radiofree.asia

Category: Alt Materials

  • UK Startup Raises $6.7M to Scale AI-Designed Microbial Protein Fibres for Next-Gen Textiles

    solena materials
    4 Mins Read

    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 Materials has bagged $6.7M in a seed funding round led by Sir David Harding, SynBioVen and Insempra.

    It takes the UK startup’s total funding to $10.8M – following a $4.1M pre-seed round three years ago – and will enable it to begin producing its novel protein fibres at scale.

    Solena uses artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to design bespoke protein fibres, which are then produced by engineered microbes, offering a plastic-free, biodegradable alternative to conventional clothing fibres.

    “We’re creating protein sequences that don’t exist in nature to have the performance specifications we need while also being highly manufacturable,” said Solena co-founder and CEO James MacDonald.

    The startup is aiming to launch its debut product with a partner brand in the next three years. Textile and fashion companies would be wise to keep an eye, given that their industry is responsible for 10% of global emissions, and these will surge by more than 50% by 2030 if current consumption rates continue.

    Combining AI with biomanufacturing

    microbial protein fibres
    Courtesy: Solena Materials

    Solena was spun out of Imperial College London in 2022 by MacDonald, Paul Freemont, and Milo Shaffe, and combines AI with biomanufacturing.

    MacDonald developed the technique as a researcher at Imperial, designing protein fibres using proprietary deep neural networks and software tools. The molecular-level design enables the precise tuning of fibre properties, from tensile strength and elasticity to biodegradability and functional performance. This allows them to produce better-performing fashion, sports apparel, and technical textiles.

    “The combination of computational design with rapid evaluation in fibre form, directly feeds to scaled-up production and implementation, exploiting established textile technology,” said Shaffer.

    “James has created new protein molecules that can form fibres that currently don’t exist. That’s really exciting because no one has been able to do that before – we’ve always had to rely on what nature gave us,” added Fremont. “Now we’re building our own protein fibres from first principles. This will be a paradigm shift.”

    Since Solena uses renewable feedstocks for its microbes, it allows the fibres to potentially be produced in a more climate-friendly manner than petroleum-based synthetic textiles or resource-intensive natural fibres. And unlike plastic derivatives, which take anywhere between 20 and 50 years to break down, the company says the novel protein fibres are more immediately biodegradable.

    “Investing in Solena Materials aligns perfectly with Insempra’s mission to drive a regenerative revolution by developing sustainable, high-performance ingredients with nature,” said Insempra CEO Jens Klein.

    Solena looks to scale up and reduce costs

    plastic free clothing
    Courtesy: Solena Materials

    Harding, one of the investors in this latest round, called Solena’s technology an answer to fashion’s sustainability issues. “Manufacturing wearable materials biologically could be the next revolution in clothing,” he said. “Most clothing today is made of materials derived from fossil fuel feedstock. Hopefully, the materials of the future will be grown in vats.”

    About 60% of all clothing comes from plastic, and only a tiny fraction of this is made from recycled plastic. Derived from fossil fuels, plastic production emits more greenhouse gases than the aviation sector, and a third of all plastic waste ends up in soil or freshwater, disintegrating into microplastics that enter the food chain. These tiny particles have already been discovered in the human body.

    Meanwhile, every second, the equivalent of one dumper truck of textiles is either landfilled or incinerated around the world. To make matters worse, textile waste has been estimated to increase by about 60% between 2015 and 2030. Plus, there’s the thorny issue of waste colonialism, whereby wealthier nations ship their fashion and clothing waste to developing countries, where they create toxic mounds of garbage.

    Solena is among a wave of biomaterial startups looking to fix this mess. Two noteworthy firms also using microbes are Newlight Technologies (US) and Alt Tex (Canadian). The former makes its AirCarbon bioplastic, which can melt the same way as plastic, by feeding marine microorganisms carbon dioxide and methane from dairy farms, while the latter uses microbial fermentation to turn food waste, into biodegradable polymers, which are mixed with additives to create fibres to sell to fashion brands.

    Armed with the new funding, Solena is now accelerating its path to market. “This funding will help us expand production capacity, reduce costs, and begin collaborating with partners to launch products made with Solena fibres,” said MacDonald. “It marks an exciting step towards a future where sustainability and performance go hand in hand.”

    The post UK Startup Raises $6.7M to Scale AI-Designed Microbial Protein Fibres for Next-Gen Textiles appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Lab-Grown Leather: Faircraft Snaps Up VitroLabs to Scale Up Future Material

    faircraft
    4 Mins Read

    French startup Faircraft has acquired the assets of fellow lab-grown leather maker VitroLabs in a bid to reach industrial-scale production of the alternative material.

    In a major consolidatory move in the nascent lab-grown leather category, Faircraft has bought the strategic assets of San Francisco startup VitroLabs for an undisclosed sum.

    The deal does not include VitroLabs’s staff, but gives Faircraft access to a technical portfolio of 30 patents to boost its efforts to industrialise the production of cell-based leather for the luxury fashion space.

    “We performed the acquisition because they did a great job of developing and protecting some key technologies for lab-grown leather manufacturing,” Faircraft CEO and co-founder Haïkel Balti told Green Queen.

    “This helps us consolidate our position as leaders in the lab-grown leather segment… [and] accelerate our industrialisation process to bring these great materials to the market.”

    lab grown leather
    Courtesy: VitroLabs

    How Faircraft makes its lab-grown leather

    VitroLabs was the first company to showcase the feasibility of creating high-end leather grown from animal cells, attracting $46M in a Series A funding round that involved Parisian luxury goods giant Kering and Hollywood actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio.

    The firm’s research focuses primarily on tissue engineering, which has helped it develop patented solutions in cultivating multilayered skin structures, the use of synthetic or natural biological supports for cell cultivation, and the development and use of cells suitable for large-scale cell-cultivation.

    Faircraft, meanwhile, was founded in 2021 by Balti and César Valencia Gallardo. It uses cellular biology to develop low-carbon materials for a broad range of applications, and its cultivated leather is derived from animal skin cells, which are made to replicate the structure and composition of conventional leather via cellular agriculture.

    “We first take a harmless skin biopsy, then extract relevant cells from this biopsy,” explained Balti. “We then demultiply these cells using bioreactors. Once we get enough cells, we then seed them onto a scaffold that helps them organise in 3D, placing cells at the right distance from each other.

    “We then feed these cells with nutrients made of water, minerals, vitamins, amino acids. Cells then begin to produce collagen and elastin in large quantities. After four weeks, we get a lab-grown skin, ready to be tanned using traditional tanning methods, [but] made much cleaner.”

    The process uses a much lower amount of chemicals and water, and leads to much less waste than conventional leather production, which is an energy– and water-intensive process linked to deforestation and biodiversity loss.

    faircraft leather
    Courtesy: Faircraft

    Faircraft looks to set up pilot facility in two years

    Faircraft says the takeover of VitroLabs and its decade of R&D work complements its scientific base and will help it get to market faster. “This acquisition is a great opportunity to accelerate our industrialisation process and the use of our great materials within our first market – luxury fashion and leather goods,” Balti said.

    It has already partnered with several leading players in this space. While Balti is bound by non-disclosure agreements, he stressed that these are “top fashion houses we all know about”.

    The firm is producing a few square metres of its lab-grown leather per month at its Paris facility, which has been enough to advance these collaborations. “We are looking to expand our manufacturing capability at our current facility, but the big jump will be made in two years with our first pilot manufacturing facility,” he said.

    To aid this effort, Faircraft closed a $15.8M funding round in November, which was earmarked to expand its team and develop machinery for commercial production. It simultaneously released a handbag tanned using traditional methods and made by Parisian leather artisans.

    cell based leather
    Courtesy: Faircraft

    Conventional leather production has a much higher carbon footprint, at 110kg of CO2e per square metre, compared to synthetic and plant-based alternatives. But synthetic leather mainly uses petroleum-derived plastic and can take up to 500 years to break down, while also shedding microplastics that can destroy marine life, the waterways, and our health.

    Animal-derived leather additionally releases lots of health-harming chemicals during tanning. Faircraft’s cell-based version relies on master tanners who specialise in luxury leather to perfect the finish of its material, safeguarding the interests of those who make their livelihoods from the industry. And the material generates 90% fewer CO2 emissions and 95% less waste, and requires 80% less water to produce.

    It is one of several startups innovating with lab-grown leather, including US-based Modern Meadow, UK startups Lab-Grown Leather Ltd and 3D Bio-Tissues, and Dutch players Qorium and Pelagen.

    The post Lab-Grown Leather: Faircraft Snaps Up VitroLabs to Scale Up Future Material appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • This US Startup Debuted Sustainable Diapers That Decompose, Thanks to Fungi

    sustainable diapers
    5 Mins Read

    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 earplugs, and apparently break down your baby’s diaper too.

    Hiro Technologies, an emerging startup based in Austin, Texas, has come up with an innovative way to reduce plastic waste from diapers, all via fungus.

    “Diapers are the number one source of household plastic waste and the third largest contributor to landfills overall,” says co-founder Miki Agrawal, the founder of viral period underwear company Thinx. “Each baby goes through [around] 5,000 diapers. The very first disposable diaper ever made? It’s still in a landfill today. We knew there had to be a better way.”

    Her startup’s solution is MycoDigestible Diapers, which come with a blend of plastic-eating fungi that, when discarded, activate and help break down soft plastics way faster in landfills.

    Dubbed SuperHiro Fungi, the decomposition technology aims to address the waste created by the 18 billion diapers that enter US landfills every year, each destined to sit for 500 years and leaking microplastics into our soil and water. The MycoDigestible Diapers can begin breaking down in less than a week.

    An idea sparked from a children’s book

    miki agrawal
    Courtesy: Thinx

    Agrawal rose to fame as the CEO of Thinx, the period underwear brand she co-founded with her sister Radha (herself the founder of sober early-morning dance party movement, Daybreaker).

    Thinx went viral for its innovative marketing campaigns (think suggestive grapefruits and dripping egg yolks that were temporarily banned from the New York subway ad system). “We kind of became the poster child for the period feminist movement, which I was totally fine with,” she told Elle in December. “We received tons of press, and the business was able to scale.”

    Then, in 2017, over halfway through her pregnancy, a former Thinx employee filed a sexual harassment complaint against Agrawal, who denied the allegations but agreed to settle the dispute, eventually stepping down from Thinx.

    A couple of years later, thanks to her toddler son Hiro, she had an epiphany about the diaper industry. “If breast milk is liquid gold, baby poop must be fertiliser gold,” she recalled thinking. “Why are we wrapping this potent fertiliser in plastic and not harnessing it for good?”

    Right then, Hiro came into the room and asked her to read him a book. She picked up a climate-centric children’s book and began reading, turning the pages long after her son had become distracted and run out from the room. A few pages in, the book featured certain kinds of fungi that eat plastic.

    This was Agrawal’s eureka moment. She soon teamed up with Tero Isokauppila, the founder of mushroom coffee company Four Sigmatic, and established Hiro Technologies.

    Given the success she’s had with Thinx (worth $230M at its peak) and her savvy eco bidet company Tushy, no one should bet against Agrawal and her diaper revolution.

    How fungi can help break down plastic waste

    eco diapers
    Courtesy: Hiro Technologies/Green Queen

    The startup, which has raised $54,000 in an oversubscribed crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, notes that plastic-eating fungi were first discovered by scientists in 2011. Until now, they have been constrained to labs.

    Its commercial and shelf-stable tech targets plastic at a molecular level, breaking it down into soil and mycelium without any specialised industrial composting facilities or energy-intensive processes.

    Here’s how it works: once parents throw the packet away with the used diaper and it reaches a landfill, the fungi activate in the presence of moisture and start breaking down the diaper’s materials from the inside out.

    Traditional landfill conditions are typically too dry, oxygen-poor, or contaminated for materials to decompose naturally, but the fungi secrete enzymes that target and sever the carbon bonds in plastic, transforming it into mycelium and nutrient-rich soil.

    The initial iteration is optimised for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene (PE), which together account for two-thirds of all plastic produced. Hiro Technologies explains that the carbon backbone of many plastics is fairly similar to that of lignin (a naturally occurring polymer that is the chief constituent of wood).

    Fungi have evolved over millions of years to be able to break lignin down, and their enzymes have the ability to break down plastic too. “It’s literally in mushrooms’ DNA to break down complex carbon materials,” explains co-founder Tero Isokauppila. “We’ve simply re-trained them to do what they already kind of knew how to do.”

    Hiro Technologies working on larger-scale projects

    plastic eating fungi
    Courtesy: Hiro Technologies/Green Queen

    Plastic is responsible for 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions – a share set to grow as production triples by 2060. And despite 430 million tonnes of plastic waste being generated every year, only 9% is recycled.

    The problem with that, meanwhile, is that there’s no end-of-life solution for common plastics, and many ‘eco’ plastic alternatives end up being a blend of different materials (including virgin and/or recycled plastic too), which beats the point.

    “In the absence of effective recycling, we’ve built a circular, scalable alternative,” Isokauppila says. “We believe the end of plastic begins with mushrooms.”

    The fungi-powered solution, which won the 2024 Hygienix Innovation Award, can transform the carbon in plastic into carbon that supports soil and plant growth, as well as other life.

    Hiro Technologies is now working with waste facilities and landfill operators to embed its fungi technologies more broadly across their systems, with a long-term goal of creating an entire ecosystem to help break down other plastic waste at scale.

    The startup also wants to partner with manufacturers, brands, and waste management companies to become a global supplier of plastic-eating fungi.

    “We’re not waiting for policy to catch up. We’re not waiting for corporations to change on their own,” said Agrawal. “We’re doing it now. With our hands in the dirt, and fungi as our partner.”

    The post This US Startup Debuted Sustainable Diapers That Decompose, Thanks to Fungi appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Pangaia Takes on Nylon with Bio-Based Alternative Made from Castor Oil

    pangaia nylon
    4 Mins Read

    Eco fashion pioneer Pangaia has launched (gaia)PLNT Nylon, a sportswear capsule collection derived from a bio-based, fossil-free monomer.

    British material science firm Pangaia has unveiled its latest sustainable clothing innovation, this time taking on the nylon industry.

    Its latest capsule collection, called (gaia)PLNT Nylon, is centred around Evo, a 100% bio-based polyamide derived from castor bean oilseeds made by Italian textile company Fulgar. The four-strong performance wear lineup is available for a limited time, ranging from women’s skirt and unisex track pants to jackets for women and unisex applications.

    According to the company, the collection “channels a utility-inspired silhouette, blending structured tailoring with crisp, architectural lines to embody quiet confidence in everyday wear”.

    Why we need bio-based nylon

    bio based nylon
    Courtesy: Pangaia

    Invented by DuPont in 1938, Nylon was the world’s first fully synthetic polymer, and became popular for its durability, flexibility, and strength. It’s omnipresent today, appearing in clothing, seat belts, airbags, tents, parachutes, and even films for food packaging.

    Since it’s a type of plastic that is primarily derived from fossil fuels now, nylon is highly problematic. On top of its sizeable carbon footprint, nylon is not biodegradable, and even with proper disposal, it can cause microplastic pollution and contaminate the waterways as the microfibres are often too small to be captured by many water treatment systems.

    Further, producing nylon requires large amounts of water to cool down the fibres and facilitate the chemical reactions that turn them into cloth. In addition, the energy-intensive process generates nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas over 300 times more potent than CO2. In fact, to produce two square metres of nylon, the associated emissions are equal to driving 37km in a gas-powered car.

    Pangaia claims Evo is a material that combines the strength and versatility of conventional nylon with a reduced environmental impact. It offers a high-performance, renewable alternative to fossil-derived synthetics.

    It’s derived from castor bean plants, a resilient, non-GMO crop that requires minimal water, thrives in dry conditions, and doesn’t compete with food crops. It’s turned into Evo yarn via a low-impact process that lowers emissions by 25% compared to conventional polyamide, according to an ISO-certified life-cycle assessment.

    How does the plant-derived nylon perform?

    pangaia nylon jacket
    Courtesy: Pangaia

    Pangaia’s process transforms renewable biomass into high-performance polymers, lowering the reliance on petrochemicals and offering a circular, responsible alternative without compromising strength.

    Evo is 25% lighter than conventional polyester while maintaining high durability and covering power. The material provides superior moisture management, dries in half as much time as conventional nylon, and boasts natural thermal insulation to regulate body temperature. Plus, the yarn has an anti-bacterial property to control odour, making it suitable for both active and everyday wear.

    According to Pangaia, each piece in the new collection is designed using “next-generation biomaterials” – although to note that the zippers are made with recycled PET tape. so not all aspects of the collection’s garments are degradable, which is an important point when considering an item’s end of life and how it can, or will, be disposed.

    While innovative companies like Pangaia work to test a new generation of textiles, in reality some new materials are still being tested and better understood in terms of toxicity and environmental impact. One peer-reviewed study published last September showed that certain bioplastics can be just as toxic as petroleum-based versions, though this has has more to do with the chemical manufacturing processes and required additives to make them rather than their plant-derived origin.

    Although the researchers looked at materials used for packaging – and castor bean fibres weren’t part of their study – it’s an important reminder that even bioplastics need to be tested and regulated for consumer safety (and transparency).

    The launch is part of a growing market for bio-based nylon, which was valued at $1.8B in 2023 and set to double over the next decade. It comes as apparel and fashion brands face calls to decarbonise their offerings, with sustainability becoming a priority rather than an added benefit.

    Fellow eco-materials firm Genomatica converts renewable carbon into the precursor to nylon, resulting in fermentation-derived nylon pellets and yarn. This innovation was used in a t-shirt line by activewear giant Lululemon in 2021, resulting in a 50% reduction in emissions compared to conventional nylon.

    Pangaia itself retails a recycled nylon collection, featuring discarded materials like old fishing nets, fabric scraps, and industrial plastics,

    The post Pangaia Takes on Nylon with Bio-Based Alternative Made from Castor Oil appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Just Eat Trials Plastic-Free Packaging for Non-Toxic Food Deliveries

    just eat packaging
    5 Mins Read

    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 collaborated with another British sustainable packaging startup for its newest plastic-free move, this time in Germany.

    Lieferando, as the platform is known in Germany, has teamed up with British eco materials innovation startup Xampla and Finnish packaging giant Huhtamaki to trial plastic-free takeaway boxes in the country.

    They’re lined with Morro, Xampla’s proprietary coating, a plastic-free, PFAS-free, 100% biobased alternative made from natural plant polymers. It means Lieferando’s 41,000 restaurant partners can now order the sustainable packaging on its partner webshop.

    “We are committed to making responsible choices that not only benefit our partners and consumers, but also contribute positively to the planet, and we’re looking forward to working with Xampla to encourage more partners to adopt plastic-free packaging,” said Jaz Rabadia, global sustainability head at Just Eat Takeaway, which will soon be acquired by South African investment group Prosus for $4.2B.

    Xampla’s Morro Coating offers the same properties as the plastic version without the harm

    xampla packaging
    Courtesy: Xampla

    The folding cartons are produced by Huhtamaki, following a supply deal it struck with Xampla last year. Made from sustainably sourced corrugated paper, they’re fully recyclable and are described as having “good rigidity and heat-retaining properties”. Further, they can be used for greasy/oily foods, which are traditionally difficult to hold in non-plastic packaging.

    This is thanks to the Morro coating, an alternative to both fossil-derived and renewable plastic coatings that delivers on technical specs too: it is food-contact-safe, has strong water and oxygen barrier performance, and can be used on a variety of substrates. Plus, it’s free from Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (aka PFAS, a group of forever chemicals that are damaging to human health).

    The plastic industry, itself a subset of the fossil-fuel industry (most plastic is made from crude oil production sidestreams) is responsible for 3.4% of global emissions, a share that will only increase as production triples by 2060. And despite 430 million tonnes of plastic waste being generated globally every year, only 9% is recycled. This is an enormous problem since plastic takes between 20 to 500 years to break down, populating landfills and leaking microplastics into our soil and water supply.

    Meanwhile, over 90% of plastic pollution comes from single-use products, a figure that has prompted global policymakers to attempt to curb their use. Certain single-use plastics have been banned in the UK and US states like California, and the EU is set to ban all single-use plastic by the end of the decade.

    Xampla’s Morro coating is exempt from the latter’s Single-Use Plastic Directive, making it an even more attractive proposition for the foodservice industry.

    xampla morro
    Courtesy: Xampla

    “Morro Coating is designed to seamlessly integrate into existing packaging processes, offering a powerful alternative to plastic. Together, we are setting a new standard for environmentally responsible food packaging,” said Xampla CEO Alexandra French.

    Founded by Simon Hombersley, Tuomas Knowles and Marc Rodriguez Garcia, Xampla spun out from Cambridge University in 2018, and has raised $17.6M to date. Apart from the coating, it makes edible and soluble films, as well as microcapsules for fragrances and active ingredients, all under the Morro brand.

    They’re built on a multi-patented tech platform that uses plant proteins from a variety of feedstocks, including peas, potatoes and rapeseed, as well as waste stream ingredients. “Choosing just one raw material has the potential to exhaust natural resources, so by being flexible and adaptable with our feedstocks, we highlight the true power of plants,” the company explains.

    Just Eat Takeaway: a sustainable packaging leader

    Xampla has established partnerships with a host of companies, including UK-based recipe box startup Gousto, Chinese dairy giant Yili, Uk soft drink leader Britvic, and British skincare label Elemis. Now, Just Eat Takeaway has joined that list.

    The collaboration comes after initial testing by Just Eat for Business in the UK, with several Lieferando restaurant partners already having trialled the packaging. “To encourage the use of plastic-free takeaway boxes and promote early adoption, Lieferando has trialled 500 boxes with selected restaurant partners in Hamburg, Essen, Munich and Wiesloch,” a Lieferando spokesperson told Green Queen.

    Just Eat Takeaway has been an early adopter of sustainable packaging in the food delivery space, having worked with Notpla since 2018. Its seaweed-lined boxes have appeared in 10 European countries with the platform – the UK, Ireland, Poland, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Switzerland – including at UEFA Champions League matches.

    “This partnership has no impact on the work we already do with Notpla. Supporting our partners with a range of sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics is part of Just Eat Takeaway.com’s broader efforts to address plastic pollution in the on-demand delivery industry,” the company’s representative said. “This partnership will further expand Lieferando’s sustainable packaging range alongside what we already offer through Notpla.”

    just eat takeaway sustainability
    Courtesy: Just Eat Takeaway

    The company also has a partnership with carbon calculator My Emissions, allowing businesses to put emissions information on their in-app delivery menus.

    In an analysis of the climate goals of the world’s top food delivery services by Four Paws, Just Eat Switzerland topped the list, while four other subsidiaries made the top six in the 18-company ranking – that said, even the Swiss platform only scored 32 out of 100.

    “We are pleased to be working with Lieferando and Huhtamaki, two forward-thinking partners who share our commitment to the planet through reducing plastic pollution,” said French.

    In a world where greenwashing is rampant, especially when it comes to packaging and plastic use, Xample sure feels like a breath of fresh, plastic-pollution-free air.

    The post Just Eat Trials Plastic-Free Packaging for Non-Toxic Food Deliveries appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Clean Body, Clean Planet: Colgate-Palmolive Taps Palm Oil Alternative for Fermented Soap Bar

    nopalm ingredients colgate
    4 Mins Read

    Colgate-Palmolive has teamed up with NoPalm Ingredients to make a sustainable soap bar from a fermentation-derived palm oil alternative.

    Soon, you could be using soap made from food waste and fermentation. The climate kicker? The soap is also entirely free of palm oil.

    Consumer goods giant Colgate-Palmolive is working with Dutch startup NoPalm Ingredients to make that a reality, building on a pilot project they completed in 2023.

    Based in Wageningen, NoPalm Ingredients makes a yeast-derived alternative to palm oil by fermenting agricultural byproducts. Producing this oil generates 90% fewer emissions and requires 99% less land, and can help decarbonise the food and personal care industries.

    Colgate-Palmolive has struck a multi-year partnership with the firm to scale up production of the sustainable oil for use in a next-generation soap bar.

    “While Colgate-Palmolive remains a strong advocate for responsibly sourced palm oil, we recognize the need for additional innovative solutions to meet future demands,” said Ebru Calero, senior director of sustainable sourcing and innovation at Colgate-Palmolive.

    A precursor to large-scale production

    nopalm ingredients
    Courtesy: NoPalm Ingredients

    Founded in 2021 by Lars Langhout and Jeroen Hugenholtz, NoPalm Ingredients’s proprietary fermentation process uses non-GMO yeasts and low-capex technology to convert local agricultural sidestreams (like potato peels and whey permeate) into yeast oils.

    These oils can be a “drop-in” replacement for palm oil – it costs the same, and manufacturers don’t need to reformulate their recipes. The technology is said to be asset-light and highly scalable, with the company achieving an industrial fermentation scale of 120,000 litres last month.

    In 2023, it participated in the 100+ Accelerator, a global programme that supports sustainability-focused startups, working on projects with Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever. Here, NoPalm Ingredients turned one of Colgate-Palmolive’s organic byproducts into a fermented oil for its soap bar brands, including Palmolive, Sanex, Irish Spring, and Protex.

    This is now being scaled up to pre-industrial levels, with a larger volume to be trialled on the CPG giant’s production lines. This will allow both firms to evaluate key metrics, such as stability, sensory attributes, and overall performance.

    This fermentation-derived oil is said to deliver “excellent stability, texture, and fragrance compatibility”. If it matches or outperforms the fats traditionally used in personal care, it would then pave the way for commercial scale-up and broader adoption.

    “Partnering with a globally recognized leader like Colgate-Palmolive is a testament to the commercial potential and credibility of NoPalm Ingredients’ innovative solutions,” said Langhout, NoPalm Ingredients’s CEO. “This collaboration marks a significant step toward scaling sustainable oil alternatives for mainstream adoption.”

    Why palm oil needs to be phased out, and quickly

    palm oil alternative
    Courtesy: NoPalm Ingredients

    Palm oil is found in more than half of the products you can buy in a supermarket, across virtually every category. It’s neutral in flavour, smell and colour, can withstand high temperatures, and functions as a natural preservative. While it’s an unbeatable ingredient for skincare and food products, palm oil is terrible for the planet.

    Globally, it accounts for 40% of total oil production, thanks to a tenfold increase since 1980, making up a $70 billion industry. But this has come at a major cost. Palm oil production is a major driver of tropical deforestation, the cause of nearly 20% of global emissions. Indonesia and Malaysia alone are home to 90% of oil palm trees – the former’s forests have been subject to wildfires emanating directly from palm plantations in 2019.

    Growing demand will speed up a form of mass deforestation that emits greenhouse gases while removing trees that would help absorb these very emissions. The industry is a threat to wildlife and linked with numerous human rights abuses. Indigenous communities have lost their lands and villages, and workers have been exploited with poor working conditions and pay

    It underscores the need for innovations like NoPalm Ingredients’s oil, which generates 90% fewer emissions and requires 99% less land. British firms PALM-ALT and Clean Food Group, Estonia’s Äio, Dutch startup Time-Travelling Milkman, and Bay Area company Kiverdi (among others) are all working on sustainable alternatives to palm oil too.

    “Demonstrating innovations like NoPalm Ingredients’s oil at an industrial scale brings us one step closer to delivering on our no-deforestation and responsible sourcing commitments,” said Calero. This is also important because of the regulatory clampdown on deforestation-linked palm oil in the EU, the UK, and elsewhere.

    NoPalm Ingredients, which has raised $6.5M from investors, is not the only firm working to decarbonise soap. British material science firm Pangaia and skincare label Haeckels co-launched the Rewild Body Block in 2023, a limited-edition soap bar using C16 Biosciences‘s Palmless Torula oil. Canadian startup  CleanO2, meanwhile, uses captured carbon and beer to make a climate-negative body soap. Elsewhere, Unilever-owned Dove introduced a range of oat milk soaps in the UK last year.

    The post Clean Body, Clean Planet: Colgate-Palmolive Taps Palm Oil Alternative for Fermented Soap Bar appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Mudcake’s Anna Ottoson

    4 Mins Read

    In our new interview series, we quiz future food investors about the solutions that excite them the most, their favourite climate-forward restaurant, and what they look for in successful founders.

    Anna Ottosson is Founding Partner at Mudcake.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

    I’m always on the lookout for scalable technical solutions to some of the toughest challenges related to the food system. These challenges are typically related to how the food system affects the planet and climate change, but also to the opposite; how the food system is already, and will continue to be, affected by climate change. The solutions that excite me the most are the ones that can really move the needle if they succeed – especially from an impact perspective.

    What are three future food verticals you are actively looking at for 2025?

    I have a number of holy grails that I’m always on the hunt for, including a coffee alternative, a vegetable oil alternative, and a sugar replacement product. For all of these three, I’m dreaming about finding a great founding team with a very strong impact drive, an amazing product at a price that is ideally lower than the price for the original product that they are replacing, and a promising sales pipeline with prospective B2B customers – so I’m well aware that it’s quite a tough wishlist from my end.

    What do you consider the food tech sector’s greatest achievement in the past five years?

    Several things have developed in the right direction for the food system in the past five years; including a greater understanding of how the food system is negatively affecting the planet, as well as an increased consumer emphasis on nutrition and health. It’s evident that technical developments in biotech as well as AI and software are having ripple effects on the broader food system, including the development of GLP-1 products, and advancements in crop genetics to name a few examples.

    If you could wave a magic wand, how would you fix plant-based meat?

    It’s a complex topic, but if I could only do one thing it would probably be to remove subsidies for meat and dairy production to ensure that the price point better reflected the true cost of these products.

    What’s the top trait you look for in a founder?

    One thing I often come back to is a founder’s ability to build excitement around what they are doing, which is something that different founders can accomplish in different ways. It doesn’t have to be the cliché ‘extroverted-pitch-on-a-stage-capacity’– in fact, it’s probably not, but can be showcased by their conversational style, how they’ve developed their product, how they tell a story, how they view a certain problem.

    When I leave a conversation with a founder with more curiosity and energy than I came with, it’s a strong sign that I should spend more time on the case.

    ‘The One That Got Away’: tell us about the deal you wish you had gotten into, but didn’t.

    Hmm, I know that companies can look pretty different from the outside than the inside, so I honestly don’t spend a lot of time thinking about “what if” scenarios. But I do have a mental list of amazing founders in the space that I believe that I would personally have enjoyed working with, but where the stars haven’t been aligned for various reasons (at least not yet).

    Some of those founders include Maricel Saenz of Compound/Minus, Henrik Bennetsen of Savor, Cecy Price of Biographica, and many more.

    What do you consider your most successful future food investment so far?

    Too early to tell! But some of our portfolio companies that have already made a significant impact dent in the food system are Planet A Foods, driving the shift to planet-friendly chocolate; InPlanet, which just delivered the first ever Enhanced Rock Weathering carbon removal credit; and Amatera, which is accelerating the natural evolution to sustain perennial crops like coffee.

    What do you consider your most disappointing future food investment?

    A lot of things don’t turn out as you expect in the startup world, and it’s just the name of the game. 

    What do people get wrong most about VC?

    How fundamentally different that path is compared to just “building a great company”. There are so many ways to build an amazing company, and doing it the VC way is just one of them. 

    What is the most ‘future food’ dish or ingredient you have eaten this month?

    I want to say traditional lentils and chickpeas? Nutritious, cheap food that is good for the planet.

    Where is your favourite climate-forward restaurant/dish/place to eat anywhere in the world?

    I always love to spend time in Copenhagen, so much great food!

    What’s your ‘why’? What motivates you to do what you do?

    As much as it’s a cliché, I want the time and energy that I spend on things to matter, not just for me, but for the next generation, and for my kids. When they ask me in 20 years what I focused on and why, I don’t want there to be any regrets about having wasted my time and energy on things that didn’t truly matter in the end.

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Mudcake’s Anna Ottoson appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Mudcake’s Anna Ottoson

    4 Mins Read

    In our new interview series, we quiz future food investors about the solutions that excite them the most, their favourite climate-forward restaurant, and what they look for in successful founders.

    Anna Ottosson is Founding Partner at Mudcake.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

    I’m always on the lookout for scalable technical solutions to some of the toughest challenges related to the food system. These challenges are typically related to how the food system affects the planet and climate change, but also to the opposite; how the food system is already, and will continue to be, affected by climate change. The solutions that excite me the most are the ones that can really move the needle if they succeed – especially from an impact perspective.

    What are three future food verticals you are actively looking at for 2025?

    I have a number of holy grails that I’m always on the hunt for, including a coffee alternative, a vegetable oil alternative, and a sugar replacement product. For all of these three, I’m dreaming about finding a great founding team with a very strong impact drive, an amazing product at a price that is ideally lower than the price for the original product that they are replacing, and a promising sales pipeline with prospective B2B customers – so I’m well aware that it’s quite a tough wishlist from my end.

    What do you consider the food tech sector’s greatest achievement in the past five years?

    Several things have developed in the right direction for the food system in the past five years; including a greater understanding of how the food system is negatively affecting the planet, as well as an increased consumer emphasis on nutrition and health. It’s evident that technical developments in biotech as well as AI and software are having ripple effects on the broader food system, including the development of GLP-1 products, and advancements in crop genetics to name a few examples.

    If you could wave a magic wand, how would you fix plant-based meat?

    It’s a complex topic, but if I could only do one thing it would probably be to remove subsidies for meat and dairy production to ensure that the price point better reflected the true cost of these products.

    What’s the top trait you look for in a founder?

    One thing I often come back to is a founder’s ability to build excitement around what they are doing, which is something that different founders can accomplish in different ways. It doesn’t have to be the cliché ‘extroverted-pitch-on-a-stage-capacity’– in fact, it’s probably not, but can be showcased by their conversational style, how they’ve developed their product, how they tell a story, how they view a certain problem.

    When I leave a conversation with a founder with more curiosity and energy than I came with, it’s a strong sign that I should spend more time on the case.

    ‘The One That Got Away’: tell us about the deal you wish you had gotten into, but didn’t.

    Hmm, I know that companies can look pretty different from the outside than the inside, so I honestly don’t spend a lot of time thinking about “what if” scenarios. But I do have a mental list of amazing founders in the space that I believe that I would personally have enjoyed working with, but where the stars haven’t been aligned for various reasons (at least not yet).

    Some of those founders include Maricel Saenz of Compound/Minus, Henrik Bennetsen of Savor, Cecy Price of Biographica, and many more.

    What do you consider your most successful future food investment so far?

    Too early to tell! But some of our portfolio companies that have already made a significant impact dent in the food system are Planet A Foods, driving the shift to planet-friendly chocolate; InPlanet, which just delivered the first ever Enhanced Rock Weathering carbon removal credit; and Amatera, which is accelerating the natural evolution to sustain perennial crops like coffee.

    What do you consider your most disappointing future food investment?

    A lot of things don’t turn out as you expect in the startup world, and it’s just the name of the game. 

    What do people get wrong most about VC?

    How fundamentally different that path is compared to just “building a great company”. There are so many ways to build an amazing company, and doing it the VC way is just one of them. 

    What is the most ‘future food’ dish or ingredient you have eaten this month?

    I want to say traditional lentils and chickpeas? Nutritious, cheap food that is good for the planet.

    Where is your favourite climate-forward restaurant/dish/place to eat anywhere in the world?

    I always love to spend time in Copenhagen, so much great food!

    What’s your ‘why’? What motivates you to do what you do?

    As much as it’s a cliché, I want the time and energy that I spend on things to matter, not just for me, but for the next generation, and for my kids. When they ask me in 20 years what I focused on and why, I don’t want there to be any regrets about having wasted my time and energy on things that didn’t truly matter in the end.

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Mudcake’s Anna Ottoson appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Cultivated Pork Maker Goes Beyond Meat with Animal-Free Leather Collab

    lab grown leather
    5 Mins Read

    Dutch cultivated pork pioneer Meatable broadens its horizons beyond food through a partnership with animal-free leather maker Pelagen.

    As it awaits the go-ahead from regulators in Singapore, cultivated meat startup Meatable already has its eyes on the future.

    With cultivated meat facing a squeeze from investors and policymakers in certain geographies, the Dutch startup is expanding its operations to make an impact beyond just the food industry.

    Meatable has partnered with fellow Leiden-based firm Pelagen, which specialises in cell-based leather, to help enhance the production, efficiency and scalability of the animal-free material for use in a variety of industries, including fashion, automotive, and interiors.

    “Just as Meatable is revolutionising the way we produce and consume meat, Pelagen is redefining leather manufacturing with a sustainable approach. We’re excited to support their vision and market potential through our technology,” said Meatable CEO Jeff Tripician.

    How Meatable’s Opti-ox technology can advance cultivated leather

    meatable opti ox
    Courtesy: Meatable

    The collaboration is built upon the Opti-ox technology Meatable uses to produce its cultivated pork sausages. Pelagen will leverage the platform to improve the production of skin tissue from animal cells for its sustainable leather.

    Opti-ox does away with the need for fetal bovine serum and allows Meatable to make products by isolating a single animal cell. The process uses pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), which – unlike immortalised cell lines that need to be altered to multiply indefinitely – have the natural ability to continue multiplying, and do so rapidly.

    This is coupled with a perfusion process that allows the startup to work in a continuous cycle to generate very high cell densities and produce fully differentiated muscle and fat cells faster than any competitor. The technology can do in 12 days what it takes a pig eight months to, and a cow two to three years – and was named one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2024.

    “Meatable has demonstrated clear leadership in their field, with a singular capability to enable lightspeed bioprocess,” said Pelagen CEO Sasha Madhavji. “We are excited to leverage their technical edge and accelerate our time to impact – something only possible at commercially relevant scales.”

    And unlike traditional synthetic leather, which mainly uses petroleum-derived plastic and can take up to 500 years to break down, a cell-based version dramatically lowers greenhouse gas emissions and waste. Cultivated leather also avoids the shedding of microplastics that can destroy marine life and our waterways, while replicating the look, feel and smell of its conventional counterpart.

    To get cultivated leather to market, producers require optimised media and processes too. To that end, Pelagen and Meatable will also endeavour to generate the most effective media composition and process. This will help them lower costs, enhance speed and efficiency, and increase the quality of the animal-free leather.

    Can cultivated leather meet the demand for greener products?

    cultivated leather
    Courtesy: Pelagen

    Advocates of leather have long viewed it as a byproduct of meat and dairy production and used that to tout its biodegradability and longevity. Leather critics counter that it should more accurately be viewed as a co-product; in many cases, it is the primary product, and manufacturing it is an energy– and water-intensive process linked to deforestation and biodiversity loss.

    There is, of course, the animal welfare aspect, given that the material is derived from cows, which drives vegan consumers to look for other options. But leather production also has a much higher carbon footprint, at 110kg of CO2e per square metre, compared to synthetic and plant-based alternatives. Moreover, animal-derived leather releases lots of health-harming chemicals during tanning.

    A 20,000-person global survey last year revealed that 85% of people are experiencing disruptive climate change effects, and 46% are buying more sustainable products to reduce their personal impact. In fact, 80% are happy to pay more for them for greener products, with an average price premium of 9.7%.

    This will be music to the ears of companies like Pelagen, whose products will likely enter the market with a premium markup. This latest news illustrates the significant potential for companies working on cell-based leather, a market that is set to grow by 14% annually to reach nearly $400M in 2032.

    Take Parisian startup Faircraft, for example, which recently secured $16M from investors and is working with local leather artisans and fashion brands. In the UK, Lab-Grown Leather Ltd and 3D Bio-Tissues are advancing this material, while Singapore’s ProjectEx is working on cultivating exotic leather alternatives to crocodile and ostrich, for example.

    lab grown leather
    Courtesy: Qorium

    Qorium – another Dutch player – is led by Mosa Meat founder and cultivated meat pioneer Dr Mark Post, and recently produced a 35x35cm sample of cultivated leather using a newly scaled-up tissue bioreactor.

    In the US, Uncaged Innovations is making a grain-based, plastic-free leather alternative, and has been in discussions with several luxury brands. Modern Meadow – which was previously working on cultivated leather – is showcasing its Bio-Vera lineup (made from 80% renewable carbon content that includes plant-based proteins and upcycled tires) at the Lineapelle 2025 show in Milan later this month. And Ecovative is using mycelium to make its eco leather.

    Another 3D tissue engineering startup, US-based VitroLabs, caught the attention (and financial backing) of French luxury giant Kering and actor Leonardo DiCaprio in its $46M Series A round in 2022 – but its cultivated leather failed to take off, and the startup appears to have ceased operations last year.

    The post Cultivated Pork Maker Goes Beyond Meat with Animal-Free Leather Collab appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • From Food to Fibre: Sustainable Protein Revolution Takes on Luxury Fashion

    spiber brewed protein
    4 Mins Read

    In partnership with an Italian premium fashion mill, Japanese materials innovator Spiber has produced cashmere blends and worsted yarn with its fermentation-derived Brewed Protein.

    Sustainable protein is on the rise in Japan. Fast-food chains are opening all-vegan restaurants in the country, alternative protein companies are betting on their appetite for mycelium, and local chocolate giants are embracing cell-based cocoa.

    Japan’s government has also invested tens of millions of dollars into startups making cultivated meat and plant-based eggs while clarifying the process for firms seeking regulatory approval. Former prime minister Fumio Kishida has called these future foods a key part of “realising a sustainable food supply”.

    But it’s not just food that Japan is innovating in with sustainable proteins – the country is also taking a lead in the fashion industry through Spiber, a Yamagata-based company that makes planet-friendly materials from Brewed Proteins.

    These proteins are derived from microbial fermentation and have been part of offerings from a host of international brands. Now, Spiber has developed a line of cashmere blends with Brewed Protein fibre and a 100% Brewed Protein worsted yarn (a medium-weight yarn) in collaboration with Botto Giuseppe, an Italian premium mill renowned for its natural wool and cashmere fibres.

    Both the woollen blends and worsted yarn are now available on Botto Giuseppe’s website, making it the first European mill to successfully develop and market yarn made entirely from Spiber’s Brewed Protein.

    Spiber to exhibit Brewed Protein polo shirt at Florence show

    spiber botto giuseppe
    Courtesy: Spiber

    Founded in 2007 by Kazuhide Sekiyama, Hideya Mizutani and Junichi Sugahara, Spiber says it makes sustainable materials for the fashion, automotive and personal care industries.

    The Brewed Protein fibres leverage synthetic biology and material science. Microbes feed on agricultural waste in a fermentation process that results in the creation of polymers, which can substitute cashmere, fur, leather, wool, and silk, as well as plastic-based synthetic fabrics.

    Spiber says its production platform is fully bio-based, biodegradable, and cruelty-free – it requires much fewer resources to make its materials and has a much lower climate footprint as a result. For example, its Brewed Protein fibres can emit up to 75% fewer emissions than cashmere, while using 94% less water and taking up 86% less land, similar to fermentation proteins used to replace dairy foods.

    The yarns made with Botto Giuseppe are described as versatile and suitable for both knitting and weaving. They can be used in a range of applications, from shirts and suits to jersey knitwear.

    In terms of the woolen yarn, the firms have developed two compositions, one with 20% Brewed Protein fibre and 80% cashmere, and another with equal parts of each.

    Spiber will showcase a polo shirt made from the 100% Brewed Protein yarn developed by Botto Giuseppe at the ongoing Pitti Filiati show in Florence (January 28-30).

    Circular economy alliance finds new partners

    spiber material
    Courtesy: Spiber

    The two companies are also now exploring finer yarn counts for materials made entirely from Brewed Protein fibres and will collaborate on customisations tailored for specific brands.

    “We are delighted to start this new collaboration with the development of such a high-tech fibre. It is a highlight in our sustainability journey,” said Silvio Botto Poala, CEO of Botto Giuseppe.

    Spiber has raised $489M in funding to date, including a $65M round last year, and over 15 companies have launched products with its Brewed Protein fibres. This includes Pangaia, The North Face, Yonetomi Seni, Goldwin, Nanamica, Cavia and Woolrich in the fashion industry, Shiseido Japan in the cosmetics space, and Toyota in the automotive world (which unveiled a concept vehicle using Brewed Protein).

    And in a boost for Spiber, the International Organization for Standardization revised the definition of “protein fibre” in 2021 to include not just naturally-derived proteins, but also those produced synthetically, alongside setting the minimum protein content required for such fibres at 80%. This made it the first time synthetic structural protein materials have been recognised internationally as a new material category.

    Meanwhile, just last week, the BioCircular Materials Alliance – a coalition of industry leaders initiated by Spiber – published its first progress, creating an action plan to drive the industry toward a circular bioeconomy, where biowaste is transformed into new, regenerative materials.

    Coinciding with the report was the announcement of 16 new entities joining the alliance, including Stella McCartney, Pangaia, Vollebak and Fashion for Good.

    The fashion industry continues to embrace lower-carbon materials. Uncaged Innovations is making a grain-based, plastic-free leather alternative, and has been in discussions with several luxury brands. Faircraft is working with major luxury fashion and leather goods brands in Paris for its cultivated leather. And lab-grown cotton maker Galy is backed by two of the world’s largest fashion brands in H&M Group and Inditex (the parent company of Zara, Bershka, Stradivarius and more).

    The post From Food to Fibre: Sustainable Protein Revolution Takes on Luxury Fashion appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • These 8 Fashion Tech Material Startups Are Futureproofing Textiles

    7 Mins Read

    As awareness about the environmental and welfare detriments of the textile industry grows, a new crop of startups is developing novel alternatives to change the way we dress and live.

    If things continue the way they are, the fashion industry will use up a quarter of the world’s carbon budget by 2050.

    This is because the traditional materials used by textile manufacturers are terrible for the environment. Cotton is too water-intensive, leather is carbon-heavy, as are plastics, which don’t break down for centuries and are toxic to human health.

    Disrupting these categories isn’t a new idea. Look at leather, for example. Synthetic leather has been around since the 19th century when it proved a viable, cost-effective alternative to the real thing. Today, this is a $40B sector that looks to take animal abuse out of the equation, but it’s an industry built on plastic.

    Plastic, a group of synthetic polymers made from fossil fuels (coal, crude oil or natural gas), emits more greenhouse gases than the aviation sector, and a third of all plastic waste ends up in soil or freshwater, disintegrating into microplastics that enter the food chain. In fact, these tiny particles have already been discovered in the human body, and one study estimates that we eat 5g of microplastics per week on average (about the same as eating a credit card’s worth of plastic).

    Then there’s the waste aspect: every second, the equivalent of one dumper truck of textiles is either landfilled or incinerated around the world. To make matters worse, textile waste has been estimated to increase by about 60% between 2015 and 2030, not to mention the thorny issue of waste colonialism, whereby wealthier nations ship their fashion and clothing waste to developing countries where they create toxic mounds of garbage.

    The fashion industry is desperately in need of future-proof solutions that are climate-friendly, low to no waste, land-light and That leaves the textile industry in a spot of bother, and in dire need of future-friendly solutions. Fortunately, a host of new startups are doing just that, coming up with more sustainable alternatives that don’t harm the environment and offer the same functionality we expect from conventional fabrics and materials.

    Newlight Technologies

    Headquarters: Huntington Beach, California, US
    Founders: Mark Herrema and Kenton Kimmel
    Total funding: $231.6M

    aircarbon
    Courtesy: Newlight Technologies

    Founded in 2003, Newlight Technologies is solving several problems at once. It makes its AirCarbon bioplastic through fermentation, feeding marine microorganisms on carbon dioxide as well as methane from dairy farms to produce a material that can melt the same way plastic can. It’s working towards a circular process that uses anaerobic digestors to turn AirCarbon into biogas, which can in turn produce AirCarbon and power. The firm has previously rolled out cutlery, handbags, wallets and sunglasses under its brands, and has collaborated with Nike.

    It’s not just textiles – Newlight Technologies recently showcased its AirCarbon straws in a sustainable cocktail at the Anaheim Marriott.

    Natural Fiber Welding

    Headquarters: Peoria, Illinois, US
    Founders: Luke Haverhals
    Total funding: $136.5M

    natural fiber welding
    Courtesy: Natural Fiber Welding

    Natural Fiber Welding makes plastic-free biomaterials, including leathers, footwear outsoles, foam, and fabrics. The latter range is called Clarus, made using virgin and recycled natural fibres. The technology behind these textiles strengthens natural yarns, using closed-loop chemistry to create knits, wind-resistant wovens, and durable cotton canvas with high-value performance features. Its technology is licenced to five international manufacturers, and it has plans to expand to 22 other countries across the globe.

    An Earthshot Prize 2024 finalist, the company works with 40 brands, including Stella McCartney, Patagonia, BMW, and Ralph Lauren – the latter debuted its RLX Clarus polo shirt at the 2022 Australian Tennis Open.

    Galy

    Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, US
    Founders: Luciano Bueno and Paula Elbl
    Total funding: $65M

    galy cotton
    Courtesy: Galy

    Backed by the likes of H&M, Inditex, Bill Gates and Sam Altman, Galy is sidestepping the farmed cotton industry altogether, instead using cellular agriculture to grow an alternative in labs. In a process that requires 99% less water and 97% less land, it feeds cotton cells on sugars in bioreactors, selectively regulating genes once the cells multiply to the required volumes, and transforming them into cotton fibre. It has secured millions of dollars in proof-of-concept agreements with industry leaders for its lab-grown cotton and is now scaling up towards a pre-industrial scale.

    Galy’s Literally Cotton was recognised on Time’s 200 Best Inventions list for 2024. “With all due respect to agriculture, we believe we can produce the same thing in a lab facility, better,” co-founder and CEO Luciano Bueno told the magazine.

    Evrnu

    Headquarters: Mercer Island, Washington, US
    Founders: Stacey Flynn and Christo Stanev
    Total funding: $31M

    evrnu
    Courtesy: Evrnu

    Until April, Evrnu was a textile recycling company. But earlier this year, it made its D2C play with a fashion brand called Nucycle. The firm collects and shreds cotton textile waste, processes it into liquid pulp, extrudes that into lyocell fibre, which is knitted into fabrics and garments. The material is said to be inherently soft, absorbent, and stronger than virgin cotton and polyester. Evrnu launched its first product in March, a fully recyclable 360 Hoodie made from Nucycle.

    The startup is part of the World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneer community. And the tech has impressed many industry giants, with Evrnu inking deals with Adidas, Levi’s, Stella McCartney, Target, Pangaia and Zara, among others.

    Circulose

    Headquarters: Sundsvall, Sweden
    Founders/parent company: Christofer Lindgren, Gunnar Henriksson, Johan Sundblad, Malcolm Norlin and Mikael Lindström (now owned by Altor)
    Total funding: $10.6M

    circulose
    Courtesy: Circulose

    Another recycled cotton waste innovator, Circulose (formerly Renewcell) recovers cellulose from worn-out clothes and production scraps to make a “dissolving pulp” that can form the base of viscose, lyocell, modal, acetate, and other regenerated fibres. These can be spun into yarns, woven or knitted into fabrics, and cut and sewn into virgin-quality textile products, replacing materials like cotton and wood pulp. The company works with brands like Calvin Klein, & Other Stories, and more.

    Circulose’s pulp was part of Knits, Denim and other fashion items in Ganni’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection at Paris Fashion Week.

    TômTex

    Headquarters: Brooklyn, New York, US
    Founders: Uyen Tran & Ross McBee
    Total funding: $4.15M

    tomtex
    Courtesy: TômTex

    TômTex is a flexible biomaterial made from chitosan, a biopolymer found in the exoskeletons of shellfish and crustaceans, coffee, and mushrooms. The startup sources the chitosan from waste seafood shells and mushrooms, which is processed into a biodegradable leather alternative that’s soft enough to be both hand-stitched or machine-sewn.

    The startup’s material was also named one of Time’s 200 Best Inventions of 2024, and co-founder Ross McBee told the magazine that it will be available next year for $2.50-3.50 per sq ft, on par with mid-tier conventional leather.

    BioFluff

    Headquarters: Paris, France
    Founders: Martin Steubler, Steven Usdan and Roni Gamzon
    Total funding: $3M

    biofluff
    Courtesy: BioFluff

    BioFluff is targeting the luxury end of the market with plant-based alternatives to animal- and plastic-derived fur, shearling and plush, which it aims to bring to market under its Savian brand. It uses 100% renewable plant fibres and agricultural waste to transform nettle, hemp and flex into these fully biodegradable alt-materials, reducing emissions by 40-90%.

    The company recently unveiled the world’s first teddy bear made from vegan fur, while introducing a one-off pink handbag with Ganni.

    Alt Tex

    Headquarters: Toronto, Canada
    Founders: Myra Arshad and Avneet Ghotra
    Total funding: $2.3M

    Courtesy: Alt Tex/Green Queen

    Canadian startup Alt Tex is making a food-waste-based alternative to polyester, the plastic textile present in 60% of all clothing. It uses microbial fermentation to turn food waste, another large landfill contributor, into biodegradable polymers, which are mixed with additives to create fibres to sell to fashion brands. A single shirt made from the fabric can divert 1kg of food waste from landfills and 9kg of carbon from the atmosphere. Alt Tex’s first fabric prototype is said to be 70% stronger than cotton.

    Its founders Myra Arshad and Avneet Ghotra were named on Forbes’s 30 Under 30 North America list for 2025 in the manufacturing and industry category.

    Ponda

    Headquarters: Bristol, UK
    Founders: Julian Ellis-Brown, Neloufar Taheri, Antonia Jara and Finlay Duncan
    Total funding: Undisclosed

    biopuff
    Courtesy: Ponda

    Formerly known as SaltyCo, Ponda develops novel textiles from regenerative fibres. Its flagship product, BioPuff, is a bulrush-based alternative to goose down and polyester fibres that provides warm, lightweight and water-resistant insulation. The startup engages in paludiculture, which involves farming on wetlands like rewetted peatlands, which are some of the most healing environments on Earth and hold over 40% of all soil carbon.

    BioPuff was used in the padding of Stella McCartney’s luxury vegan handbag line Falabella, as part of the designer’s Autumn 2024 collection.

    The post These 8 Fashion Tech Material Startups Are Futureproofing Textiles appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Unilever Bets Millions to Develop Zero-Waste Plant-Based Oils for Cleaning Products

    unilever biomass oil
    4 Mins Read

    Unilever has partnered with biotech firm Nufarm to produce oil from the entire sugarcane plant and replace fossil fuels from its laundry and beauty products.

    From laundry detergents to soaps, most cleaning products contain surfactants derived from petroleum feedstocks, enlarging their impact on the environment. Fossil fuels, of course, represent the most polluting industry on the planet, and a shift away from them is critical to the fight against the climate crisis.

    It’s why in 2020, Unilever decided to eliminate fossil fuels from its cleaning products by 2030. One of the world’s largest CPG companies, it explained that chemicals used in these offerings make up nearly half (46%) of its overall carbon footprint, and replacing them with plant- and algae-derived ingredients will lower its climate impact by 20%.

    In a further step towards that goal, the parent company of Domestos, Persil, Sif and Comfort has now invested millions of euros in a project to create “biomass oils” sourced not just from the seeds and fruits of plants (as is typical), but also the leaves, stems and other parts.

    It has partnered with Australian agtech startup Nufarm to develop and commercialise a sugarcane crop with significantly greater biomass, which can be turned into fatty acids that form the base of Unilever’s laundry detergents and beauty and personal care products.

    Biomass oil is industry’s biggest ‘challenge and opportunity’

    unilever nufarm
    Courtesy: Nufarm

    Nufarm’s technology can enable the production of oil using the entire plant in crops like cane and sorghum. It has previously created and brought to market a sugarcane variety called energy cane, which generates much more plant matter and sugar than the traditional crop.

    In its current form, energy cane has several sustainability benefits, including climate stress tolerance, drought resistance, and more efficient soil protection against erosion.

    Unilever’s investment aims to replicate and build on these traits using recent biotech breakthroughs to develop a new, commercially viable variety of energy cane that can produce biomass oil, as well as contribute to its goals of reducing emissions from ingredient sourcing.

    “We can take existing, high-biomass crops, and dramatically increase the amount of oil that can be produced in their leaves, and turn them into oil factories,” explained Brent Zacharias, group executive at Nufarm.

    “This technology and associated know-how enhance Nufarm’s novel, sustainable and scalable oils strategy in high biomass crops like energy cane and forage sorghum and provide new transformational oils platform potential,” said Nufarm CEO Greg Hunt, who suggested that this represents both the “challenge and opportunity” of the century for the agriculture industry.

    According to Unilever, if successfully grown at scale, it would be the first time a biomass crop has been optimised to produce a plant-based oil. This would then be leveraged as an ingredient across its beauty, personal care and home care portfolio, which together made up 65% of its turnover in 2023.

    Project looks to support net-zero goal amid shift in ESG focus

    “We’re trying to aim for this plant to be very sustainable, producing more than one ingredient. So it’s going to be more efficient,” noted Neil Parry, Unilever’s head of biotechnology.

    The plan is for no parts of the crop to go to waste – in addition to the biomass oil, it can also continue to produce sugar that can be used in biotechnology processes to make fragrances, enzymes and speciality cleaning ingredients. Unilever will also explore how it could use the leftover plant fibre for paper and board in packaging and for renewable energy production.

    “Biotechnology is evolving at a rapid pace. What we’re now going to start seeing in the next decade is more translation of the ideas and capability into scalable, translatable, commercial materials that are going to benefit both society and industry,” Parry suggested.

    Raw materials and ingredients are the largest source of Unilever’s greenhouse gas emissions, making up 52% of its total footprint. “The partnership with Nufarm enables us to identify alternative ingredients for our household, beauty and personal care brands which will further support our ambition to reach net zero emissions across our value chain by 2039,” he said.

    But that net-zero commitment has been criticised for being too vague and hard to measure, and despite being viewed as an ESG leader, Unilever has been facing further backlash after abandoning several of its key sustainability goals. For example, it delayed its targets to make 100% of its plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, and changed the goal of halving virgin plastic use by 2025 to reducing it by a third by 2026.

    It has additionally dropped a pledge to make 100% of ingredients biodegradable by 2030, and lowered its aim of sourcing 100% of key crops sustainably to 95%. The promise to protect and regenerate 1.5 million hectares of land, forests and oceans by 2030, meanwhile, has been slashed to a million hectares.

    These changes came amid a backdrop of investor, shareholder and political criticism that non-financial objectives were distracting the company from its commercial targets. The company is now overhauling its business by getting rid of a number of brands and focusing on the biggest money-makers – this week alone, it was reported that Unilever has put meat-free producer The Vegetarian Butcher up for sale.

    The post Unilever Bets Millions to Develop Zero-Waste Plant-Based Oils for Cleaning Products appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Faircraft: Cultivated Leather Startup Coats Budget with $16M Investment

    cell based leather
    4 Mins Read

    Already working with major luxury brands, French cultivated leather startup Faircraft has raised $15.8M in funding to scale up operations.

    France may be the second largest exporter of leather in Europe, but a company based in its capital is hoping to disrupt the planet-harming industry with a version grown from animal cells.

    Parisian startup Faircraft has closed a $15.8M funding round to expand its team and develop machinery to scale up production of its cultivated leather and meet the growing demand for alternatives to animal hide.

    The company was backed by several investment funds, including Kindred Ventures, Cap Horn, Sake Bosch, Entrepreneur First, Alliance for Impact, Blue Wire Capital, and Herloom, as well as French state-owned bank Bpifrance.

    Faircraft has also released its first handbag, tanned using traditional methods and made by Parisian leather artisans. It is also working with luxury fashion and leather goods brands in the city on further product development.

    How Faircraft makes its cultivated leather

    faircraft leather
    Courtesy: Faircraft

    Faircraft was founded in 2021 by Haïkel Balti and César Valencia Gallardo, with a 20-strong team specialising in applied research and industrialisation. The fresh capital will allow the startup to hire more engineers and biologists, as well as create product development teams.

    The company is leveraging cellular biology to develop low-carbon materials for a broad range of applications. Its cultivated leather is derived from the skin cells of animals, which are made to replicate the structure and composition of conventional leather via cellular agriculture.

    While previously seen as a byproduct of meat and dairy production – prompting advocates to tout its biodegradability and longevity – critics argue that leather is more of a co-product. And in many cases, it is the primary product, and producing it is an energy– and water-intensive process linked to deforestation and biodiversity loss.

    Apart from the animal rights aspect, leather production also has a much higher carbon footprint, at 110kg of CO2e per square metre, compared to synthetic and plant-based alternatives. Faircraft’s cultivated leather, however, generates 90% fewer CO2 emissions and 95% less waste, and requires 80% less water to produce.

    Plus, animal-derived leather releases lots of health-harming chemicals during tanning. Faircraft’s cell-based version relies on master tanners who specialise in luxury leather to perfect the finish of its material, safeguarding the interests of those who make their livelihoods from the industry. The result is a material with “outstanding touch and feel properties, amazing transformability and low environmental footprint”.

    “The luxury market is built on tradition – timeless craftsmanship, unmatched quality, and a commitment to excellence,” said Kanyi Maqubela, managing partner of Kindred Ventures. “Leather has long been the cornerstone of the fashion industry, valued for its timeless appeal and durability – but its production comes with steep environmental costs.”

    “Faircraft’s lab-grown leather is a breakthrough for brands and consumers who refuse to compromise between quality and sustainability, and we’re proud to support them as they scale operations and bring this revolutionary product to market.”

    Cost reductions a major focus

    lab grown leather
    Courtesy: Faircraft

    The startup holds two patents for its tissue engineering tech, and has a standardised process that it says is suited to scalability. And while its costs make the cultivated leather more expensive than its animal counterpart, the company claims it’s on a “clear trajectory” towards achieving price parity.

    “Lab-grown leather represents a major evolution that goes far beyond the fashion industry, and uses cutting-edge technologies to honour ethical considerations,” said Balti. “It enables the creation of unique pieces with minimal environmental impact, while offering new possibilities to leather artisans and designers.”

    Speaking to WWD, he explained: “We managed to reduce the cost of the raw materials we use 500 times compared to medical grade lab-grown skin models, which was the reference when we started, while making sure we produce a material that is highly qualitative for the leather goods segment.

    “We are now accelerating the tech transfer by partnering with French and European companies for some of the steps, and further automating the steps that we are keeping in-house. This will allow us to decrease the operational costs five to 10 times within the next two years, which is what we need to reach price parity.”

    While synthetic leather has been around for a while, most of it contains plastic, which takes up to 500 years to break down and, as an industry, emits more greenhouse gases than the entire aviation sector. Plastic-based leather can also shed toxic microplastics that enter waterways and destroy marine life and the food system.

    This is why cultivated leather is becoming more popular, as it can replicate the look, feel and smell of the original (and tanned using traditional processes), but with none of the detriments of plastic to the environment.

    US startups Modern Meadow and VitroLabs, UK-based Lab-Grown Leather Ltd and 3D Bio-Tissues, and Dutch player Qorium are among the other companies innovating in this category.

    The post Faircraft: Cultivated Leather Startup Coats Budget with $16M Investment appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Vegan Uggs Are A Step Forward for Animal Rights, But Are They Truly Sustainable?

    uggs sustainability

    5 Mins Read

    Uggs has released a long-awaited line of vegan shoes and socks with New York’s Collina Strada but as with many animal-free alternatives to conventional materials, the plastic waste cost remains high.

    After years of calls from consumers and animal welfare activists, Australian sheepskin boot maker Ugg finally introduced a vegan line of its famous shoes last month, though notably, while Collina Strada markets them as vegan, Uggs has mostly resisted using the label.

    In collaboration with Hillary Taymour’s fashion label Collina Strada, the lineup comprises six shoes – from Ruffle Boots to Mini Platforms – as well as thigh-high socks. They’re available in the UK, with the shoes ranging from £180 to £230, and the socks retailing at £45.

    Instead of using animal-derived components like sheepskin and leather, the shoes are made from what the company describes as ‘plant-based ingredients’.

    But while the animal-free footwear is a major win for animal rights – the move was hailed by Peta too – there’s still some way to go in terms of sustainability, particularly when it comes to what plastic waste activists term ‘end of life’.

    Vegan Uggs a positive sign, but not without their own problems

    vegan uggs
    Courtesy: Ugg/Collina Strada

    Ugg touts a range of innovative new materials for its vegan collection. The Ruffle Boots, for example, contain vegan organza, a textile blend of recycled polyester and elastane, sugarcane EVA (a rubber-like polymer), and a synthetic coating made from 52% plant-based materials and recycled microfibre.

    Meanwhile, the Classic Mini Uggs have a Tencel-based faux fur (mixed with recycled polyester), sugarcane EVA, and the same synthetic coating, and the Thigh High socks are 97% polyester (not recycled, according to the brand’s website) and 3% elastane.

    According to the material’s manufacturers, sugarcane-based EVA can be composted, recycled or reused in the same cycle as fossil-based EVA. All that sounds great. The problem? Compost facilities are few and far between in most countries, recycling infrastructure is patchy and most consumers aren’t aware of where to dispose of old shoes (other than a second-hand store). Further, while the sugarcane EVA on its own can theoretically be degraded, once it’s mixed with other materials, as in this case, it becomes pretty much impossible to recycle (or compost).

    Elastane, which is made from polyurethane (a type of fossil-fuel-based plastic), can be key for textile stretchability and durability— it’s what makes your yoga pants stretchy— but comes at a cost for the planet. Making elastane is an energy-intensive, highly polluting production process, and for all its functional attributes, elastane is non-degradable, remaining in the environment for hundreds of years (unless it is burned).

    Then there’s recycled polyester (rPET), a “reuse” upgrade to one of the most commonly used plastic materials globally. It is made by melting existing plastic (usually bottles) and re-spinning it into fibre. From a waste diversion point of view, recycling plastic can be seen as a positive solution. From a circular economy point of view, the reality is more murky. rPET may be recycled, but it’s still plastic. And plastic, which is made from fossil fuels, is full of toxins and sheds microplastics, microplastics, which harm both marine life and human health.

    While we’d all like to believe recycling is the answer to our plastic woes, in actuality, it’s a complex topic. The vast majority of all plastic ever created will never be recycled. Recycling levels max out at just under 10% (that’s right, 10%) globally, and in most countries, recycling just isn’t working. Over 90% of all plastic is either incinerated (a.k.a. burnt, a process that results in air pollution and health problems for those who live around incineration facilities) or (to a much larger extent) landfilled. Further, it’s tough enough to recycle mono-material products made from PET, but since there’s no way to separate materials like sugarcane-based EVA from elastane and the like, multi-material/blended material products like these will end up either in an incinerator or a landfill, neither of which leads us towards a more circular world.

    Uggs efforts are laudable and it’s great to see fashion brands innovating on inputs. But we need to raise the bar and get to a point where both material inputs AND end of life are equally valued when it comes to the design process. Waste, even if it’s ‘better-for-you’ waste or lower-carbon waste, is still waste.

    Finding the balance

    uggs collina strada
    Courtesy: Ugg/Collina Strada

    Ugg isn’t the only brand to come out with a vegan shoe of late, with Adidas, Louis Vuitton, New Balance, Puma and Allbirds all coming out with animal-free products and ranges in recent years. Ugg itself released a Plant Power line in 2021, which had shoes made from what it claimed were carbon-neutral and plant-based materials.

    Such efforts are inarguably important for animal welfare. “Ugg’s new vegan boots are a step in the right direction that will help spare gentle sheep being pinned down and often cut and hit so that humans can steal the wool that belongs to them,” Peta’s executive VP Tracy Reiman said about the Collina Strada range.

    But the animal rights charity also pointed to the horrific welfare standards at Australian wool industry farms to urge Uggs to ditch shearling altogether. These calls don’t always go unheeded – in 2022, Ugg’s parent company Deckers Brands said it would eliminate the use of alpaca wool.

    However, all this raises a conundrum for the aparrel industry and ethically-minded fashionistas: when it comes to vegan products, how do you balance animal rights with the environment? We’re still using plastic – recycled or otherwise – that can end up in landfill, so this solution isn’t a complete win-win.

    A third of all plastic waste ends up in soil or freshwater, disintegrating into microplastics that have already been discovered in the human body – one study estimates that we eat 5g of microplastics per week on average (about the same as eating a credit card’s worth of plastic).

    How the industry deals with the issue is crucial to its – and the planet’s – future. Animal rights and environmental sustainability should go hand-in-hand, and not come at the expense of the other.

    The post Vegan Uggs Are A Step Forward for Animal Rights, But Are They Truly Sustainable? appeared first on Green Queen.

  • Billie Eilish, The Lumineers Embrace Plastic-Free Mycelium Foam Earplugs in Concerts

    billie eilish sustainability
    5 Mins Read

    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 food and fashion innovations, announcing that it would soon launch accessories under its Forager brand.

    Now, it is making good on that promise through a partnership with GOB, a new startup focused on planet-friendly wearables. Based in San Francisco, GOB is marking its brand launch with the debut of its first product, a single-use earplug called DFC-001.

    While single-use isn’t exactly what you’d think of when you think of sustainability, these earplugs are made from Forager’s mycelium foam – and nothing else. This means they can break down in weeks to months, as opposed to the decades to centuries that it takes for conventional, PVC-based foam earplugs.

    As a sign of confidence in its functionality, GOB has closed an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round of $1.2M led by Baukunst, alongside angel investors and creative syndicate Selected Works. It has also landed deals with the likes of pop superstar Billie Eilish and alt-folk band The Lumineers, plus leaders in the hospitality, aviation, and motorsports industries.

    “It’s hugely important that we support and road-test new products, especially when it comes to sustainability,” said Dick Massey, the tour manager of Billie Eilish. The singer has been vocal about the industry’s commitment to fighting climate change, and has set up Eco Villages as part of her efforts at the ongoing Hit Me Hard Hit Me Soft tour.

    “GOB’s earplugs are a great example – they provide excellent hearing protection, and everyone I’ve shown them to loves that they’re 100% biodegradable,” added Massey. “If more people knew about them, they’d use them. It’s a brilliant concept, and I hope it pushes others to think outside the box.”

    Plastic-free earplugs that break down in weeks

    mycelium earplugs
    Courtesy: GOB

    Ecovative uses its AirMycelium technology to grow different strains of mushrooms for a variety of uses, including vegan bacon and animal-free leather. These are produced on an industrial scale in vertical farms in under two weeks, cultivating three million sq ft of material annually on one acre of land.

    This also means the earplugs are produced with a much lower environmental footprint. Foam earplugs are usually made from PVC, a type of plastic derived from petroleum. Plastic production is responsible for 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a share that is set to double by 2060.

    Plastic waste is a major problem in the fight against climate change, given that it takes between 20 and 500 years to decompose. And over 90% of plastic pollution comes from single-use products.

    The GOV earplugs are also single-use for convenience in live events and other loud environments. But unlike PVC foam, mycelium is a “hyper-renewable resource” that breaks down in a matter of weeks. And since they’re 100% mycelium, they can return nutrients to the earth at the end of their use.

    “GOB’s earplugs are USDA Certified Biobased and entirely made from mycelium, a natural material that breaks down as easily as the produce you eat,” GOB told Green Queen.

    “Unlike traditional earplugs, ours fully biodegrade in your home compost, enriching the soil in the process. This regenerative cycle not only prevents waste but actively nourishes the earth, going beyond sustainability to contribute to a healthier environment,” it added.

    The mycelium foam is grown from agricultural waste and requires “significantly less energy and resources” than petroleum-based versions. According to GOB, replacing just six months’ worth of PVC foam earplugs (numbering 20 billion) with the mycelium alternatives ave between 198 million and 418 million pounds of CO2e annually. 

    “Mycelium is exactly what we need to tackle the problem of single-use foams polluting our planet,” said GOB co-founder and CEO Eben Bayer. “GOB’s approach hits the mark – it’s the right product at the right time.”

    The music industry’s efforts to decarbonise

    gob earplugs
    Courtesy: GOB

    Bands and artists have always used earplugs on stage to protect from ear damage amid the loud sounds of a music event. But now, more and more concertgoers are getting in on the act. In the UK, 58% of people who have attended or will attend a gig report experiencing tinnitus or temporary hearing loss after listening to loud music.

    A WHO study from 2020 found that the percentage of concert attendees who used hearing protection increased from 1.3% to 8.2% when earplugs were provided. The mycelium earplugs – which range from $11 for a four-pack to $40 for a month’s supply – are said to offer “superior noise dampening” across every frequency, thanks to the unique cellular structure of the fungi, and this helps protect hearing while preserving sound quality, according to GOB.

    It has launched a Live Loud campaign to encourage use, targeting consumers who frequent concerts, clubs, festivals and other loud experiences, but want to do so in a way that is conscious of the environment.

    “Unlike foam, which can feel rigid and uncomfortable over time, our earplugs mould gently to the shape of your ear, ensuring a more comfortable fit for extended use,” said GOB. “With their breathable, lightweight design, GOB earplugs offer a seamless combination of comfort and performance, making them the better choice for both your ears and the environment.”

    “GOB’s mycelium earplugs are a great example of how innovation can address environmental issues in a way that benefits everyone. They are the most comfortable earplugs I’ve ever used, and they offer a simple, scalable solution to reducing plastic waste,” Brandy Schultz, co-founder of Sound Future, a non-profit championing climate tech to greenify live events.

    Her husband Wesley Schultz, lead singer of The Lumineers, also endorsed the functionality of the mycelium earplugs. “I’m really excited about GOB’s earplugs because they’re comfortable, made from mushrooms, and they’re an easy swap for a product our industry burns through constantly,” he said.

    By partnering with such famed musical acts, GOB is hoping to overhaul a live events industry that has an outsized impact on the planet. Coldplay, for example, famously announced a 12-point plan to halve the carbon footprint of their Music Of The Spheres Tour – their measures managed to curb emissions by 59%.

    And in August, fellow British brand Massive Attack held what it claimed was the lowest-carbon concert of all time – featuring 100% vegan food, an electric-powered stage, and no car park – and called on the music industry to deal with its growing climate footprint.

    The post Billie Eilish, The Lumineers Embrace Plastic-Free Mycelium Foam Earplugs in Concerts appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Billie Eilish, The Lumineers Embrace Plastic-Free Mycelium Foam Earplugs in Concerts

    billie eilish sustainability
    5 Mins Read

    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 food and fashion innovations, announcing that it would soon launch accessories under its Forager brand.

    Now, it is making good on that promise through a partnership with GOB, a new startup focused on planet-friendly wearables. Based in San Francisco, GOB is marking its brand launch with the debut of its first product, a single-use earplug called DFC-001.

    While single-use isn’t exactly what you’d think of when you think of sustainability, these earplugs are made from Forager’s mycelium foam – and nothing else. This means they can break down in weeks to months, as opposed to the decades to centuries that it takes for conventional, PVC-based foam earplugs.

    As a sign of confidence in its functionality, GOB has closed an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round of $1.2M led by Baukunst, alongside angel investors and creative syndicate Selected Works. It has also landed deals with the likes of pop superstar Billie Eilish and alt-folk band The Lumineers, plus leaders in the hospitality, aviation, and motorsports industries.

    “It’s hugely important that we support and road-test new products, especially when it comes to sustainability,” said Dick Massey, the tour manager of Billie Eilish. The singer has been vocal about the industry’s commitment to fighting climate change, and has set up Eco Villages as part of her efforts at the ongoing Hit Me Hard Hit Me Soft tour.

    “GOB’s earplugs are a great example – they provide excellent hearing protection, and everyone I’ve shown them to loves that they’re 100% biodegradable,” added Massey. “If more people knew about them, they’d use them. It’s a brilliant concept, and I hope it pushes others to think outside the box.”

    Plastic-free earplugs that break down in weeks

    mycelium earplugs
    Courtesy: GOB

    Ecovative uses its AirMycelium technology to grow different strains of mushrooms for a variety of uses, including vegan bacon and animal-free leather. These are produced on an industrial scale in vertical farms in under two weeks, cultivating three million sq ft of material annually on one acre of land.

    This also means the earplugs are produced with a much lower environmental footprint. Foam earplugs are usually made from PVC, a type of plastic derived from petroleum. Plastic production is responsible for 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a share that is set to double by 2060.

    Plastic waste is a major problem in the fight against climate change, given that it takes between 20 and 500 years to decompose. And over 90% of plastic pollution comes from single-use products.

    The GOV earplugs are also single-use for convenience in live events and other loud environments. But unlike PVC foam, mycelium is a “hyper-renewable resource” that breaks down in a matter of weeks. And since they’re 100% mycelium, they can return nutrients to the earth at the end of their use.

    “GOB’s earplugs are USDA Certified Biobased and entirely made from mycelium, a natural material that breaks down as easily as the produce you eat,” GOB told Green Queen.

    “Unlike traditional earplugs, ours fully biodegrade in your home compost, enriching the soil in the process. This regenerative cycle not only prevents waste but actively nourishes the earth, going beyond sustainability to contribute to a healthier environment,” it added.

    The mycelium foam is grown from agricultural waste and requires “significantly less energy and resources” than petroleum-based versions. According to GOB, replacing just six months’ worth of PVC foam earplugs (numbering 20 billion) with the mycelium alternatives ave between 198 million and 418 million pounds of CO2e annually. 

    “Mycelium is exactly what we need to tackle the problem of single-use foams polluting our planet,” said GOB co-founder and CEO Eben Bayer. “GOB’s approach hits the mark – it’s the right product at the right time.”

    The music industry’s efforts to decarbonise

    gob earplugs
    Courtesy: GOB

    Bands and artists have always used earplugs on stage to protect from ear damage amid the loud sounds of a music event. But now, more and more concertgoers are getting in on the act. In the UK, 58% of people who have attended or will attend a gig report experiencing tinnitus or temporary hearing loss after listening to loud music.

    A WHO study from 2020 found that the percentage of concert attendees who used hearing protection increased from 1.3% to 8.2% when earplugs were provided. The mycelium earplugs – which range from $11 for a four-pack to $40 for a month’s supply – are said to offer “superior noise dampening” across every frequency, thanks to the unique cellular structure of the fungi, and this helps protect hearing while preserving sound quality, according to GOB.

    It has launched a Live Loud campaign to encourage use, targeting consumers who frequent concerts, clubs, festivals and other loud experiences, but want to do so in a way that is conscious of the environment.

    “Unlike foam, which can feel rigid and uncomfortable over time, our earplugs mould gently to the shape of your ear, ensuring a more comfortable fit for extended use,” said GOB. “With their breathable, lightweight design, GOB earplugs offer a seamless combination of comfort and performance, making them the better choice for both your ears and the environment.”

    “GOB’s mycelium earplugs are a great example of how innovation can address environmental issues in a way that benefits everyone. They are the most comfortable earplugs I’ve ever used, and they offer a simple, scalable solution to reducing plastic waste,” Brandy Schultz, co-founder of Sound Future, a non-profit championing climate tech to greenify live events.

    Her husband Wesley Schultz, lead singer of The Lumineers, also endorsed the functionality of the mycelium earplugs. “I’m really excited about GOB’s earplugs because they’re comfortable, made from mushrooms, and they’re an easy swap for a product our industry burns through constantly,” he said.

    By partnering with such famed musical acts, GOB is hoping to overhaul a live events industry that has an outsized impact on the planet. Coldplay, for example, famously announced a 12-point plan to halve the carbon footprint of their Music Of The Spheres Tour – their measures managed to curb emissions by 59%.

    And in August, fellow British brand Massive Attack held what it claimed was the lowest-carbon concert of all time – featuring 100% vegan food, an electric-powered stage, and no car park – and called on the music industry to deal with its growing climate footprint.

    The post Billie Eilish, The Lumineers Embrace Plastic-Free Mycelium Foam Earplugs in Concerts appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • THG Labs to Use Palm Oil Alternative Made From Waste Bread for Beauty & Personal Care Products

    thg labs palm oil
    4 Mins Read

    British cosmetics manufacturer THG Labs has partnered with Clean Food Group to develop beauty and personal care products with eco-friendly oils made from food waste.

    THG Labs, the product development division of British personal care giant THG, is looking to lower the cosmetics industry’s ecological impact through a partnership with Clean Food Group, a London-based biotech firm making yeast-based alternatives to planet-harming fats like palm oil.

    The two firms will work together to create new raw materials using a “low-impact, high-performance oil” for use in beauty and personal care products, aiming to provide cosmetics producers with more sustainable and effective equivalents to “agriculturally intensive” ingredients.

    The upcycled oil leverages Clean Food Group’s fermentation technology to feed scalable non-GMO yeast strains on waste bread, and turn them into what it says are “bio-equivalent alternatives” to resource-intensive and highly polluting oils.

    “Building on THG Labs’s passion for biotech and commitment to a more sustainable future, we are thrilled to be collaborating with Clean Food Group on a new era of innovation in sustainability,” said Kristal Goodman, head of product innovation at THG Labs.

    Clean Food Group’s ‘robust’ yeast sets it apart

    palm oil alternative
    Courtesy: Clean Food Group

    THG (formerly The Hut Group) is an e-commerce leader with online stores like Lookfantastic, Cult Beauty and Dermstore under its umbrella, as well as brands such as Christophe Robin, Biossance, Eyeko, and Grow Gorgeous. Its products range from beauty and personal care to wellness and nutrition.

    THG Labs is its UK product development centre, whose innovation and R&D teams create white-label products for multinationals, industry giants, and independent labels.

    “We’re constantly challenging ourselves to improve the environmental impact of our products, not only within the manufacturing facility but also in the supply chain of our raw materials,” said Goodman.

    Clean Food Group, meanwhile, has its roots in the University of Bath, whose professor Chris Chuck’s 10-year research effort forms the base of the firm’s proprietary, aided by £7.5M in UK government funding. By employing microbial fermentation and using up food waste, the startup lowers the emissions related to producing CleanOil by as much as 90% compared to terrestrial oil manufacturing.

    “We’ve got a really robust yeast that is capable of growing in low-sterile conditions, so we can retrofit existing fermentation units – we don’t have to go out and build new bioreactors,” Clean Food Group CFO Tom Ellen explains on its website. “This dramatically decreases capex and lead time to scale to market.”

    He adds: “This is a big point of differentiation compared to our competitors who are using less robust yeast, or genetically modified organisms, which means they require pharmaceutical style, purpose-built bioreactors.”

    Now, with the THG partnership, Chuck said the company wants to “bring to market a range of science-led cosmetics and personal care products that put sustainability at their core”.

    Palm oil alternatives gaining ground amid widespread deforestation

    clean food group
    Courtesy: Clean Food Group

    Clean Food Group is currently raising a Series A round to scale up its operations – the company has raised £13M to date, following a €2.5M investment from UK climate investor Clean Growth Fund.

    It is among a number of startups tackling a major contributor to the climate crisis. Palm oil is present in nearly half of all supermarket products, and around 70% of all cosmetics contain at least one palm-derived raw material.

    But it is a significant source of tropical deforestation, which contributes to nearly a fifth of all global emissions. Around 90% of the world’s palm trees are in Indonesia and Malaysia, where these plantations have been directly responsible for widespread wildfires in recent years. The industry is also a threat to wildlife and human rights, particularly Indigenous communities.

    Global production of this oil, however, has increased tenfold since 1980 – and demand is currently growing by 4% every year. This would lead to more forests being felled and burned, a form of mass deforestation that emits greenhouse gases while removing the trees that would sequester them.

    There are a number of startups using fermentation to make more sustainable replacements for palm oil, contributing to an alternative fat market that’s set to grow by 6% annually to reach $4.5B by 2032 These include fellow British firm PALM-ALT, Estonia’s Äio, Dutch startups Time-Travelling Milkman and NoPalm Ingredients, and US players Kiverdi and C16 Biosciences.

    These companies have attracted interest from industry-leading businesses and big-name investors. Clean Food Group has previously received funding from Döhler Ventures, while Unilever has backed San Diego’s Genomatica, whose microbial palm oil alternative is suited for personal, home and cleaning products. And C16 Biosciences counts Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures as an investor – last year, its palm oil alternative was part of a soap bar by Haeckels and Pangaia.

    The post THG Labs to Use Palm Oil Alternative Made From Waste Bread for Beauty & Personal Care Products appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Mycelium Innovator Evocative Raises $28M to Propel MyBacon Growth & Launch Eco-Leather

    ecovative funding
    5 Mins Read

    New York-based Ecovative has secured $28M in a growth equity round to expand its mycelium-based MyBacon product and introduce new sustainable leather materials.

    To advance its food and fashion innovations, US mycelium startup Ecovative has closed a $28M financing round featuring strategic investors and existing shareholders.

    The company behind brands like MyForest Foods, Forager, Mushroom Packaging and Grow.bio, Ecovative has now raised $145M since 2019. It now plans to expand the production and distribution of MyBacon, and introduce an alt-leather material for jackets and accessories under the Forager brand.

    “The capital will be used to expand MyBacon from 600 to thousands of stores through 2025, providing the necessary working capital to support that growth,” Ecovative founder and CEO Eben Bayer told Green Queen. “We’ll also be launching Forager products with our customers, while onboarding new capacity to scale through 2026 and 2027.”

    He outlined the company’s goal to “orchestrate material abundance” by growing performance materials for fashion and developing great-tasting foods with multi-pronged benefits. “This funding propels our mycelium technology forward, driving economic growth in regional communities and internationally,” he said.

    Ecovative to launch Airloom alt-leather hides

    forager ecovative
    Courtesy: Ecovative

    Founded in 2007, Evocative uses a proprietary AirMycelium technology to grow different strains of mushrooms for a variety of use cases. These are produced on an industrial scale in vertical farms, allowing it to grow three million sq ft of material annually on one acre of land.

    “Our scientists carefully guide its geometric growth patterns and our sophisticated platform produces a wide selection of materials using only biological processes,” the company explains on its website.

    The platform has spawned various products, from food and foam to sustainable alternatives to plastic and leather. Ecovative is leveraging the platform in the US to make MyBacon, and in Europe to produce eco-friendly materials for apparel, consumer goods, accessories, and more as part of the Forager lineup.

    It is now transforming Dutch mushroom farms into mycelium production facilities, which are also home to its upcoming AirLoom hides. These are supple leather-like materials that are grown in nine days with half the emissions of conventional leather.

    These hides integrate into existing tannery infrastructure, offering leather tanneries an animal-free option that can help them lower their footprint while continuing to tap into their centuries of craftsmanship experience.

    Evocative now plans to commercialise the AirLoom hides for the 2025 season, and has attracted interest for its materials from brands like PVH (the parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger), Vivobarefoot, Veja, and Reformation.

    “We’re building a new model for abundance in New York that works globally. Our CAPEX-light approach leverages existing infrastructure efficiently, enabling fast growth and global market reach,” said Bayer. “We are delivering scalable biological manufacturing in traditionally hard industries like food and materials in a way that is responsive to the markets we serve and the investors that share our mission and vision.”

    Over the next year, Ecovative is gaining to upgrade more farms with the AirMycelium technology, and it claims that several commercial mushroom farms have expressed their interest in joining its network of partner growers, representing an additional $100M in potential capacity.

    MyBacon gains production boost with new facilities

    mybacon
    Courtesy: Ecovative

    While Forager prepares to roll out the AirLoom alt-leather, MyForest Foods is going from strength to strength. Ecovative cited Spins data showing that it is the fastest-growing plant-based meat brand in the northeast, selling three times as quickly as others.

    The product – which only contains mycelium, coconut oil, sugar, salt, and natural flavours – can be found at over 600 retailers across the two coasts, including Whole Foods Market, Good Eggs, Erewhon, and Berkeley Bowl. It aims to expand into “thousands” of stores next year.

    Ecovative has already used the fresh capital to build a new packaging facility for MyBacon at its Green Island headquarters, which has ramped up production capacity threefold. “That was just in the first month, so that is how we are going to get to be on more store shelves faster,” said Beyer.

    Moreover, a new expanded manufacturing plant in Canada is helping the company scale up further, allowing it to bring an additional 1,000,000 lbs of product online by 2025. “We want to see MyBacon be a big success and that is our North Star at the moment,” he added.

    The latest investment comes amid growing VC interest in fermentation and mycelium. Alternative protein startups saw funding dip by 44% last year, but while plant-based companies have struggled to recover, and cultivated meat startups are on track to secure a similar amount of capital, in the first half of this year, fermentation players have already obtained 90% of the money they did in all of 2023.

    Four of the five largest investment rounds for alternative proteins this year belong to fermentation companies, and two of these deal with mycelium. Meati brought in the largest sum of any company in the space since its own previous fundraise in 2022, raising $100M in a Series C, while Infinite Roots closed a $58M Series B.

    “Investments in mycelium and fermentation are growing because we’re delivering differentiated products with real benefits,” said Bayer. “What sets Ecovative apart is our AirMycelium technology, which is the only platform that connects these innovations with extremely good process economics. This combination allows us to scale efficiently and offer high-performance, sustainable solutions.”

    The company has previously showcased a range of products made from its mycelium, including animal-free chicken, carb-less pasta and snacks, and clam and tuna analogues. “We are excited to bring these and others to the world with the same great clean farm-to-table promise,” he said.

    “Right now, we just can’t keep MyBacon on the shelves, and with thousands of retailers on deck, we think that will hold true through 2025. So sit tight, have a bit of MyBacon, and enjoy

    The post Mycelium Innovator Evocative Raises $28M to Propel MyBacon Growth & Launch Eco-Leather appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Algenie Emerges From Stealth to Turn Algae Into Sustainable Fuels & ‘Carbon-Positive’ Plastic

    algae plastic
    6 Mins Read

    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 cost of production, Algenie is a Sydney-based startup innovating with algae to replace planet-harming fossil fuels.

    Emerging from stealth today, it has obtained A$1.1M ($730,000) in early funding from Better Bite Ventures, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and other investors, aiming to use the capital to build on its initial work of creating “carbon-positive” plastics and biofuels with algae through its next-gen bioreactors.

    “Our helix design and technology is a true breakthrough, paving the way for algae-based solutions to become economically competitive with and ultimately replace traditional fossil-fuel-based products,” says founder and CEO Nick Hazell (who previously founded plant-based meat company v2food).

    The financing will help Algenie “obtain the clear evidence points” it needs to demonstrate its breakthroughs. “This relates to both the bioreactor performance and construction itself, as well as the biotech tools we are developing with UTS to create the optimal strains of algae and cyanobacteria,” he tells Green Queen.

    “We’re not limited to just plastics,” reveals Hazell. “Algae can be used to create everything from food and feed to biofuels and even building materials. The versatility of algae is a result of our ability to engineer different strains to produce specific chemicals and compounds, similar to how yeast is used in various industries.”

    Now, Algenie is looking to establish strategic partnerships with clients, and is targeting a “more substantial fundraising round” in the coming months, according to Hazell.

    How Algenie’s game-changing bioreactor works

    algenie algae
    Courtesy: Algenie

    While the sustainability potential of algae is well-known – it absorbs carbon to grow rapidly, and captures more of the gas than any other ingredient or material. Some companies have been making plant proteins from seaweed, others have come out with DHA and EPA supplements, and a few are developing bio-based resins.

    Algal cooking oil is also on the market now. But this industry has also witnessed a swathe of closures – from vegan seafood producer New Wave Foods and alt-milk maker Update Foods to biofuel company GreenFuel Technologies – a withdrawal of R&D funding, and shifts away from businesses’ initial focus.

    This is because, largely speaking, this micro-plant has been too expensive to produce and difficult to scale up with conventional technology. So how does Algenie manage to overcome this hurdle?

    The secret is in the bioreactor system. “The Algenie helical photobioreactor is based around thin-layer algae production, which maximises growth per litre per day,” says Hazell.

    “LEDs and sophisticated light management ensure that every microalga gets the photons it needs when it needs them for optimal growth. We also optimise CO2, nutrition, and other variables to maximise the output to levels that are orders of magnitude more than existing systems,” he adds.

    Algenie innovates with microalgae and cyanobacteria strains in collaboration with UTS, which works with algae from various collections, including CSIRO’s collection in Tasmania. “We select and optimise each strain according to the product we want to make for the customer we are partnering with. UTS biotech tools enable fast strain selection and optimisation for hundreds of potential applications,” Hazell explains.

    Once it identifies a product with a customer, Algenie digs into its database of strains that can deliver the required chemistry, and selects a mutant with high levels of the desired output. “These elite strains are then optimised for high productivity using multiple parallel experiments orchestrated by an AI algorithm,” he says.

    “Depending on the use case, the algae will be harvested by the customer and converted into the products that are needed. Our focus is on the lowest-cost biomass and chemistry production, but we will integrate our system into the customer’s downstream processing as needed. Of course, this will be different for a biofuel, a plastic, a protein, or a pigment.”

    Enabling highly efficient algae production and low costs

    algae biofuels
    Courtesy: Toby Zerna

    Algenie’s patented bioreactor design allows some algae species to double every two to three hours under ideal conditions. This is enough to produce 100 tonnes per year in the size of a shipping container – the equivalent of manufacturing 2.5 million soft drink bottles. At 10,000 tonnes per year in a hectare-sized field, the startup claims this yield is 3,000 times more efficient than conventional soy or corn crops.

    “We use sophisticated sensors and algorithms to optimise the growth of the algae, which is continuously harvested and allows for a 24/7 production system that, in principle, need never stop. Algae systems have run for more than a year continuously, and this is one of the secrets behind our low-cost model,” says Hazell.

    Roughly 70cm in width, the helix winds can produce a tonne of algae annually per unit. The design has the potential to bring production costs down by a factor of ten, totalling just $1 per kg of algae.

    “Our ability to keep costs so low is a result of a combination of innovative design, efficient manufacturing, and strategic partnerships. Our unique helical photobioreactor design maximises productivity per square metre, while our low-cost manufacturing process can deliver high-output bioreactors at a fraction of current capital costs,” explains Hazell.

    “Additionally, our advanced AI and automation systems ensure optimal growth conditions, minimising waste and maximising efficiency. These factors allow us to produce algae biomass at a cost that is competitive with traditional fossil fuels, making algae-derived products a more economically viable option.

    “With capital costs lowered considerably, the cost of biomass becomes a function of the cost of renewable energy, which is falling rapidly, especially if we work together with major energy suppliers.”

    More work needed to match fossil fuel polymers

    algenie
    Courtesy: Toby Zerna

    Despite the many botched attempts, the algae biofuel market is expected to surpass $15B in value by the end of the decade. The global appetite for bioplastics, meanwhile, could cross $35B by that time. The algae market may be a fraction of the two above, but all these trajectories show that Algenie is in a space that isn’t going anywhere.

    Simon Newstead, founding partner at Better Bite Ventures, feels Algenie has “the potential to reinvent algae production” while sequestering carbon at gigaton scales: “We got to know Nick through the APAC food tech ecosystem and believe his visionary leadership and deep technical expertise are perfect for this grand challenge.”

    Fossil fuels are the main cause of greenhouse gas emissions, and plastics made from them are responsible for 3.4% of global emissions, a contribution higher than the entire aviation industry.

    While Algenie hasn’t conducted a life-cycle assessment yet, preliminary work suggests that the dominant factor in emissions would be the conversion of carbon dioxide to biomass. This is “in the range of 2kg of CO2 to 1kg biomass, i.e., carbon-positive”, says Hazell. “The carbon footprint of the bioreactors themselves will be minor compared to the carbon-positive output of the algae produced,” he adds.

    Plastic may take up to 500 years to decompose, but it’s popular because it’s useful. How does Algenie’s alternative compare in terms of durability and quality? “While there has been research into PHA and other bioplastics spanning many decades, there is more to be done to match every application currently met by fossil-fuel-derived polymers,” says Hazell.

    “But if the cost structure and environmental impact are favourable, we believe that the industry will be incentivised to drive this. Biofuel research is also quite advanced through decades of research elsewhere, and the problem we are solving is cost and scalability,” he adds.

    With applications spanning not just fuels and plastics, but also textiles and fish feed, Algenie is also planning to licence its technology and collaborate with partners to co-invest in large-scale production infrastructure.

    The post Algenie Emerges From Stealth to Turn Algae Into Sustainable Fuels & ‘Carbon-Positive’ Plastic appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Lab-Grown Cotton Startup Galy Closes $33M Series B Round Led by Bill Gates

    galy funding
    4 Mins Read

    Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures has led a $33M Series B investment for US startup Galy, which makes lab-grown cotton.

    Boston-based Galy has secured $33M in an oversubscribed Series B investment round led by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, accelerating the startup’s mission to essentially eliminate cotton’s water consumption by growing it in labs.

    The fundraise also included two of the world’s largest fast-fashion brands, H&M Group and Inditex (the parent company of Zara, Bershka, Stradivarius and more), alongside Indorama Ventures, Endeavor Scale-up Ventures, and Unreasonable.

    John Doerr’s family office Eighty Eight Group, Material Impact, Artesian, Brinc and Reaction Global were all returning investors. The sum takes the total raised by Galy to over $65M.

    The startup aims to use the capital to advance its cellular agriculture platform and its flagship lab-grown cotton, a sustainable material progressing towards pre-industrial quality and scale.

    “Galy has developed a promising technology to reduce the impact of cotton production on water, chemicals and soil use. Taking this equity interest marks a significant step in our commitment to advancing towards an innovative and more responsible textile industry,” said Inditex CEO Óscar García Maceiras.

    Why the cotton industry needs an overhaul

    galy cotton
    Courtesy: Galy

    Founded in 2019 by CEO Luciano Bueno and CSO Paula Elbl, Galy is aiming to disrupt a $42B industry, but one mired in environmental troubles and with a striking human rights record.

    Cotton cultivation accounts for 2.5% of the world’s arable land, and 16% of all pesticide use every year. In fact, the industry is responsible for 22% of global agrochemical use, and emits 220 million tonnes of CO2e annually – that’s a bigger climate footprint than Argentina or the UAE.

    But more concerning is its water consumption. The amount of water required to make a single cotton T-shirt could sustain a human being for two-and-a-half years. This basically translates to 250 billion tonnes of water being used to grow cotton every year. (Some industry groups say these figures need some more nuance.)

    Industrial agriculture is making things worse. For example, H&M and Inditex – both investors in Galy – have been linked to cotton farms in Brazil that are accused of illegal deforestation, land grabbing, violent conflicts and corruption.

    It’s probably why García Maceiras said: “By investing in cutting-edge technologies for producing next-generation fibres, we are not only moving towards our goal of exclusively using materials with a lower environmental impact, but also actively shaping the transformation of the industry through strategic capital investments.”

    Galy takes cotton cells and cultivates them in bioreactors by feeding them sugar. Once they’ve proliferated to the required volumes, it selectively activates and deactivates genes in the cells, transforming them into cotton fibre.

    The process is 10 times faster and 500 times more productive than traditional cotton farming, while using 99% less water, taking up 97% less land, and emitting 77% less CO2. By growing cotton this way, it aims to safeguard the material from the detrimental impacts of climate change.

    Industry cottons on to Galy’s lab-grown potential

    galy lab grown co
    Courtesy: Galy

    “Climate change exposes the fragility of agricultural supply chains, and the recent rise in cocoa prices is a stark reminder of the new normal we face,” said Galy CEO Bueno. He told Bloomberg that the company also wants to make cell-based cocoa and coffee.

    “Unfortunately, it’s not a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’,” he added.” Soon, the world will face increased volatility in conventional agriculture as extreme weather conditions become more frequent. When that time comes, Galy will be ready, better equipping our economy to withstand these shocks.”

    Carmichael Roberts, Breakthrough Energy Ventures’ business lead, echoed this sentiment. “Agriculture is arguably the industry sector most impacted by climate change, while also being a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions itself,” he said. “We need alternatives that can complement traditional agriculture without contributing to emissions or creating an overreliance on unstable supply chains.”

    Roberts continued: “Galy’s cellular agriculture technology provides a solution to these challenges, while enhancing resource efficiency and building climate resiliency for the sector.”

    In addition to the participants in the Series B round, the startup’s previous investors include Hydrazine Capital (from OpenAI founder Sam Altman), Tony Fadell’s Build Collective, Tim Draper’s Ventures Lab, Fashion for Good, Apollo Projects, and Agronomics, among others.

    Armed with backing from VC heavyweights, Galy will now hope to scale up from its current capacity, which is in the kgs. But it has already secured millions of dollars in proof-of-concept agreements with industry leaders, as well as a $50M offtake agreement with health and pharma giant Suzuran Medical, which will run for 10 years.

    “Galy’s lab-grown cotton is on the verge of a breakthrough and could reduce reliance on virgin cotton if successful,” said Martin Ekenbark, Circular Innovation Lab lead at H&M Group, which granted €300,000 to Galy as part of its 2020 H&M Global Change Award.

    “About 60% of the material we source for our products is cotton and we have high ambitions that all our materials come from recycled or other sustainable sources by 2030,” he added. “So partnering with Galy makes perfect sense.”

    The post Lab-Grown Cotton Startup Galy Closes $33M Series B Round Led by Bill Gates appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Cadillac Releases Sollei Concept EV with Interiors Featuring MycoWorks’ Mycelium Biomaterials

    mycoworks fine mycelium

    3 Mins Read

    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 the two combine for a better on-road future?

    In Cadillac Sollei, an all-electric convertible concept from General Motors, several parts of the interior feature mycelium-based materials from Californian startup MycoWorks (which GM’s venture arm invested in two years ago).

    The charging mats on the luxury four-seater’s console and the door map pockets contain biomaterials jointly developed by MycoWorks and Cadillac using the former’s Fine Mycelium tech. Intended as a sustainable alternative to leather that provides superior strength and offers weight reduction improvements, they will also be used for custom accessories, such as cardholders.

    cadillac sollei
    Courtesy: General Motors

    Cadillac concept showcases future mycelium applications

    MycoWorks is one of a number of companies working with mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms. It has raised $187M to date, including a $125M Series C round in 2022.

    The company has already produced vegan leather for bags, shoes, clothing and furniture using its flagship biomaterial Reishi for a number of big brands, including Hermès and Ligne Roset.

    But the Fine Mycelium material used in the Cadillac concept EV is different from Reishi. “The automotive-grade material is grown, re-tanned, and finished differently, rendering a distinct material from MycoWorks’ flagship biomaterial, Reishi. The material is still under development and the specific properties are proprietary information,” MycoWorks CEO Matt Scullin told AgFunderNews.

    Its mycelium is grown via solid-state fermentation using feedstocks like recycled sawdust, limestone and wheat bran. These are then inoculated with fungi strains to form sheets of foamy mycelium, which can be harvested and treated at tanneries like animal hide.

    Fine Mycelium involves a proprietary process that engineers mycelium cells during their growth to form interlocking cellular structures for enhanced strength, durability, and performance. The cells are grown in trays under precise conditions, with each sheet having a unique code that can allow MycoWorks to monitor and fine-tune the material to deliver customised specifications for designers.

    The premium biomaterial features an “iridescent finish” in a soft hue colour palette inside Sollei. Since the Cadillac EV is a concept, it doesn’t represent a revenue stream for MycoWorks, but “showcases potential future applications for the new material developed using MycoWorks’ Fine Mycelium technology”, Scullin said.

    cadillac mycelium
    Courtesy: General Motors

    The environmental perils of leather production

    Sollei is Cadillac’s first concept EV to incorporate the mycelium material, which “reflects Cadillac’s mission to pioneer renewable automotive resources”.

    Conventional leather is derived from animal hide, and has previously been thought of as a byproduct of the meat and dairy industries. But critics argue it is more a co-product than a byproduct – and in many cases, it’s the primary product.

    Producing leather is an energy– and water-intensive process linked to deforestation and biodiversity loss, and generates lots of hazardous chemicals during tanning, which are a detriment to human health. It also has a much higher carbon footprint, at 110kg of CO2e per square metre, compared to synthetic and plant-based alternatives.

    But synthetic leather contains plastic, which takes between 20 to 500 years to break down and decompose. Plastic production is responsible for 3.4% of global emissions, and its contribution is set to double by 2060. Plastic-based leather additionally also sheds toxic microplastics that can enter waterways – thus destroying aquatic life, and our food system.

    This is why MycoWorks uses mycelium. Leather production can generate as much as 110kg of CO2e per sq m, but in comparison, materials with Reishi emit just 2.76-5.8kg of CO2e for the same amount of material. This is key for automotive consumers now, with global research suggesting that reduced carbon footprint is among the sustainability priorities for drivers now.

    This is the second instance of a car using leather sourced from mushrooms. In 2022, Mercedes-Benz used mushroom and cactus leather, bamboo fibres, as well as biofabricated silk, in the Vision EQXX concept EV.

    The post Cadillac Releases Sollei Concept EV with Interiors Featuring MycoWorks’ Mycelium Biomaterials appeared first on Green Queen.

  • L’Oréal to Use Fermentation-Derived Ingredients in Beauty & Personal Care Range

    4 Mins Read

    L’Oréal has entered a multi-year partnership with biotech startup Debut to develop fermentation-based ingredients for its products, as part of its sustainability goals.

    The world’s largest cosmetics brand is turning to fermentation to meet its climate targets.

    French beauty giant L’Oréal has expanded its partnership with Californian biotech leader Debut to develop over a dozen bio-identical ingredients via advanced fermentation.

    The goal is to replace the conventionally sourced ingredients currently used in L’Oréal’s global beauty and personal care brands across the skin, hair, colour cosmetics, and fragrance verticals, such as Maybelline, Garnier, Kiehl’s and NYX Cosmetics.

    The collaboration is the first joint announcement by the two companies since L’Oréal led Debut’s $40M Series B investment round through its VC arm Bold a year ago.

    Debut will leverage fermentation to replace L’Oréal ingredients

    debut biotech
    Courtesy: Billy Economou/BE Studios, Ariba Alvi/Debut

    Debut will create new bio-based ingredients using proprietary advanced biomanufacturing processes that combine fermentation and cell-free technology to replace conventional production methods.

    “We are partnering with L’Oréal to create the exact same ingredients that are used in amazing products worldwide, but the same way pretty much that you brew beer,” Debut founder and CEO Joshua Britton told WWD.

    “Instead of those cells floating around a beer tank that kick out alcohol or wine or beer or sake, we go in and use our biologists to say: ‘No, now you’re going to create this ingredient,’ and that ingredient is one of many that L’Oréal uses in their formulations. But instead of it being made through petroleum or cultivation, now it could be made through this biological approach, which is far more sustainable,” he added.

    Debut claims its biotech processes can unlock “a new generation of cosmetic bioactive ingredients” and enable not just enhanced sustainability credentials, but also supply chain transparency, safety, purity, consistency, quality, and science-backed data.

    It will take about two to three years before these novel ingredients will begin replacing incumbent ones in L’Oréal products. Guive Balooch, global managing director of Augmented Beauty and Open Innovation at L’Oréal Groupe, noted that the adoption of breakthrough technology would allow the company “to drive the creation of more sustainable and effective products that meet the demands of our consumers and fulfils our duty of care for the planet”.

    Partnership to aid L’Oréal’s climate goals

    loreal sustainability
    Courtesy: L’Oréal

    The global beauty and personal care industry is currently valued at $646B, but it has a major impact on climate change, thanks to the widespread use of plastic, packaging waste, and deforestation-linked sourcing. Raw materials alone account for about 30-50% of the sector’s emissions, according to the Carbon Trust.

    As the largest company in the space, with over $44B in sales last year, L’Oréal has a responsibility to lead the sector’s decarbonisation. The company has committed to cutting scope 1 and 2 emissions in half and reducing emissions from consumer use by 25% by 2030 (from a 2016 baseline).

    And despite production volume increasing by 12% since 2019, it has reduced emissions from its operated sites by 74%, thanks to its commitment to using 100% renewable energy by next year. It is also the only company to have received an A score for eight consecutive years on all three rankings by the Carbon Disclosure Project: fighting climate change, sustainable water management, and forest preservation.

    Additionally, by 2030, the cosmetics behemoth aims to have fully eco-designed formulas that respect aquatic ecosystems, with 95% of its ingredients derived from renewable plant-based resources or abundant minerals.

    “We’ve now started this journey of working with the best people outside through our open innovation teams to be able to find a way to reach our commitments,” Balooch told WWD. “We have this knowledge of beauty, science, skin, hair and makeup, and we want to work with partners in the biotech industry like Debut that are allowing us to scale it. They have the innovation and they have the scale, and they do it in a way where they’re using new processes that are cell-free and innovative.”

    L’Oréal’s partnership with Debut will appeal to the 46% of consumers buying more sustainably to reduce their environmental impact, as evidenced by a 20,000-person global survey earlier this year. It found that 80% are happy to pay more for them for more climate-friendly products, with an average price premium of 9.7%.

    One place where the company does leave a little to be desired is animal testing. While L’Oréal gave up the practice three decades ago, it does allow third parties to do so in markets where animal testing is required by law. But this is critical to many consumers, with one survey suggesting that cruelty-free is the second-most important purchase driver for beauty products.

    The post L’Oréal to Use Fermentation-Derived Ingredients in Beauty & Personal Care Range appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Uncaged Innovations Bags $5.6M for Plastic-Free Leather Made From Grain-Based Protein

    uncaged innovations
    4 Mins Read

    US startup Uncaged Innovations has raised $5.6M in seed funding to commercialise its grain-based, plastic-free leather alternative.

    Uncaged Innovations, which makes vegan leather from grains, has closed a $5.6M seed investment round led by Green Circle Foodtech Ventures and Fall Line Capital, with Ponderosa Ventures, Golden Seeds, and InMotion Ventures (the VC arm of Jaguar Land Rover) also participating. The latter was also part of the biomaterials startup’s $2M pre-seed round in June 2023.

    While the previous capital injection was earmarked for scaling up operations to produce millions of metres of its alt-leather annually, the latest round will help it build out its manufacturing team and bolster its market launch plans.

    “What Uncaged Innovations has achieved with its grain-based technology is a significant breakthrough in an industry that has long awaited a breakout innovation,” said Green Circle Capital founder and managing director Stu Strumwasser.

    “The opportunity is enormous, and we believe that their ability to provide a high-quality material that is scaled and price competitive is a game-changer,” he added.

    Using plant collagen to make truly sustainable leather

    vegan leather
    Courtesy: Uncaged Innovations

    Founded in 2020 by CEO Stephanie Downs and Xiaokun Wang, the New York-based startup claims to be the first to have developed leather made from grains.

    It does so by deploying its tech platform, BioFuze, with roll-to-roll manufacturing techniques. Uncaged Innovations blends plant-based collagen with other biomaterials to build a fibral network that replicates the texture and performance of animal-derived leather.

    “When we started our research, we analysed what makes leather, and we learned that the real magic of it is that collagen can behave in specific ways that give the leather the structure it has,” Downs told Business Insider. “So we decided to look at the plant kingdom – and use plant proteins from grains.”

    Conventional leather is derived from animal hide, and has previously been thought of as a byproduct of the meat and dairy industries. Supporters of the industry tout its biodegradability and longevity as supposed sustainability credentials, but critics argue it is more a co-product than a byproduct – and in many cases, it’s the primary product.

    Producing leather is an energy– and water-intensive process linked to deforestation and biodiversity loss. Aside from the animal exploitation aspect, it also has a much higher carbon footprint, at 110kg of CO2e per square metre, compared to synthetic and plant-based alternatives.

    But synthetic leather has its own problems. It contains plastic a notoriously planet-harming material that takes between 20 to 500 years to break down and decompose. Plastic production is responsible for 3.4% of global emissions, and its contribution is set to double by 2060. Plastic-based leather can also shed toxic microplastics that can enter waterways – thus destroying aquatic life, and our food system.

    Uncaged Innovations’ version is plastic-free and fully biodegradable (thanks to a corn-based coating). And an independent life-cycle assessment has shown that its grain-derived leather emits 95% fewer greenhouse gases, requires 93% less water, and consumes 72% less energy than conventional leather.

    Uncaged Innovations working with luxury brands

    grain leather
    Courtesy: Uncaged Innovations

    The company makes leather alternatives primarily for the fashion, consumer goods and automotive industries. “We’re an ingredient in their designs, and we work with a lot of the largest fashion houses and many well-known brands,” Downs told Business Insider.

    She revealed that Uncaged Innovations is currently developing prototypes for Jaguar Land Rover and is in talks with several luxury brands, with plans to reveal its first collaborations “in a couple of months”.

    The grain leather’s flexibility will attract manufacturers: it can be formulated to different durability levels to suit a wide range of applications, and can be dyed during production, forgoing the need for tanning, which generates lots of hazardous chemicals that are a detriment to human health.

    “While others have attempted to replicate leather using various inputs, we felt the use of structural proteins to mimic collagen was transformational,” said Fall Line Capital founder and managing director Eric O’Brien.

    “We understand the margin pressure farmers face growing commodity grains, and we are constantly on the lookout for ways to help them capture more value from their production,” he added. “By diversifying and applying greater value to agricultural streams, we can strengthen our farm systems and provide consumers with more sustainable goods.”

    And consumers do want more sustainable goods. A 20,000-person global survey this year revealed that 85% of people are experiencing disruptive climate change effects, and 46% are buying more sustainable products to reduce their personal impact. In fact, 80% are happy to pay more for them for greener products, with an average price premium of 9.7%.

    “The tide has turned aggressively toward materials that are sustainable, and we plan to capture that momentum,” said Downs. “This funding round brings Uncaged another step closer to achieving our ultimate goal of disrupting every industry that relies on leather.”

    The post Uncaged Innovations Bags $5.6M for Plastic-Free Leather Made From Grain-Based Protein appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • This Biodiversity-Positive Sunscreen Nourishes Coral Reefs While Protecting Your Skin

    reef safe sunscreen
    4 Mins Read

    Skincare brand Stream2Sea and scientists from the University of Derby have developed a sunscreen that feeds and nourishes coral reefs.

    Sunscreen has become a political issue. From “anti-SPF conspiracy theorists” denouncing their efficacy to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez vouching for better regulatory standards to increase access, these cosmetic products are a hot topic.

    One of the major points of discussion is the toxicity of sunscreens, thanks to the presence of certain chemicals. For example, oxybenzone is a UV filter that absorbs UVB radiation and is present in around 80% of all sunscreen products. Some have suggested that it can disrupt the hormone system in humans, while there’s also strong evidence that the compound turns into sunlight-activated toxins in the sea, killing coral reefs.

    It’s why governments are banning sunscreen with certain chemicals. Hawaii, the US Virgin Islands and Key West, Florida have all done so recently. This has also given birth to the reef-safe sunscreen industry, with products based on mineral formulations and free from coral-harming chemicals.

    But now, one product is hoping to take the reef-friendly efforts further, developing a product that doesn’t just protect them, but also actively supports their health and growth.

    Reef Relief bids adieu to chemicals

    is sunscreen bad for you
    Courtesy: McCann Demand

    Developed by Florida-based skincare label Stream2Sea, scientists from the University of Derby in the UK, and global ad agency McCann, Reef Relief is a sunscreen range that feeds and nourishes coral reefs while protecting human skin.

    An estimated 14,000 tonnes of sunscreen enter the waterways every year, with significant amounts accumulating in areas with heavy tourism. And even in small doses, the makers of Reef Relief suggest that the chemicals here have a lethal effect on coral reefs, which are crucial for a quarter of all marine life and beneficial to over a billion people as a source of food, medicine, coastal protection and income.

    This makes corals one of the planet’s most important ecosystems, with a global value of $2.7T per year. “However, if we continue harming the world’s reefs and do not make any substantial changes to our carbon footprint and other stressors associated with reef decline, 90% of these important ecosystems could be functionally extinct by 2030,” warns Michael Sweet, molecular ecology professor at the University of Derby and coordinating author for the UN World Ocean Assessment.

    Reef Relief comprises a bespoke formula with an eco-certification-compliant base, removing all the harmful chemicals found in sunscreens, including oxybenzone, benzophenone and octinoxate. Plus, it also contains an FDA-approved blend of marine nutrients that corals naturally feed on.

    “This is game-changing. A simple, important and powerful idea and exactly what the world needs more of – original thinking leading to a product and initiative that could genuinely benefit the planet,” says Jon Elsom, group executive creative director of McCann Central.

    The sunscreen has been two years in the making, and was soft-launched in 2023. Sweet and his team were brought in to undertake further testing, with six months of coral tests proving that the product can boost coral growth by as much as 8% in some species.

    A new certification system for sunscreens

    reef relief sunscreen
    Courtesy: McCann Demand

    The sunscreen is introduced in a new ad created by McCann. “When I first heard about Reef Relief, I got really excited about how something could be changed from the negative to a positive,” Sweet says in the video. “The world needs more concepts and products like Reef Relief.”

    The commercial has been shortlisted in the Product Innovation category for the Cannes Lions Innovation awards, which “celebrate ground-breaking innovation, technology and problem-solving ideas that turn imagination into impactful reality”.

    Extending the impactfulness of the innovation, the makers of Reef Relief have also introduced an entirely new certification marque for sunscreens. While you may be familiar with SPF, they want you to also look out for RPF, or Reef Protection Factor.

    This is because there’s a lot of misinformation surrounding reef-friendly sunscreens, thanks to a lack of regulation on terms like ‘reef-safe’ on product packaging. As the Sustainable Tourism Association of Hawaii points out, this effectively makes these labels “simply a marketing term”.

    But RPF is a scientifically validated certification, and the aim is to make it an industry standard, having all sunscreens carry it on their packaging eventually. With 79% of consumers having doubts about eco claims on beauty products, and nine in 10 factoring in sustainability and ethics when purchasing them, such certifications could help them detect greenwashing and make more informed decisions.

    Stream2Sea and McCann are now engaging in talks with governments and tourism bodies to launch their nature-based solution to the sunscreen problem in their territories.

    The post This Biodiversity-Positive Sunscreen Nourishes Coral Reefs While Protecting Your Skin appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Insempra Raises $20M Series A Round to Expand Precision-Fermented Lipid Production

    insempra
    3 Mins Read

    German biotech startup Insempra has closed a $20M Series A funding round to expand the production of its yeast-fermented lipids for food and cosmetics.

    Led by EQT Ventures, the Series A round builds on Insempra’s 2021 seed funding to bring its total raised to over $35M. Other participants included returning investors BlueYard Capital, Possible Ventures, Taavet Sten and Acequia Capital, and new investors such as Henkel dx Ventures, Bayern Kapital and Alante Capital.

    The German startup plans to use the capital to scale up its technology, scouting, development and manufacturing capabilities, with the goal of turning oil yeast into lipids on an industrial scale using precision fermentation.

    “New technology platforms such as Insempra’s have the potential to dramatically change the manufacturing processes of multiple multibillion-dollar industries, developing customised ingredients to fit market needs,” said Ted Persson partner at EQT Ventures.

    Bio-based alternatives to petrochemicals

    precision fermentation lipids
    Courtesy: Insempra

    Founded in 2020 by Andreas Heyl and Jens Klein, Insempra leverages new technologies to make bio-based alternatives to problematic ingredients and products for multiple applications and industries. many companies currently rely on oils and materials sourced from petrochemicals, which have a harmful effect on the planet and deplete our already limited natural resources.

    With heavy environmental impacts, growing consumer demand and a rise in regulatory restrictions, the ingredient world is changing, and sectors like beauty, personal care, food, nutrition and fashion are under pressure to switch to sustainable alternatives. Insemora suggests its advanced tech platform results in superior natural ingredients produced on an industrial scale to help manufacturers make the shift.

    The company is growing lipids for food and cosmetic applications, while also developing technology to offer a bio-based alternative to everyday materials like polymers and textiles. It is also producing fibres for the fashion industry via Salina, its London-based spinoff with Imperial College, and plans to create new natural molecules for use in functional ingredient applications like antioxidants, preservatives, flavours and fragrances.

    “Insempra has both the team and the technology to drive a revolution in industrial manufacturing and gain rapid market traction for its products,” said Persson.

    Using oil yeasts to produce lipids

    insempra lipids
    Courtesy: Insempra

    Lipids are compounds that come in the form of fats and oils that are ever-present in beauty, fashion and food product formulations. But currently, they mostly come from petrochemicals. “Lipids typically are either extracted from nature – you harvest the plant – or you can produce them petrochemical,” Klein, who is Insempra’s CEO, told TechCrunch.

    Some startups are coming up with new processes to produce lipids from organic, bio-based materials. “We use so-called oil yeast,” said Klein. “And these oil yeasts are put under certain conditions in our steel vessels under certain metabolic situations. Then they produce lipid oils, which we can extract later on, and which we can sell into the cosmetics and into the food industry.”

    There are a host of companies producing lipids from sustainable ingredients. In the food industry itself, Australia’s Nourish Ingredients and California’s Yali Bio also use precision fermentation to produce fats and lipids, while Germany’s Planet A Foods (maker of cocoa-free chocolate ChoViva) is focusing on plant-based lipids. Swiss startup Cultivated Biosciences, meanwhile, similarly leverages yeast fermentation to produce lipids as part of its alternative dairy fat.

    But Klein – a former CEO of a vegan silk polymer company – believes Insempra’s chief competitors are specialty ingredient companies, particularly the petrochemical industry. “I don’t know any other company with an approach like ours,” he said.

    Last year, the company announced the successful testing of second-generation feedstocks to commercially manufacture fermentation-based products alongside plant-based materials specialist Fibers365. And in March, it was part of a consortium of companies that won €2.1M in a Eurostars grant.

    “Working in collaboration with nature, we will continue to expand our capacity to develop intrinsically sustainable materials that are superior in quality and will reduce our dependence on chemical industrialisation processes,” said Klein.

    The post Insempra Raises $20M Series A Round to Expand Precision-Fermented Lipid Production appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Hellmann’s Hops Into Shoe Space with New Sneakers Made from Food Waste

    hellmann's food waste
    4 Mins Read

    Unilever-owned mayonnaise brand Hellmann’s Canada has partnered with Italian sustainable fashion label ID.Eight to launch a limited-edition collection of sneakers made from food waste.

    Mushrooms, corn, apples and grapes – these may be part of your next meal, but they also might be in your next shoe. That’s the idea behind the new sneakers unveiled by Hellmann’s in partnership with ID.Eight, which are part of the mayonnaise giant’s ongoing food waste awareness campaign.

    The 1352: Refreshed Sneakers take their name from a disturbing statistic – it’s a reference to the amount of money ($1,352) Canadian households spend on food that goes to waste each year. The campaign is meant to highlight the impact of food waste in Canada, and promote conscious consumption amid the cost-of-living crisis.

    “With 1352: Refreshed Sneakers we’ve created a visual representation of Canadians’ food waste, aimed at sparking conversation and challenging consumers to take small steps to reducing that $1,352 amount of food that’s wasted each year,” said Hellmann’s Canada senior brand manager Harsh Pant.

    New sneakers part of Hellmann’s food waste campaign

    With their yellow, white and blue hues, the new running shoes are reminiscent of Hellmann’s mayonnaise bottles. They were designed by ID.Eight, a Florentine brand known for making vegan, eco-friendly sneakers using food waste from produce like apples, corn and grapes. The sneakers are made up of materials derived from each of these ingredients, alongside waste from mycelium and sugarcane.

    “Hellmann’s commitment to using local ingredients and their mission of reducing food waste complements ID.Eight’s commitment to using sustainable and quality materials, making them a natural partner for us,” said ID.Eight co-founder and brand manager Giuliana Borzillo.

    One study suggests that 58% of all food is wasted or lost in Canada, but 32% of it could be redirected to support its communities – nearly seven million Canadians (over a sixth of its population) suffer from food insecurity. This also translates to 56.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, and nearly $50B in economic losses.

    Tackling food waste should be an environmental and social priority, as pointed out by the UNEP. “Hellmann’s has a longstanding history of taking the necessary steps to address, raise awareness, and reduce food waste,” said Pant. The 1352: Refreshed Sneakers as part of its Make Taste, Not Waste campaign, which was launched in 2018 to fight this issue.

    This has involved the four-week-long Fridge Night challenge, dedicated Super Bowl ads for the last four years, a partnership with Ogilvy for use-what-you’ve-got recipes, a Smart Jar that revealed hidden messages when placed in fridges at 5°C or lower, and a Meal Reveal tool to provide recipe ideas from what people have in their fridges.

    Canadians can enter a draw to win a pair of the limited-edition sneakers, and each entry will see Hellmann’s donate the equivalent of 10 meals to food waste charity Second Harvest. An accompanying website page hosts leftover recipes using the ingredients found in the shoes. The brand has also committed to providing a C$25,000 ($18,300) donation, which it says would provide enough healthy food for 75,000 meals in Canada.

    hellmann's food waste sneakers
    Courtesy: Hellmann’s

    Unilever walks back on climate pledges

    While Hellmann’s has certainly made some strides in raising food awareness around food waste and sustainability, its parent company, Unilever, has been in the crosshairs of environmentalists lately.

    Long seen as an environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) leader, the CPG giant last week announced that it was abandoning or watering down some of its climate and social goals, in the wake of increased pressure from shareholders to focus on financials first.

    Unilever has a net-zero commitment for 2039, with its scope 3 emissions the main area needing attention (they make up 98% of its footprint). A month ago, it had announced its target to reduce absolute scope 3 emissions, cutting energy and industrial emissions by 42%, and forest, land and agriculture by 30% come 2030 (from a 2021 baseline).

    However, CEO Hein Schumacher told Bloomberg that the company has now updated some of its ESG goals. This included delaying a goal to make 100% of its plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable, changing its target to halve virgin plastic use by 2025 to reduce it by only one-third by 2026, lowering its goal to source 100% of its key crops sustainably to 95%, and slashing its promise to protect 1.5 million hectares of land and oceans to a million hectares instead.

    Unilever’s commitment to pay all direct suppliers a living wage by 2030 now just covers half of the suppliers making up its procurement spending by 2026. The business has also dropped several pledges, including a commitment to spend €2B per year on diverse businesses globally, having 5% of its workforce be comprised of people with disabilities by 2025, and making all its ingredients biodegradable by the end of the decade.

    And while Hellmann’s is asking people to waste less food, Unilever itself has abandoned its goal of cutting food waste in its operations by 50% by 2025.

    Similarly, Unilever’s intention to roll out carbon labels on the packaging of all 75,000 of its products by 2026 seems to be at a standstill. “It is possible that some of our brands may wish to communicate product carbon footprints in the future, and for this having accurate data is essential,” a company representative told Green Queen last week.

    “We also know information must be provided in context to be meaningful to consumers,” they added, outlining that the business was “committed to improving transparency of GHG emissions” in its value chain. “Our collection of more accurate data will help Unilever to make more informed procurement decisions as we work towards our climate targets.”

    The post Hellmann’s Hops Into Shoe Space with New Sneakers Made from Food Waste appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • After Ditching Leather, Apple Nixes Vegan FineWoven Alternative Too – It’s A Big Miss

    finewoven
    5 Mins Read

    Apple has stopped production of FineWoven, its eco-friendly alternative to leather for iPhone and Apple Watch cases after complaints about its performance and durability.

    “Goodbye Leather.” This was Apple’s message in a short new ad released last week. The tech giant was promoting its move to ditch the material from its entire product line.

    But there was one glaring omission. The ad made no mention of FineWoven, Apple’s first innovation designed to replace leather. You’d think a commercial about scrapping leather would promote an alternative material the company was actively selling.

    That’s the thing, though: it doesn’t feel like it’ll be selling it much longer, with the Cupertino-based firm reportedly halting production of FineWoven cases for its phones, watches and accessories, after months of incriminating reviews from dissatisfied customers.

    Cardboard-like material with ‘insulting’ price

    The tech leader had announced the FineWoven cases at its September event (headlined by the iPhone 15 launch), as part of its efforts to become carbon-neutral by 2030. “Leather is a popular material for accessories, but it has a significant carbon footprint, especially at Apple scale,” Lisa Jackson, Apple’s VP of environment, policy and social initiatives, said at the virtual event. “To reduce our impact, we will no longer use leather in any new Apple products, including watchbands.”

    FineWoven was described as a microtwill fabric with a suede-like texture and “significantly lower emissions” than leather. It was made from 68% post-consumer recycled content, though it isn’t clear how much of that was bio-based, and if there’s any plastic involved.

    The move was signposted Apple’s strategy for the post-leather landscape, with the company hoping to meet its climate goals alongside some financial gains. But on Sunday, Twitter/X user and known Apple leaker Kosutami posted an update on the new eco-friendly material. “FineWoven is gone. Since its durability were bad [sic],” they wrote.

    “All the production line was stopped and removed. Apple would move to another material – again, not the leather,” they continued.

    For context, Kosutami had unveiled Apple’s plans to introduce the woven fabric on new Apple Watch bands weeks before they were announced, while they also leaked the first images of FineWoven accessories ahead of the event. Given the account’s previous credibility on this topic, it’s thought that this news is accurate as well.

    And for many, it does not come as a surprise. Right from the get-go, the FineWoven cases were panned for their seemingly poor quality. Many questioned the premium price point (they cost $59 for iPhone cases and $99 for Apple Watch bands) for a product that felt much more run-of-the-mill than leather.

    One customer compared it to cardboard and another likened it to “a polyester pillowcase sandwiched in a plastic shell”, calling the $59 price “insulting”. FineWoven products reportedly have high return rates, with complaints over dust retention, permanent scratches, the slippery texture, and a general lack of durability.

    Apple’s FineWoven represents a missed opportunity

    One of the most damning indictments came from The Verge writer and tech reviewer Allison Johnson, who labelled the FineWoven cases “really bad”. “Apple did a decent thing by discontinuing the leather cases, but FineWoven is just not the premium replacement we were looking for,” she wrote, describing how she was seeing signs of wear and bits of lint on newly unboxed cases.

    “And then there’s the fingernail test,” she continued. “If I’m putting one of these cases on my phone, I’m inevitably going to scratch it on accident with a jagged fingernail edge, or it’s going to come into contact with my car keys. And when you scratch FineWoven, the results are seemingly permanent.”

    The review criticised the high markup of the product, which has turned out to be the camel that broke the straw’s back. Studies show that consumers are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products – especially Gen Z, nearly half of whom would shell out more for something greener. That’s great for Apple, considering its hold on this demographic (87% of American Gen Zers have an iPhone).

    apple fine woven case
    Courtesy: Allison Johnson/Threads

    But if a sustainable product doesn’t give people the same feel and satisfaction they’re used to, it’s not going to work. People already think eco-friendly products cost too much, and traditionally, they can be perceived as inferior, whether that’s in terms of quality or appearance. As ideas go, FineWoven was a fine one, but the execution has been a sizeable (and loud) misstep, which won’t bode well for how the alternative leather industry is perceived.

    Producing leather, which is derived from animal hide, takes up a lot of energy and water, is linked to deforestation and biodiversity loss, and produces health-harming chemicals during tanning. It also has a much higher carbon footprint at 110kg of CO2e per sq m, compared to synthetic and plant-based alternatives.

    So any efforts to remove leather from the consumer cycle are a good thing for the planet. But they need to satisfy people with their quality, especially if they carry a premium markup. While Apple’s FineWoven stock runs out (if the rumours are indeed true), it’ll be interesting to see where it goes next. Is there a new, better FineWoven 2.0? Will the company partner with one of the many market-proven startups making vegan leather? Or is this all just a ruse and FineWoven is – in Apple’s opinion – just fine?

    And what of its collaboration with Hermès, which was to make four new Apple Watch bands with climate-friendly materials? A lot of questions remain, but we’re likely to be kept in the dark until September, when the company refreshes its lineup with iPhone 16 and the Apple Watch Series 10.

    The post After Ditching Leather, Apple Nixes Vegan FineWoven Alternative Too – It’s A Big Miss appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Saveggy Raises €1.76M for Plastic-Free Edible Cucumber Packaging

    saveggy
    4 Mins Read

    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 was led by Unconventional Ventures, with additional participation from LRF Ventures, Almi Invest GreenTech, and angel investors.

    With the twin goal of reducing plastic pollution and food waste, Saveggy will use the funds to produce its edible plant-based coating for fruits and vegetables at an industrial scale. Its first product is called SaveCucumber, which features a thin, invisible layer made from oats and rapeseed oil.

    “We believe that freshness, the health of our planet, and the well-being of people should always remain uncompromised,” said co-founder and CEO Arash Fayyazi. “With this financing round, we will launch at industrial scale our first product.”

    The pedigree of Fayyazi and his co-founder Vahid Sohrabpour (who is the chief innovation officer) was a major attraction for its lead investor, with Unconventional Ventures general partner Thea Messel saying: “Our investment in Saveggy was driven by the impressive credentials and substantial expertise of its founders. Their innovative technology tackles the significant challenges our food systems face.”

    Killing two birds with one coat

    saveggy cucumber
    Courtesy: Saveggy

    Fayyazi and Sohrabpour launched Saveggy in 2020, describing it as a modular, customisable protection technology that can meet the requirements of different fruits and vegetables. According to the UN FAO, 45% of the world’s fruits and vegetables end up going to waste. Globally, we bin a billion household meals every single day, despite 780 million people (just under 10% of the population) facing hunger.

    According to the UNEP, food waste contributes to 8-10% of global emissions. Making significant reductions in the amount of food we throw away is crucial to achieving climate and sustainable development goals relating to global heating, food security and biodiversity protection.

    Meanwhile, plastic pollution – which relies on petroleum-based products – contributes to 3% of all greenhouse gas emissions (which is higher than the emissions impact of the aviation industry). Single-use plastics like those used in food packaging are devastating to the planet, especially marine life and aquatic systems, which end up back in our food system and present health threats to humans as well.

    Plastic packaging is a massive problem for the food industry’s emissions (which account for a third of all emissions). In the US, for example, 63% of all municipal solid waste generated in 2014 comprised packaging materials for food and other purposes – only 35% was recycled or composted. But plastics offer a few key advantages for companies: they’re cheap to produce, they prevent water loss, they keep bacteria out, and they prolong the shelf life of produce.

    Clearly, though, better solutions are needed. Saveggy’s offering isn’t a like-for-like substitute for plastic – it’s an altogether packaging-free alternative. It will benefit fruits or vegetables that have edible peels, adding a thin layer of its zero-additive plant-based coating that preserves freshness and shelf life.

    Cucumbers, for example, which are 95% water and where moisture retention is crucial for freshness – after all, nobody likes a limp, shrivelled cucumber. Saveggy’s SaveCucumber innovation acts as a protective shield, preserves the water content, and slows down oxidation, extending the shelf life of an uncoated, unpackaged cucumber by three to four times.

    Impressing legislators and investors alike

    fruit and vegetable packaging
    Courtesy: Saveggy

    “We are excited and proud to support the team at Saveggy and their innovation in reducing food waste, advancing sustainable agriculture, and proactively complying with upcoming plastic waste regulations,” said LRF Ventures investment director Martin Alexandersson.

    In March, the EU agreed to ban single-use plastics for fresh fruit and vegetable packaging (among other applications), in response to the rise in packaging waste in the region. This means all packaging in the bloc must be recyclable by the end of the decade, and starting next year, recyclable packaging will need to be recycled at scale – in 2020, only 38% of plastic packaging waste in the EU ended up being recycled.

    Such regulations will raise the stock of startups like Saveggy, which claims to be the only plastic package alternative offering the same shelf life extension, and the only company to be given the all-clear from the EU for edible fruit and produce coatings. And the bloc has recognised its potential too, with the European Research Agency and the European Commission providing it with a €440,000 grant under the Eurostars programme last year.

    For its SaveCucumber product, cucumbers are harvested, washed and dried, before being coated with the invisible layer. The company is also working on similar coatings for other produce like bananas, bell peppers and aubergines. Its investors will now look to leverage their supply chain networks to extend Saveggy’s presence to more distributors.

    “We were particularly impressed by the founders’ perseverance, having refined their formula multiple times to meet the highest standards,” said Messel. “This unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainability aligns perfectly with our mission as impact investors and made our decision to partner with them clear.”

    Saveggy is testing its products with partners, and will enter a market populated by the likes of industry leader Apeel (US), Sufresca (Israel), PolyNatural’s Shel-Life (Chile) and Liquidseal (Netherlands), all of which are making plant-based coatings for fruits and vegetables. Boston-based Foodberry (formerly Incredible Foods), meanwhile, is reverse-engineering fruit skins to make edible packaging for snacks.

    The post Saveggy Raises €1.76M for Plastic-Free Edible Cucumber Packaging appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Japan’s Spiber Raises $65M to Scale Up Production of Eco Materials Made from Fermented ‘Brewed Protein’

    north face spiber jacket
    4 Mins Read

    Japanese eco materials startup Spiber has secured ¥10B ($65M) in funding to accelerate mass production of its fermentation-derived Brewed Protein for use in the fashion, automotive and personal care industries.

    In what is a major capital investment for the Yamagata-based startup, Spiber has closed a ¥10B ($65M) investment round to further expand production of its climate-friendly Brewed Protein materials, taking its total funding to $489M.

    The financing included participation from existing shareholders, and will be used to accelerate the mass production of its fermentation-derived fibres, resins, films and other materials, and facilitate its global expansion. It will also seek to strengthen its production system and R&D platform to meet an expected growth in demand and more diversifying needs.

    “We are grateful for the continued support and confidence from our investors, financial institutions, and partner companies who deeply understand the value of our technology platform, development materials, and business prospects,” said Spiber co-founder and CEO Kazuhide Sekiyama. “Despite the challenging fundraising environment for startups amidst the global economic landscape, we have been able to sustain our growth thanks to their recognition and expectation.”

    Using microbial fermentation to produce future-friendly materials

    spiber brewed protein
    Courtesy: Spiber

    Fiber was founded in 2007 by Sekiyama, Hideya Mizutani and Junichi Sugahara, and uses microbial fermentation to turn produce into eco-friendly materials for fashion, automotive and personal care products.

    The company leverages synthetic biology and material science to make its Brewed Protein materials, which can act as alternatives to animal-based, plant-based, as well as synthetic materials for multiple applications, including textiles, which is Spiber’s current primary focus.

    To make the Brewed Proteins, the startup uses agricultural waste as feedstock, which helps advance its mission of achieving a circular economy. This can be turned into fermented polymers that can substitute cashmere, fur, wool, leather and silk, plus fossil-fuel-derived, plastic-based synthetic fabrics.

    The Brewed Protein platform is completely bio-based, biodegradable, and cruelty-free. It means the company requires much fewer resources to produce its materials, and has a much lower climate footprint as a result. For example, its Brewed Protein fibres can emit up to 75% fewer GHG emissions than cashmere, while using 94% less water and taking up 86% less land. Similarly, it needs 86% less land than merino wool too, and 97% less water.

    In 2018, it began constructing a commercial-scale facility in Thailand (which is now operational), and is currently building another in Iowa in the US. “We remain committed to the establishment and enhancement of the biotechnological foundations essential for realizing a circular society, as well as fulfilling our responsibility for social implementation as a frontrunner in this sector,’ said Sekiyama.

    A host of brand collaborations underline Spiber’s success

    spiber toyota
    Courtesy: Spiber

    The company’s materials have been refined through 17 years of research, which it says are meticulously designed at the DNA level. Their potential has been recognised by investors – as can be evidenced by the sums it has raised – and industry players alike. Its engaged in joint projects with various apparel brands and has had 15 companies launch products using its materials.

    These include Pangaia, The North Face, Yonetomi Seni, Goldwin, Nanamica, Cavia and Woolrich in the fashion industry, Shiseido Japan in the cosmetics space, and Toyota in the automotive world (which launched a concept vehicle using its Brewed Protein fibres last year). And as part of its circular economy initiative, the startup has rolled out a biosphere circulation project that promotes biodegradable textile waste as a new material, working alongside partners like Kering, Eileen Fisher, Johnstons of Elgin, and DyStar.

    Spiber has also benefited from labelling conventions, with the International Organization for Standardization revising the definition of “protein fibre” in 2021 to include not just naturally-derived proteins, but also those produced synthetically, alongside setting the minimum protein content required for such fibres at 80%. This made it the first time synthetic structural protein materials have been recognised internationally as a new material category.

    And earlier this month, the company unveiled a new denim fabric made in collaboration with fellow Japanese manufacturer Ueyama Textile, which uses 35% Brewed Protein fibres and 65% organic cotton. It represents an upgrade from its current denim made with 5% Brewed Protein and 95% cotton from denim giant Nihon Mempu.

    The post Japan’s Spiber Raises $65M to Scale Up Production of Eco Materials Made from Fermented ‘Brewed Protein’ appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Kelpon: German Female Founding Duo Raises 7-Figure Seed for World’s First Seaweed Tampon with Self-Created Financial Instrument

    vyld
    4 Mins Read

    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 raised funding worth seven figures using a novel financing model, helping its mission to disrupt the feminine care industry. The company will use the investment to launch Kelpon, the world’s first tampon made from seaweed, and accelerate the development of its period diaper.

    The investment is a combination of German government and EU funds, and angel and VC capital, leveraging a self-developed sustainable financing instrument, the Future Profit Partnership Agreement (FPPA). Created by co-founder Ines Schiller, the model blends the advantages of equity and debt capital, and aligns with Vyld’s vision of steward ownership and self-sustenance.

    The startup will use the funds to launch to market what it claims is the world’s first tampon made from seaweed, while continuing to develop its incontinence pads. It’s part of a long-term vision of creating an Algaeverse of healthy, sustainable and circular products tapping seaweed’s potential to develop a regenerative economy and promote ocean conservation, which helps Vyld contribute to 12 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

    seaweed tampons
    Courtesy: Vyld

    Built on a unique regenerative financing model

    Crafted by Schiller, a former film producer, Vyld’s mezzanine financial instrument ensures the company remains independent, allowing profits to be reinvested, used to cover capital costs, or funnelled into philanthropic purposes – all the while enabling an appropriate return for investors. Instead of having an exit-based model like traditional VC startups, Vyld focuses on longer-term sustainability.

    Steward ownership has two core principles. The first is self-governance, which means the voting rights of the company always remain with active employees, rather than external investors. The second is a profit-for-purpose approach, which means its profits can’t be privatised. So instead of being redistributed to shareholders, they’re reinvested in the company’s mission. It means that Vyld as a business owns itself.

    Under the FPPA, the startup offers profit shares instead of a conventional equity round. Once the returns are achieved, the agreement ends. This means new investments can be secured outside of the typical equity round cycle, giving the company financial independence. This model appeals to investors who are interested in regenerative financing and are critics of maximalist financial principles.

    “Tackling questions of ownership, power and financing is crucial to me as an entrepreneur. Business models create realities and extractive models do not only threaten the environment and health, but also reproduce exploitative standards and anti-democratic tendencies,” explained Schiller. “We want to counter this with a model that promotes creation instead of consumption, quality instead of quantity and triple top line instead of hypergrowth.”

    Kai Viehof, one of Vyld’s investors, added: “Vyld shows that neither shareholder-value-driven venture capital nor unbridled growth is needed to successfully implement sustainable ideas that really make a difference for our planet and our society. However, change can only become possible on a broad scale if investors also rethink and provide the necessary capital fairly and with reasonable return expectations.”

    As part of the company’s knowledge-sharing commitment, it is making this financial model available as an open-source case study to encourage other businesses to adopt a similar regenerative approach.

    vyld tampon
    Courtesy: Vyld

    Vyld will release seaweed tampons this year, with diapers in development

    Vyld was founded by Schiller and Melanie Schichan in 2021, with the long-term target of creating an entire ecosystem of non-food seaweed products under the Algaeverse, which entails both B2B and B2C offerings. The aim is to transform a menstrual health sector that produces high amounts of waste.

    The startup claims that 90% of all period products employed are single-use, and plastic makes up a big chunk of their composition. Plastic comprises 90% of the content in disposable period pads, which is the equivalent of four plastic bags. It means these are not biodegradable and can take up to 600 years to decompose.

    The seaweed Vyld uses in its menstrual products, though, biodegrades on land and in water, requires no fertilisers to grow, and doesn’t need to be bleached (unlike conventional tampons). Plus, it sequesters huge amounts of carbon and nitrogen while growing, offers anti-inflammatory benefits during use, and can also be applied across a range of materials, from tampon cores to external packaging.

    The startup’s initial products are the Kelpon (a tampon) and Dyper (a diaper). The former was part of a successful trial with over 100 consumers late last year and is now being prepared for market launch. The latter is in pilot phase, part of a Windelwald (‘diaper forest’) project in partnership with German sanitary solutions company Goldeimer.

    An algae-based compostable diaper without plastic or superabsorbent polymers, the Dyper is being trialled in 50 households both for everyday use and its potential as a humus fertiliser. The used diapers are composted under controlled conditions, and the fertilisers help plant a forest – hence the name ‘diaper forest’.

    It’s an exercise in regeneration, marrying the ethos of the financial model with its product offering. It puts Vyld in pole position to disrupt a $30B market with sustainability and ethics at the heart of things.

    The post Kelpon: German Female Founding Duo Raises 7-Figure Seed for World’s First Seaweed Tampon with Self-Created Financial Instrument appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.