The company is backed by ADB Ventures, the impact investment arm of Asian Development Bank, and will be using the funds to ramp up production of its biodegradable plastic-free alternative to traditional styrofoam containers. Manila-headquartered […]
3Mins Read Ivy Farm Technologies, a spinout of Oxford University, wants to become the first British firm to commercialise cultured meat and says it will debut its cell-based pork sausages by 2023. Currently raising funds for its pilot R&D facility, the startup also revealed plans to roll out cultivated meatballs and beef burgers in the coming years. […]
3Mins Read In the race to get to net-zero emissions, clean tech innovators are looking at direct air capture as a solution to not only reduce our current footprint, but potentially even reverse the decades of damage we have done to the planet. Prometheus Fuels is one of them. Taking carbon from the air, the Silicon Valley […]
3Mins Read Montreal-headquartered dairy company Saputo has acquired Bute Island Foods, the Scottish firm behind the legacy vegan cheese brand Sheese. As the plant-based trend continues to gain momentum, Saputo says it remains committed to “expand our footprint in the dairy alternatives space to meet the changing demands of our customers”. Saputo announced on Tuesday (May 25) […]
3Mins Read Unilever has announced a new partnership with food tech Enough, formerly known as 3F Bio, to launch new plant-based meat products and keep up with the “explosive growth” of alternative proteins. Enough uses zero-waste fermentation technology to develop its mycoprotein, which will support the Anglo-Dutch food giant’s sustainability plans and its €1 billion (US$1.19 billion) […]
4Mins Read More than 8 in 10 consumers believe that sustainability is an important attribute for brands, a new consumer perception survey has found. The U.S. poll also found that over 70% of shoppers now value sustainable products more than they did a year ago, and identified Bombas, Patagonia and The North Face as brands faring well with […]
4Mins Read Brave Robot, the animal-free ice cream brand made with Perfect Day’s precision fermentation real dairy proteins, will begin displaying its carbon footprint on its packaging. The company claims the move will make it the first dairy ice cream product in U.S. retail to publish its footprint, which according to a life-cycle assessment is 34% lower […]
4Mins Read Plant-based milk brands in India have been dealt a blow, after the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) struck down three petitions filed against the Indian dairy giant Amul. The complaints regarded an advertisement launched by Amul that claimed plant-based beverages “are not milk”. The Indian plant-based milk sector has experienced a setback, after the […]
