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Category: Alt Materials

  • Is This the World’s First Compostable, Plastic-Free Sportswear Range?

    community clothing
    4 Mins Read

    Exercise can be more sustainable now, thanks to Community Clothing’s new Organic Athletic sportswear line, which is free from plastics and can decompose in your garden in as little as a week.

    Community Clothing, the sustainable clothing brand and social enterprise by Scottish fashion designer Patrick Grant, has launched a plastic-free and compostable sportswear line, inspired by clothing materials from the 70s.

    Called Organic Athletic, the 13-strong range eschews the typical use of non-biodegradable, oil-based synthetic plastic materials – chiefly polyester, nylon, polyurethane and elastane – in sports clothing, and opts for plant-based textile technology instead.

    70s materials inspire new sportswear range

    biodegradable sportswear
    Courtesy: Community Clothing

    “Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile wearing cotton shorts, a cotton vest and leather shoes. And I played rugby as a kid wearing clothes made from all natural materials,” Grant told the Financial Times. “None of us thought we were wearing rubbish stuff at the time.”

    His childhood inspired him to explore “if it was possible to make good sportswear out of the materials we used until the late 1970s”. The new collection is a result of five years of R&D, comprising shorts, sweatshirts, T-shirts and running vests.

    Made from woven or knitted certified organic cotton, as well as natural Austrian woven rubber for the shorts, Grant sourced organic athletic wear from this period on eBay. Finding most of them in Germany, he reverse-engineered each piece to assess its yarn count and durability. He explained that the toughest part was to replace elastic use.

    “Elastics are made from elastane, which is synthetic and oil-based,” he said. But it’s a key tool for durability, given cotton threads are susceptible to breakages. “We had to beef up the diameter of the thread.” The resulting collection – for both men and women – is fatter in appearance, but carries a retro look akin to vintage college varsity kits, and is suitable for a variety of sports and training activities.

    Sportswear’s plastic problem

    plastic free sportswear
    Courtesy: Community Clothing

    Plastics and synthetic fibres like elastane (made from polyurethane), nylon, polyester and acrylic have been used in sportswear for decades for stretchability and breathability, quick-drying and waterproofing capabilities, and thermal protection. While some brands have turned to recycled fibres for eco-friendlier clothing, they still shed microplastics into the oceans and soil.

    These are harmful in more ways than one. Scientists suggest that 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, 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). In fact, there are 14 million tonnes of microplastics on the ocean floor and 24 trillion pieces of microplastic on the ocean surface.

    But there is an awareness issue here. A 2023 survey by global sail racing league SailGP – covering 1,500 people in the UK, US and Switzerland – found that 54% of respondents were unaware of potential toxins hiding in synthetic technical sportswear. Having said that, 72% said they’d prefer plastic-free sportswear if available. It’s these attitudes that prompted plastic-free fashion label Mover to debut a six-piece capsule collection in collaboration with SailGP, made predominantly from organic cotton, merino wool and water-based printing methods.

    And while UK-based Stripe & Stare offers a TENCEL Modal-based shirt that it claims is 100% biodegradable, it contains 5% elastane. It makes the Community Clothing Organic Athletic one of the only (if not the only) sportswear ranges that are both plastic-free and compostable. Once they reach the end of life, these clothes can be shredded and added to your compost heap – within a short time, ranging from a week to five months depending on your soil, they will fully decompose and leave no remains.

    “Community Clothing Organic Athletic represents the most radical change in sportswear in two generations,” Grant said in a statement. “Moving away from oil-based sports clothes to 100% natural and biodegradable means now you can exercise and play sport and not harm the planet in the process.”

    The post Is This the World’s First Compostable, Plastic-Free Sportswear Range? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Notpla: Earthshot Prize Winner’s Seaweed Packaging Named ‘First and Only’ Plastic-Free Material Under EU Regulation

    notpla plastic
    4 Mins Read

    Earthshot Prize-winning British startup Notpla’s seaweed-based packaging has become the ‘first and only’ material recognised as plastic-free by a European Union country, following a nine-month verification process under the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) by the Dutch government.

    In July of this year, the Netherlands imposed a plastic tax on disposable plastic food containers, which mandates customers to pay 25 cents for food packaging for takeout and delivery purposes. The move was aimed at encouraging consumers to reduce their consumption.

    It was part of the Netherlands’ strict drive against the single-use plastic industry, whose self-regulated and unsubstantiated claims were unsatisfactory. According to Notpla, the EU defines plastic as a material containing polymers that are chemically modified and/or synthetically polymerised, with the SUPD cracking down on these harmful materials with country-specific laws to prevent single-use plastics, require mandatory labelling, or implement taxes on the use of these materials – as the Dutch government has done in alignment with the Bloc’s regulation.

    The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) – the Netherlands’ environmental body – tested thousands of material solutions and classified them as plastic, including those claiming to be plastic-free, like aqueous dispersion coating (which contains microplastics).

    But Notpla, which makes biobased seaweed-based packaging, has now become the first material to be recognised as truly plastic-free, following a nine-month process by the ILT. The result was independently investigated by global sustainability firm Eunomia Research & Consulting.

    notpla food boxes
    Courtesy: Notpla Impact Report 2022

    Shaping up a more sustainable foodservice sector

    The British startup uses natural extracts found in seaweed and doesn’t make any chemical modifications, which enables it to leverage the natural polymers to provide the grease and moisture resistance needed by food boxes to perform their function, and crucially, to bypass fossil-fuel-derived polymers.

    The startup says that conventional containers and bioplastic alternatives can contain petrol-based coatings that “stick around forever” or release harmful toxins, its seaweed- and plant-coated solution can be recycled with existing paper streams or composted at home, “just like a fruit peel”.

    Speaking about the milestone recognition from the Dutch government, Notpla co-founder Pierre-Yves Paslier said: “This sets Notpla apart and aligns perfectly with our mission to reduce society’s dependence on plastic. We look forward to helping Dutch restaurant owners meet their plastic reduction goals.”

    Notpla, which was one of the winners of the Prince William-led Earthshot Prize in 2022, says its plastic-free food containers can prevent 15 million single-use plastic packaging units from being produced in the Netherlands (the company claims its solutions have diverted 3.5 million pieces of single-use plastic from entering the environment across all its markets). Companies using Notpla packaging would no longer need to charge consumers for the plastic tax, making it a win-win for both consumers and businesses alike.

    The seaweed packaging will also help the catering industry reach its plastic reduction goals and ensure single-use items can still be used – for businesses that can’t implement reuse schemes due to hygiene or other factors, this is still a plastic-free solution.

    plastic-free packaging
    Courtesy: Notpla

    A distribution partnership and other plastic-free applications

    The startup, which has raised over £10M in funding, has entered a strategic partnership with Dutch manufacturer Conpax to produce and distribute plastic-free food packaging throughout Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Foodservice operators and other businesses will be able to buy Notpla’s food packaging starting in January, helping them achieve and promote their eco goals.

    Conpax director Roy Suiskens said the collaboration will ensure the widespread availability of the seaweed-coated foldable cartons in the Benelux region. “From our own facilities in the Netherlands, we will design, manufacture and supply new sustainable single-use products made from Notpla-coated board and distribute this to the Benelux market who are calling out for this exact solution,” he explained.

    Apart from its food packaging solution – which has been previously trialled by food delivery service Just Eat in the UK – Notpla has a host of plastic-free solutions for various applications. Its first flagship was Ooho, an edible packaging solution for on-the-go hydration during sporting events.

    Its current product portfolio also includes a laundry sachet, ocean paper, and food oil pipettes, while it has developed prototypes or is working on energy gel pods, spice and bath oil sachets, lube and sunscreen pipettes, toothpaste and skincare pearls, as well as rigid cosmetics and product shells and cutlery.

    Other companies working on plastic-free materials meant to replace plastic packaging include US-based Sway, London-based Flexsea and

    The post Notpla: Earthshot Prize Winner’s Seaweed Packaging Named ‘First and Only’ Plastic-Free Material Under EU Regulation appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Goodbye, Leather: Apple Ditches Luxury Material for Eco-Friendly Woven Fabric Alternative

    apple leather

    4 Mins Read

    In its annual September event, Apple announced it’s ending the use of leather from all its products – including Apple Watch bands and iPhone cases – to meet its 2030 carbon neutrality target. While it remains tight-lipped on what its new FineWoven material is made out of, it says the eco-friendly micro-twill fabric contains 68% post-consumer recycled content.

    For a company that’s always been known as a trailblazer, this move might have massive implications for the industry’s use of what’s always been seen as a premium material. Apple, whose corporate operations became carbon-neutral in 2020, has pledged to make its entire supply chain and product range carbon-neutral by 2030. Nixing leather is a giant step towards that goal.

    Leather, which is derived from animal hide, has previously been touted as a byproduct of the meat and dairy industries – and its defenders cite its biodegradability and longevity as reasons for its supposed eco-friendliness. But critics argue is more a co-product than a byproduct, and in many cases, it’s the primary product.

    Leather production is an energy– and water-intensive process linked to deforestation and biodiversity loss, and produces 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. Not to mention, it has a huge role in animal exploitation.

    Swapping leather for a new woven fabric

    “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.”

    Rumours were rife about this move in recent days, especially after all Hermès-branded leather bands for the Apple Watch were removed from the website prior to the event. The tech giant is replacing leather with its new FineWoven, which is said to have a suede-like texture and “significantly lower emissions” compared to leather. It has also collaborated with Hermès (which has previously partnered with a mycelium leather startup) on four new bands made with environmentally friendly materials.

    And while the new FineWoven fabric is made from 68% post-consumer recycled content, it isn’t clear how much of that is bio-based. If there is plastic involved, that’s not much of a better sign for the environment. Plastic is a notoriously unsustainable product, taking a tremendously long time to break down and decompose.

    Plastic production is also responsible for 3.4% all global greenhouse gas emissions, and its contribution is set to double by 2060. Additionally, plastic-based synthetic leather can shed toxic microplastics that can enter waterways – thus destroying aquatic life – and our food system.

    So while waving goodbye to leather is great for the environment and animals, more transparency about the replacement materials would help the climate case for Apple, whose stock fell by 7% last week amid reports of an iPhone ban on China’s government officials (the country makes up 19% of Apple’s revenue, but less than 1% of its citizens work in the government).

    Apple’s first carbon-neutral product

    apple watch carbon neutral
    Courtesy: Apple

    At the iPhone 15 launch event, Apple also unveiled its new Apple Watch lineup, which includes its first-ever carbon-neutral products. This is another step towards its 2030 climate goal, which is centred around slashing its carbon emissions by 75% from a 2015 baseline.

    “For Apple Watch Series 9, we challenged ourselves to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their three biggest sources: materials, electricity and transportation,” Jackson explained. “Maximising recycled and renewable materials in our products is key to Apple 2030, because they have a lower carbon impact than virgin materials.”

    Apple’s new watch cases use 100% recycled aluminium, plus recycled gold, tin, copper, tungsten, cobalt and more. Its watch production operations now use 100% clean energy. To counter the energy emitted from charging the watches, Apple will match users’ expected electricity use by investing in global renewable projects.

    As for transportation, the new Apple Watch packaging will be fully fibre-based and more compact, which can ship 25% more watches per trip. And Apple will employ low-carbon shipping modes – like shipping freights – even more for these products. The company claims that these combined efforts have led to a 78% decrease in carbon footprint, and the remaining amount is offset by “high-quality” credits from projects actively removing carbon from the atmosphere.

    “At Apple, we have a longstanding and proven commitment to leading the fight against climate change. Our focus on renewable energy and low-carbon design has already driven industry-leading emissions reductions, and we’re not slowing down,” Jackson said in a statement. “We’ve achieved an important milestone in making the world’s most popular watch carbon neutral — and we will keep innovating to meet the urgency of the moment.”

    The post Goodbye, Leather: Apple Ditches Luxury Material for Eco-Friendly Woven Fabric Alternative appeared first on Green Queen.

  • How Ethical and Environmental Concerns Led to The Boom in Lab-Grown Diamonds

    vrai diamonds
    6 Mins Read

    A more ethical and usually eco-friendly alternative to their mined counterparts, lab-grown diamonds have been making a lot of waves lately. But how are they made, just how climate-friendly are they, and are consumers buying them?

    The hardest naturally occurring substance on earth, diamonds represent a $90 billion industry. But new concerns about diamond supply shortage and subsequent price increases have added to existing ones about their human rights, crime and climate-related issues.

    All this has led to the lab-grown diamond boom. Research by industry analyst Paul Ziminsky shows that lab-grown diamond jewellery sales reached nearly $12B last year, growing by 38% year-on-year. In 2023, the industry has already surpassed that, with revenue amounting to $14.6B globally.

    The problem with naturally mined diamonds

    vegan diamond
    Courtesy: GRID-Arendal/CC

    The diamond industry’s ethical problems have been widely covered. Terms like “blood diamonds” (you may recall the DiCaprio film on the subject) are synonymous with the sector, given the widespread use of child labour, accusations of hazardous working conditions, as well as extremely low wages, and criminal activity.

    While the industry has introduced certification schemes that have largely banished unethical trading, diamonds’ environmental issues remain. And that’s due to the traditional way of obtaining natural diamonds: mining. Diamonds are usually mined through open-pit, underground or marine methods.

    According to the Diamond Council of America, 250 tonnes of earth is shifted per carat of mined diamond. This requires a massive amount of fossil-fuel-derived energy, which releases carbon and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. For each polished carat of mined diamonds, 160kg of greenhouse gases are released, according to S&P Global.

    Beyond the energy requirements, diamond mining harms local ecosystems via soil erosion and water pollution. Further, shifting thousands of tonnes of rock and earth can reroute rivers and dams, leaving disastrous impacts on fish and wildlife; in come cases, it can even cause natural ecosystems to collapse entirely.

    How lab-grown diamonds are made

    skydiamond
    Courtesy: Skydiamond

    Lab-grown diamonds aren’t a new phenomenon. Scientists have been trying to create synthetic diamonds ever since they discovered that diamonds consist of pure carbon back in 1797. The first proven lab-grown diamonds are attributed to multinational conglomerate GE, which created a prototype in 1951 that was deemed too small for gem use.

    But it paved the way for GE to create the first gem-quality lab-grown diamond in 1971. It was made in conditions that mimicked those under the Earth’s crust, reaching 1,600°C in temperature. The process involved using a tube to introduce heat and pressure to a graphite seed in the centre, until it grew into a diamond. This method, which is highly complex and expensive, is called high pressure, high temperature (HPHT), which is one of the two most common methods of making lab-grown diamonds.

    Today, most are made using chemical vapour deposition (CVD). It can happen at lower temperatures and pressures – this being a cheaper process – as diamond seeds are heated via carbon in a chamber, which causes the carbon to stick to the seed and grow into a larger diamond.

    Detonation synthesis, where nano-sized diamond grains are created during the detonation of explosives containing carbon, is another method that was introduced in the 1990s. Meanwhile, a fourth way of making lab-grown diamonds involves treating graphite with high-power ultrasound, but it currently has no commercial applications.

    Pricing, problems and premiums

    lab grown diamonds
    Courtesy: Skydiamond

    With consumers looking towards products with more ethical and sustainable supply chains, lab-grown diamonds can be seen as viable alternatives. But it’s not as simple as that.

    According to the S&P report, producing one polished carat of lab-grown diamonds releases 511kg of greenhouse gases on average – more than thrice than that of mined diamonds. However, this report was produced on the behalf of trade group the Diamond Producers Association, which has raised questions about bias and the validity of such claims.

    Lab-grown diamonds have been growing in popularity, thanks to their identical physical and chemical composition to mined diamonds. Even diamond experts have been unable to tell the differences by eye – the only optical difference is an ‘LG’ (for lab-grown) inscribed at the stone’s base.

    Another factor to consider? Price. The increase in interest can be ascribed to the affordability of diamonds made in a lab. They can cost over 70% less than natural diamonds. Ziminsky’s analysis revealed that a generic lab-grown diamond costs $1,425 per carat, while a generic natural one is priced at $5,185 per carat. It adds that global production of lab-grown diamonds has exploded in recent years (and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future), and this new production capacity has been driven by declining capital equipment and production costs, as well as growing investment.

    But this affordability factor comes with a caveat. Lab-grown diamonds aren’t always seen as crown jewels, as they’re trumped by the premium status of traditional, natural diamonds. Some consumers have concerns about the authenticity of synthetic diamonds – one De Beers survey found that almost half (47%) of Americans didn’t agree with the statement that lab-grown diamonds are real. Another report found that they associate words like ‘fake’ and ‘artificial’ with these diamonds. Despite all this though, for many, consumers the promise of a bigger stone with a smaller price tag – and possibly a more sustainable origin – alleviates these concerns.

    Sustainable diamond alternatives

    aether diamonds
    Courtesy: Aether Diamonds

    This rise has seen many natural diamond companies turn to lab-grown diamonds. For example, De Beers, the world’s largest diamond mining company, has started an alt-diamond line called Lightbox, while Signet Jewelers – the largest diamond retailer in the world – has its own lab-grown range. Meanwhile, Brilliant Earth stocks what it claims sustainable natural and synthetic varieties.

    And in 2021, Pandora announced it was doing away with mined diamonds and shifting to a fully lab-grown production. Last week, it renamed its diamond arm to Pandora Lab-Grown Diamonds to drive this change home.

    But concerns remain about the energy use in the creation of lab-grown diamonds. And that’s where a whole host of sustainable brands come in. New York-based Vrai, for instance, makes zero-emissions diamonds using hydropower from the Columbia River in its Pacific Northwest foundry. Brilliant Earth, meanwhile, has a line of climate-neutral options.

    There’s also Aether, which became the world’s first company to have vegan-certified diamonds. It captures carbon from air pollution to produce its diamonds in what is a positive-impact process. Each carat removes the equivalent of 20 tons of carbon, which is estimated to be higher than a regular American’s annual carbon footprint.

    Similarly, British company Skydiamond uses captured carbon from the sky, water from rainfall, and solar and wind energy for its lab-grown diamonds. The process is touted to be carbon-negative, as it captures more carbon than it releases.

    “We no longer need to dig these enormous holes in the ground – they’re visible from space, some of them,” explained Skydiamond founder Dale Vince. “We don’t need to do that to get diamonds, we can just make them from the sky in an entirely benign process.”

    They might be divisive, and research is key, but lab-grown diamonds can truly be a gem of an innovation.

    The post How Ethical and Environmental Concerns Led to The Boom in Lab-Grown Diamonds appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Cell-Based Collagen Brand Jellatech Completes $3.5M Oversubscribed Seed Round to Scale Up Animal-Free Protein Production

    jellatech
    3 Mins Read

    North Carolina-based biotech startup Jellatech has announced a $3.5M oversubscribed seed funding round to amp up the production of its cell-based collagen and other proteins. It comes months after the firm created a fully functional human collagen, which added to its portfolio of bovine and porcine collagen.

    The fundraising round was led by Nordic VC firm byFounders, with other investors including Milano Investment Partners, Joyful VC, Siddhi Capital and Blustein. Jellatech says it will use the capital to scale up production, establish partnerships, and commercialise its animal-free proteins for use in healthcare, personal care, biomedical research, and food and beverage.

    When Jellatech was founded in 2020, its focus was on creating cell-based collagen and gelatin – two animal proteins widely used across a number of industries. It has made multiple strides in the former department, unveiling a full-length, triple-helical collagen created with its proprietary cell line last year, which functions identically to conventional sources.

    In March, it unveiled its cell-based human collagen, which is typically used in biomedical and clinical applications, including tissue engineering, arthritis treatment, regenerative medicine, 3D bioprinting, and dermal fillers. The company says it is developing more proteins as part of its portfolio.

    Tackling collagen-driven deforestation

    jellatech collagen
    Jellatech has created human collagen from cells | Courtesy: Jellatech

    “Jellatech’s technology unlocks a fundamentally new branch of the tech tree of our species: creating complex proteins from scratch, at scale, without having to ‘mine’ animal bodies,” said Magnus Hambleton, an investor at byFounders. “Jellatech sustainably and ethically produces large, complex proteins at scale starting with collagen. The impact that this can have is going to be enormous.”

    Collagen – which is the most abundant protein in animals and is typically found in cattle, pigs and fish – has a detrimental impact on the environment. An investigation this year found that tens of thousands of cattle raised for collagen production are on farms linked to deforestation in the Amazon – an ongoing crisis contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss. According to one estimate, tropical deforestation is the cause of 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The industry has also been linked to violence against Indigenous populations in Brazilian forests.

    “Instead of isolating and purifying collagen and gelatin from animals we grow it – using cells in a bioreactor. We don’t require acres of land, live animals, shipping, slaughtering and various complicated processes to produce collagen,” Jellatech co-founder and CEO Stephanie Michelsen has previously said. “With our proprietary method we design, grow and purify collagen and gelatin, all in the same place.”

    Collagen’s health effects

    cell-based collagen
    Courtesy: Jellatech

    Jellatech taps into a sector with rapid growth potential – the global collagen market was valued at $9.12B in 2022, and is expected to grow annually by 10.2% until 2030. Despite this demand, however, the benefits of collagen are subject to major debate. While some claim it can improve hair, skin, nails and joints – this slowing the process of ageing – the Harvard School of Public Health cautions consumers over study findings as most, “if not all”, of the research has been funded by industry members or scientists affiliated with stakeholder brands.

    However, some research has pointed to the benefits of consuming collagen-building foods, rather than consuming collagen itself. Foods rich in vitamin C, zinc, copper, silicon, and the amino acids lysine and proline, have been linked to healthy collagen production.

    Jellatech isn’t the only company making animal-free collagen. French biodesign startup Geltor has developed a fermentation-based vegan collagen. Meanwhile, Israeli cultured meat company Aleph Farms (which became the first startup to file for regulatory approval of cultivated meat in Europe in July) added cell-based collagen to its product portfolio in March. It expects to launch the alt-protein commercially next year.

    The post Cell-Based Collagen Brand Jellatech Completes $3.5M Oversubscribed Seed Round to Scale Up Animal-Free Protein Production appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • This Soap Bar Is Made From Deforestation-Free Palmless Oil And Smells Like The Rainforest Burning

    rewild body block
    4 Mins Read

    Using New York-based climate tech startup C16 Biosciences’ Palmless Torula oil, British material science firm Pangaia and skincare label Haeckels have together created the Rewild Body Block. The limited-edition soap bar is a sustainable alternative to palm oil variants, and is scented with natural oils to evoke the smell of rainforests burning down – spotlighting how biodiversity is cleared for palm oil plantations.

    The microbial Torula oil is part of Bill Gates-backed C16’s Palmless brand, which was unveiled in 2022. Using naturally occurring organisms and fermentation, the oil is grown in bioreactors and is nearly chemically and functionally identical to palm oil – an infamously unsustainable oil. This sustainable, biomanufactured fat has inspired a collaboration between Pangaia and Haeckels, who have created a climate-friendly soap with a stock of only 200 bars.

    Palm oil’s climate problem

    Lab grown palm oil
    C16’s Palmless Torula oil is a climate-friendly, deforestation-free palm oil alternative | Courtesy C16 Biosciences

    A notoriously climate-destructive oil, palm oil is present in half of all supermarket items – across every product category. But it’s a major driver of deforestation, with rainforests cleared and various species killed to make way for palm oil plantations. Production of the oil has increased tenfold since 1980, and is set to increase by another 50% by 2050.

    This kind of demand pushes producers to burn down more forests, a form of mass deforestation that emits greenhouse gas while removing trees that help absorb these emissions in the first place. A 2020 study found that the drainage of young palm oil leads to a 50% increase in carbon emissions.

    It’s also a critical threat to wildlife including orangutans – 50% of whom are found outside national parks due to deforestation – and rhinos. The industry is also linked with human rights violations, with Indigenous communities losing their lands and villages, and workers exploited with poor working conditions and pay.

    Additionally, 90% of the world’s palm oil trees are located in the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia, and they have been directly linked to deforestation in these regions. In August 2019, Indonesian forests were engulfed by wildfires caused directly by palm plantation trees. And according to one estimate, tropical deforestation accounts for about 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions annually.

    All this makes the use of palm oil a massive issue. It first replaced animal-based ingredients in personal care products like soaps, shampoos, lotions and makeup, and now, 70% of personal care items contain one or more palm oil derivatives.

    A sustainable vegetable oil

    eco friendly soap
    Courtesy: Pangaia

    In light of these facts, innovations like the Palmless Tarula oil seem more urgent and needed than ever before. “Palmless was born [out] of dissatisfaction,” Margaret Rimsky Richards, global marketing head at C16, told Dazed Digital. “Our founders witnessed firsthand the devastation created by the palm oil industry and wondered why we are still making products linked to such destruction. They wanted to do better as we face the urgent mandate of climate change.”

    The process of creating the Tarula oil takes through fermentation seven days – significantly less than the seven years it takes for an agricultural palm tree to yield oil. The £30 beige Rewild Body Block, which comes in cotton and bamboo packaging, leverages seaweed extract, squalene, aloe vera, mandarin peel and vetiver root to complement the woodsy aroma.

    “We set out to create a sustainable alternative to palm oil and in the process developed a novel oil that functions like palm oil, but is also bursting with other great stuff – carotenoids such as beta carotene, torulene and sterols such as ergosterol, a powerful provitamin D,” explained Richards.

    She added: “We’re certainly betting on Palmless playing a significant role – not only in helping satisfy the explosive global demand for palm oil without having to further rely on deforestation, but also in helping ensure greater stability of supply.”

    “What we’ve been able to achieve with Rewild is very special,” Haeckels managing director Charlie Vickery told Dazed Digital. “We very firmly believe that lab-grown ingredients are the next frontier for sustainability. The resource intensity of farming natural ingredients is staggering; what C16 Biosciences has done through their efforts is replicate something made by nature but in a much less resource intensive – and destructive – manner.”

    While, the Rewild Body Block isn’t the only future-thinking eco-innovation in the soap industry – Canadian startup CleanO2 uses captured carbon and beer to make a climate-negative body soap, for example – it’s a major win for consumer brands looking to ditch palm oil as part of their environmental targets.

    And now, C16, which raised $20M in a Series A round in 2020, aims to harness Palmless’s power across a wide range of consumer packaged goods applications, including beauty, personal care, home care and food.

    The post This Soap Bar Is Made From Deforestation-Free Palmless Oil And Smells Like The Rainforest Burning first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post This Soap Bar Is Made From Deforestation-Free Palmless Oil And Smells Like The Rainforest Burning appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Saltyco’s BioPuff: the Plant-Based Material Revolutionising the Puffer Jacket

    saltyco
    4 Mins Read

    UK startup Saltyco has developed a BioPuff, a new bulrush-based fill material for puffer jackets that has a feather-like structure. A sustainable alternative to animal- and petroleum-based materials like duck or goose fibres and polyester or nylon, it’s designed to provide warm, lightweight and water-resistant insulation.

    A winner of the H&M Foundation‘s Global Change Award 2022, Saltyco’s BioPuff is created by cultivating plants using regenerative wetland agriculture. Based in Salford, northwest England, Saltyco is aiming to transform bulrush into an eco-friendly alternative to goose down and synthetic fibres that line puffer jackets, while cutting emissions and boosting the productivity of rewetted peatland, reports the Guardian.

    If BioPuff’s raw material production could be scaled, the environmental impact of manufacturing clothes from the material would be a fraction of that of conventional fibres. “The bulrush has an amazing high-volume structure,” Saltyco founder Finlay Duncan told the Guardian. “Its seed heads can expand about 300 times in size. It has these umbrella-like structures that mimic the natural structure of goosedown in terms of providing that nice lofty, fluffy feeling.”

    A government grant for sustainable farming

    biopuff
    SaltyCo uses bulrush to make its BioPuff fill material | Courtesy: Finn Terman Frederiksen/CC

    To help scale up the availability of bulrush, the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside has teamed up with a local farmer and a landowner on a five-hectare site as part of a paludiculture (wet farming) trial, with a £400,000 grant from the UK government.

    To make enough material for one jacket, about 20 bulrush heads are required, the first of which are set to be harvested from this site in 2026.

    Situated in Greater Manchester, the site was drained for agriculture over 50 years ago, an act that will be reversed in 2024 to plant the bulrushes. The Wildlife Trust predicts that this could save 2,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050, as well as boost biodiversity. It’s also posed as an additional income source for farmers on lowland peat in the northwest of England.

    “If we can make this trial successful and upscale it, there is so much lowland peat in the UK that is crying out to be rewetted, both environmentally and economically,” the Wildlife Trust’s Mike Longden told the Guardian, describing campaigns like the bulrush project as a lucrative “win-win”. He added: “Farming on lowland peat can be really difficult. It’s not the most profitable farming.”

    An eco-friendly puffer jacket

    The BioPuff puffer jacket is an alternative to down feathers and synthetic, petroleum-based materials, which come with animal abuse and climate challenges. A PETA investigation found that down feathers are sometimes plucked forcefully while birds being raised for food are still alive. This often causes the animals to be frightened and leaves them with bloody wounds.

    Synthetic materials, like polyester, can have a poor climate footprint. Since it isn’t biodegradable, polyester stays in landfills for decades and can shed toxic microfibers. A lot of polyester is derived from petroleum, a non-renewable fossil fuel.

    Saltyco says replacing a single conventional puffer jacket with a BioPuff version could help regenerate 10 sq m of land and use 40kg less of carbon dioxide. The startup uses low-energy, waterless mechanical manufacturing processes, and confirms its products are biodegradable and compostable.

    Its website states that the material naturally comes with a cluster structure that traps heat within small air pockets to retain warmth. And its low-density nature makes it suitable to insulate a variety of garments. Its fibres develop a natural layer of waxes during their growth period, which improves its water resistance when subjected to wet weather conditions.

    It has also been tested and benchmarked against well-known petroleum-based, plant-based and animal-based fibre fill materials, and came out with one of the warmest fill-to-weight ratios on the market.

    BioPuff is already being used in a jacket by Italian label YOOX in its 8 by YOOX collection. Now, SaltyCo – part of Fashion for Good’s Global Innovation Programme – is in talks with more fashion houses to transform the puffer jacket.

    As fashion companies race to green their operations, materials and supply chains are increasingly under the ethical and environmental microscope. Alternatives to conventional animal-based sources are highly sought after with a bevvy of innovative startups emerging to fill the gap including 100% biobased leather alternative MIRIUM by Natural Fiber Welding and BioFluff, a plant-based fur replacement.

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  • $18.5M Seed Funding Propels Brevel’s Scalable Microalgae Protein

    Brevel Founder L-R Yonatan Golan CEO, Ido Golan CTO, Matan Golan, COO.jpg
    3 Mins Read

    Israel-based microalgae-focused alternative protein company Brevel has recently concluded an $18.5M Seed funding round.

    The new funding is earmarked to boost the mainstream food industry with what Brevel says is a novel, highly sustainable, affordable, and functionally adaptable protein. The fundraising round was led by NevaTeam Partners and received backing from the European Union’s EIC Fund, alongside an array of food, climate funds, and strategic food industry partners.

    Sustainable nutrition for the future

    “This substantial funding round will fuel Brevel’s journey forward and pave the way for our vision of sustainable nutrition for the future of our planet to materialize,” Yonatan Golan, CEO and Co-Founder of Brevel, said in a statement.

    Brevel’s technology integrates sugar-based fermentation of microalgae with potent light concentrations on an industrial scale. It has developed a protein that can be easily adopted by food manufacturers into plant-based products. Brevel says there’s an increasing demand for its protein from food manufacturers for use in a multitude of applications.

    brevel
    Brevel’s microalgae | Courtesy

    “Having followed Brevel’s impressive developments and achievements in recent years, we believe that Brevel will be one of the leading companies in the global alternative protein industry and we are excited to join their journey towards that goal,” said Shai Levy, Managing Partner at NevaTeam Partners. We believe that Brevel’s innovative technology enables the cost-efficient production of high-quality protein extracted from microalgae, which is crucial for the future of sustainable food production.”

    The company says it is predominantly targeting the dairy alternative sector that struggles with protein content. Brevel says it can offer a competitive edge over other plant-based protein sources, such as soy, which exhibit allergenic properties and are often associated with overwhelming flavors, making them less ideal for plant-based milk and cheese products.

    ‘An ambitious company’

    Brevel says it can achieve price parity with more traditional plant-based protein sources like soy and pea and triple profitability from microalgae over other sources.

    “We identified Brevel as an ambitious company with breakthrough technology which can provide significant impact,” said Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board. “After the Horizon 2020 non-dilutive grant, the EIC Fund made the decision to further support and join Brevel with an equity investment in their journey towards a sustainable future.”

    algae
    Photo by Vita Marija Murenaite on Unsplash

    Part of the company’s forecasted success is in its minimized environmental impact; microalgae are not influenced by weather fluctuations, climate change, or seasonal variations, Brevel says, and they don’t require fertile land. The company’s processes enable full water recycling, utilize on-site clean energy, and can feed the world with a fraction of the land currently employed for traditional agriculture. Currently operating a large-scale 500-liter pilot in Israel, Brevel is transitioning into its first commercial-scale factory equipped with a pioneering 5,000-liter fermentation and light system.

    “We are primed and ready for our next major leap,” said Golan, which is the global scale production of Brevel’s protein that will be integrated into “healthier, tastier, and environmentally friendly food products in every household.”

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  • Gelatin Substitute Made From Peas Emerges From University of Alberta

    gummies
    2 Mins Read

    Researchers have developed a novel plant-based substitute for gelatin derived from pea protein.

    Dr. Lingyun Chen and her team at the University of Alberta, who created the pea protein gelatin say the new product, currently in the patent-pending stage, showcases enhanced protein content compared to other existing plant-based gelatin alternatives such as pectin.

    What sets the new product apart from other gelatin substitutes is its unique ‘thermal reversibility’ feature — the ability to transition effortlessly between liquid and gel forms and vice versa, the researchers noted.

    Accidental discovery

    The Univeristy of Alberta team says the discovery occurred by accident during an experiment when the team realized that certain conditions, like changes in pH, resulted in creating the gelatin. The team says it boasts industrial applications that mimic conventional gelatin, which is made from animal cartilage and bones.

    gelatin
    Courtesy Pexels

    The newly discovered substitute could usher in a new era in the food industry by providing a plant-based alternative to gelatin used as a thickening agent in various food products, including soups, sauces, candies, and dietary supplements.

    Dr. Chen is currently collaborating with a multinational leader specializing in plant-based ingredients, using Canadian-grown peas as the primary ingredient. With an injection of $78,430 from Natural Products Canada (NPC), they are assessing the performance of the pea protein-based gelatin substitute in real-food applications and testing its scalability.

    The global market for sustainable gelatin

    “There is a huge global market for a plant-based gelatin substitute right now,” Chen said. The demand comes not only from vegans and vegetarians looking for an alternative but also from the growing Muslim population seeking Halal options and a general interest in sustainable food systems.

    Geltor's biodientical collagen
    Geltor’s biodientical collagen | Courtesy

    A number of food tech companies have been working to create a more sustainable and ethical gelatin market. Chiefly, California’s Geltor has raised more than $116 million for its bioidentical gelatin and collagen products.

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  • Dutch Startup Willicroft Introduces Fermented Plant-Based Butter

    Willicroft Original Better butter
    3 Mins Read

    Willicroft debuts a new vegan butter made from fermented beans.

    Dutch startup Willicroft, known for its plant-based cheese alternatives, is expanding its product range with the introduction of its first non-cheese offering: a fermented butter. The innovative product, named “The Original Better,” will hit the market in both retail stores and food service in September.

    Willicroft says it has made a “true” butter that mimics the taste, spreadability, cooking properties, and baking characteristics of conventional dairy butter — unlike margarine, which is made from fats, oils, and artificial ingredients.

    The Original Better Butter

    Willicroft says the butter was two years in development, and investments totaling €350K in order to produce the butter through a meticulous fermentation process, allowing the company to recreate the rich flavors of high-end dairy butter without the need for artificial flavorings. The company received grant support from Provincie Noord Holland.

    Willicroft vegan cheese
    Willicroft vegan cheese | Courtesy

    Staying true to its commitment to natural ingredients, Willicroft’s plant-based butter is crafted using a base ingredient of beans, along with 100 percent natural components. The product features European soybeans sourced from Austria.

    Compared with other plant-based kinds of butter, Willicroft’s Original Better contains lower levels of saturated fats while maintaining the desired taste and consistency, the company says.

    Beans make for better business

    Last year, Willicroft became the first plant-based cheese brand in Europe to obtain B-Corp certification.

    In a statement on social media, founder Brad Vanstone emphasized the importance of moving away from solely profit-driven endeavors. “The days of focusing solely on profit-making are over,” he wrote. “Simply put, business as usual will lead to the widespread destruction of a huge number of the planet’s species, potentially including our own. We certainly do not profess to be perfect, but we are on the right track.”

    willicroft cheese
    Courtesy Willicroft

    The company raised more than €2 million in Seed funding last year, led by PINC and Rockstart with Döhler and Feast Ventures participating. Its product placement has expanded rapidly across Europe.

    “Willicroft is taking plant-based dairy alternatives to the next level. Alongside making delicious products (I’ve tasted several, I recommend them!), they are helping farmers to transition to sustainable production by enabling a local supply chain without the need for monocropping or highly processed ingredients,” Mark Durno, managing partner at Rockstart., said in a statement last year following the close of the Seed round. “They have spent the last years understanding their consumers and their footprint, and the next phase will be to put those learnings to scale.”

    According to Vanstone, the use of beans as a base makes Willicroft’s cheese produce five times less CO2 than the dairy alternatives it’s replacing.

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  • Akua’s Kelp Burgers Get the SpongeBob Treatment to Support Nickelodeon’s Operation Sea Change

    akua
    3 Mins Read


    Akua, the New York-based creator of the “world’s first” kelp burger, has announced a partnership with Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants to introduce kid-friendly Kelp Patties.

    The new slider-sized patties, available in Original and BBQ flavors, are designed to make eco-friendly eating more appealing to children. The burgers will be launching in select U.S. retailers and at vegan fast food chain PLNT Burger locations this month.

    “These kid-friendly patties are not only tasty but also contribute to improving the health of little humans,” Courtney Boyd Myers, founder of Akua, said in a statement.

    Nickelodeon’s Operation Sea Change

    The collaboration aligns with Nickelodeon’s recently launched ocean sustainability initiative, Operation Sea Change. By leveraging SpongeBob’s popularity as an ocean-based cartoon character and Akua’s commitment to regenerative ocean-farmed foods, the partnership seeks to make such products more accessible to children. Other brands in the program include Brooklyn’s Conscious Step, Australia’s Munro Footwear, and apparel companies Miami’s Waterlust and California’s Seastra Surf.

    “Since its debut almost 25 years ago, SpongeBob SquarePants has become globally beloved for its contagious optimism and irreverent humor, but at its core the series has always had an intrinsic connection to the sea leading us to launch SpongeBob SquarePants: Operation Sea Change to help protect the home of the very creatures that inspired Bikini Bottom,” Veronica Hart, Executive Vice President, Global Franchise Planning, Paramount Consumer Products, said of the initiative launch last year. “With this initiative not only are we funding change but reinventing how we do business by creating a connected global effort around sustainability, while also being afforded the opportunity to honor the legacy of the incomparable Stephen Hillenburg, Marine Biologist and SpongeBob SquarePants creator, who was so deeply committed to preserving our oceans and marine life.”

    Akua Burger
    Akua Burger | Courtesy

    Akua, which launched in 2017, specializes in meat and seafood alternatives made with kelp, a highly sustainable and nutrient-rich crop. Kelp requires no fresh water, fertilizer, feed, or arid land to grow, making it a zero-input crop. Akua sources its kelp from a network of ocean farmers along the New England seaboard.

    “Akua’s Kelp Patties offer a delicious and nutritious option for kids while staying true to Akua’s mission of creating great-tasting and planet-friendly food choices,” Myers said. “Crafted from 100 percent sustainable ocean-farmed kelp, these kid-friendly patties are not only tasty but also contribute to improving the health of little humans and the health of our vast oceans.”

    A clean food future

    In 2021, Akua secured $3.2 million in Seed funding from notable investors including inside linebackers coach for the New England Patriots, Jerod Mayo, Sir Kensington’s co-founder Brandon Child, and beauty founder Cristina Carlino. Akua is currently raising funds through a crowd equity campaign on Republic.

    Akua Burger
    Akua Burger | Coutesy

    According to Myers, kelp, among other novel ingredients and scaled-back formulations, are the new frontier in plant-based food. “The first wave of plant-based eating was the Boca Burger, beans, and tofu,” she said in 2021 following the company’s Seed raise. “The second wave is Impossible and Beyond, and the third wave is going to be the return to whole foods and clean eating.”

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  • MycoTechnology Debuts a Truffle-Based Sweetener As Aspartame Cancer Link Exposed

    3 Mins Read

    A new truffle-based sugar alternative discovery comes at a critical time for the artificial sweetener category.

    Colorado-based MycoTechnology says it has identified a sweet protein originating from honey truffles that could disrupt the conventional sugar and manufactured sweeteners markets. The groundbreaking development comes as the artificial sweetener aspartame has been identified as a possible carcinogen by the World Health Organization.

    Honey truffle sweetener

    MycoTechnology’s latest innovation underlines its commitment to applying cutting-edge technology to uncover the fungal world’s untapped potential. The honey truffle discovery holds significant promise.

    While honey truffles have been enjoyed for thousands of years, MycoTechnology says the newly discovered sweet protein is the first of its kind. It can deliver an intense, natural sweetness without the lingering aftertaste of common sugar replacements.

    truffle mushroom
    Photo by CHUTTERSNAP via Unsplash

    “Our honey truffle sweetener is derived from a protein, which brings an unprecedented level of excitement as proteins are widely recognized as the future of sweeteners,” MycoTechnology’s CEO, Alan Hahn, said in a statement.

    “This breakthrough ushers in a new era of clean label sweeteners, revolutionizing the way we create foods and beverages without relying on traditional sugar or artificial sweeteners,” Hahn said.

    Aspartame’s cancer risk

    The discovery follows recently released assessments from the World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, (IARC), and the Food and Agriculture Organization Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, that aspartame, which is used in the popular soft drink Diet Coke among a range of other products, may cause cancer. The IARC classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic and JECFA reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg/kg body weight.

    diet coke
    Photo by Matt Seymour on Unsplash

    “The findings of limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and animals, and of limited mechanistic evidence on how carcinogenicity may occur, underscore the need for more research to refine our understanding on whether consumption of aspartame poses a carcinogenic hazard,” Dr. Mary Schubauer-Berigan of the IARC Monographs program, said in a statement.

    While the FDA has disputed the IARC’s warning, scientists have long called for more research into aspartame, which first entered the U.S. food system in the 1970s.

    MycoTechnology says it already has several potential partners interested in exploring collaborations with its honey truffle sweetener.

    Hahn says the MycoTechnology team’s commitment to a healthier future drove the discovery. The company is developing a proprietary platform designed to scale production, minimize manufacturing costs, and optimize yield. “Today, we stand on the brink of a sweet revolution that could transform the food industry and consumer health in unprecedented ways,” Hahn said.

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  • Vegan Nuggets Made From Algae? They’re Better Than the Real Thing In Nearly Every Way.

    SimpliiGood has debuted nuggets made from microalgae
    3 Mins Read

    Israel-based SimpliiGood, a front-runner in the food-tech industry, has announced the launch of chicken nuggets made primarily from spirulina microalgae. And the company says they’re a game-changer.

    SimpliiGood is pioneering an innovation in spirulina, which it says can mirror the taste and texture of conventional chicken while providing a higher nutritional value and a smaller impact on the planet.

    Microalgae meat

    Microalgae, like spirulina, have gained significant attention in recent years for their rich nutrient composition, including whole proteins, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and a range of vitamins and minerals. Microalgae cultivation also presents ecological benefits as it requires less land and water compared to traditional crop cultivation. Its carbon footprint is much smaller than that of conventional livestock production.

    Developed by AlgaeCore Technologies Ltd., the SimpliiGood alternative meat comprises 80 percent fresh spirulina and prebiotic fibers, delivering a clean and nutrient-rich option. The company says it sets a new standard in harnessing the power of microalgae nutrition in everyday diets.

    Vegan nuggets made from SimpliiGood’s spirulina | Courtesy

    Baruch Dach, SimpliiGood’s founder and CTO, says the company started from a “minced prototype” before recreating a whole chicken breast filet. According to Dach, the product outstrips real chicken in nutritional density due to spirulina’s inherent richness and the new nugget provides a neutral taste, allowing for diverse flavor additions.

    “100 grams of SimpliiGood microalgae provides the equivalent of 200 grams of real chicken in protein load,” says Dach. “By consuming less while gaining more,” he says, “it also contributes to reducing waste and energy consumption, streamlining the supply chain, and minimizing the overall downstream carbon footprint.”

    Scaling spirulina production

    Following the success of its smoked salmon replica launch in February, SimpliiGood aims to roll out the new chicken analog on a commercial scale next year. The company, now partnered with Haifa Group Ltd., is also expanding its spirulina production capabilities, ensuring consistent supply and enhancing its market response time.

    algae
    Photo by Vita Marija Murenaite on Unsplash

    “We started out as cultivators of fresh spirulina,” Lior Shalev, CEO and co-founder of SimpliiGood, said in a statement. “But then we began to think of ways we can take the formulation of this highly sought ingredient beyond the boundary of the capsule matrix and into the mainstream of the plant-based food landscape. Microalgae such as spirulina is a high-value and eco-friendly alternative protein source. That’s how we evolved into spirulina innovators.”

    The company says it has addressed the long-standing sensory challenges associated with plant-based alternatives, enhancing their functionality and appeal. Shalev says this broadens its applications beyond the “exceptional nutritional profile” and high concentration of protein, making it also a clean-label potential to replace thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, binders, texturizers in multiple applications. “Plus our naturally color-free version is an excellent replacer for synthetic colorants,” he said.

    SimpliiGood is also scaling up its vertically integrated spirulina, which is produced in greenhouse ponds in the southern desert region of Israel. It says it can scale production to 250 tons of spirulina per year, with a harvest every 24 hours.

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  • Perfect Day Lays Off 15% of Its Workforce As It Shifts Focus Back to B2B Operations

    Perfect Day Raises $350M in Late-Stage Funding Round As Brand Prepares to IPO
    3 Mins Read

    Pioneering precision fermentation food tech company Perfect Day has dismissed approximately 15 percent of its staff as it shuttered its consumer-facing arm, The Urgent Company.

    Perfect Day, which put “animal-free” precision fermentation dairy on the map, says it’s going to focus solely on its B2B efforts rather than its consumer-facing brands that include CoolHaus and Brave Robot.

    Last September, Perfect Day launched Nth Bio, its tech-focused spin-off platform that leverages its expertise and technology services for collaboration and hire. Perfect Day, which has focused on precision fermentation whey, has seen a number of high-profile collaborations including products for Mars, Nestlé, and General Mills.

    Refocusing efforts

    Employees were informed of the layoffs in a letter sent out late last week. The company’s president, Narayan Tripunithura Mahadeva, explained the decision in the letter, stating, “We [are] refocus[ing] all efforts on our founding principles of R&D innovation and the resulting B2B partnership opportunities from our investment into the technology we have been building over the past nine years. As part of this, we have to take the incredibly difficult step of parting ways with our talented B2C team members and reducing some Perfect Day positions to support this focused business.”

    cowabunga milk
    Nestlé and Perfect Day’s precision fermentation Cowabunga milk is now available in select locations | Courtesy

    Speculations about changes started circulating within the company late last month, after Alex Brittian, the head of Perfect Day’s consumer division for Asia and the U.S., was laid off. By July 6, the termination was officially communicated to the consumer division employees via a letter sent to their personal email accounts.

    The layoffs impacted a total of 134 employees globally, with 122 from the U.S. and 12 from the U.K. and Asia. The India-based manufacturing business of the company, acquired in 2022, remains unaffected by the downsizing. Other layoffs have taken place within the past year, although the company has not disclosed precise figures.

    B2C brand’s future is uncertain

    Perfect Day says it aims to prevent disruptions in its retail services and sell through its existing inventory by retaining a small number of TUC employees as consultants. The company has also expressed intentions to sell all or part of The Urgent Company, with plans to fully exit all consumer-facing businesses by September.

    Courtesy Coolhaus

    Perfect Day confirmed that it “will not be investing any more time or resources into brands,” and is “look[ing] for places where we can be opportunistic in offering partner products” to retailers.

    “As you can imagine, the economic climate right now is different than it was even just two, three years ago,” a Perfect Day spokesperson told NOSH. “There’s just a different level of focus that investors are expecting with their capital. And for us, that has always been B2B. There’s not the luxury that there used to be to be able to expand and maximize opportunities in different adjacencies.”

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  • Fermify Expands Seed Round, Accelerates Animal-Free Cheese Development

    fermify
    2 Mins Read

    Austrian biotech company Fermify has announced an extended Seed funding round in addition to forming new alliances with multinational corporations, CREMER and Interfood.

    Fermify secured $5 million in Seed funding in May, in a round led by Dörte Hirschberg from the Article 9 climate tech fund and Climentum Capital. Now, with new partnerships, the company is expanding that funding.

    ‘World leading provider for precision fermentation technology’

    “These partnerships with CREMER and Interfood will further accelerate our path to become the world leading provider for precision fermentation technology,” Eva Sommer, CEO and founder at Fermify, said in a statement.

    Fermify Team | Courtesy

    The two new partnerships are expected to bolster Fermify’s growth and hasten the market introduction and development of animal-free cheese using Fermify’s precision fermentation process.

    The company, which launched in 2021 by co-founders Eva Sommer and Christoph Herwig, boasts a fully automated platform intended to produce casein derived from precision fermentation, thereby allowing for the large-scale production of animal-free cheese.

    The German multinational B2B supplier, CREMER, is renowned for its supply of plant-based raw materials and its sustainable nutrition know-how. The company’s collaboration with Fermify aims to develop media-feeding solutions for precision fermentation processes and optimize the production of sustainable proteins.

    New dairy solutions

    “We want to establish ourselves as a prominent contributor of the ongoing nutritional transformation and add significant value to the industry. Together with Fermify, we can take the next step in this direction,” said Dr. Ullrich Wegner, CEO of CREMER.

    fermify
    Fermify’s cheese | Courtesy

    Interfood, a top global provider for F&B that distributes over 1.1 million metric tons of dairy ingredients every year, aims to extend its portfolio with sustainable alternatives.

    “Dairy forms an integral part of global dietary patterns and has deep cultural significance,” said Edwin van Stipdonk, CCO at Interfood. “However, making the production of these loved products more sustainable is a complex challenge, one that requires inventive thinking and novel technologies,” he said.

    Fermify says it with its new partners, it can provide solutions “where economic and ecological sustainability can go hand in hand,” and that, it says, will allow “current and future generations to enjoy dairy responsibly.”

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  • Mycorena Carves Out Niche in Fungi Tech With Strategic European Partnerships

    3 Mins Read

    In a move designed to drive its global expansion, Swedish food tech company Mycorena has teamed up with a number of collaborators to introduce mycoprotein-based products in key European markets.

    Mycorena’s international growth strategy aims to establish the company as a global frontrunner in fungi technology.

    To that end, it’s leveraging strategic collaborations with leading industry players including Rebl Eats, Meeat Food Tech Oy, Revo, and RIP Foods, to carve out a niche in the food industry in Austria, Finland, France, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The new alliances, the company says, will help it unlock the market potential for its mycelium-based protein.

    Mycoprotein product potential

    In recent months, Mycorena, together with its industry partners, has introduced a range of products in various markets, resulting in nearly 60,000 servings of its Promyc-based products.

    Mycorena's Promyc meat
    Mycorena’s Promyc meat | Courtesy

    “We are excited to collaborate with these fast-moving companies with similar mindsets as Mycorena. It’s a conscious choice to work with innovative, trendy and aggressively expanding brands to push the industry forward,” Ramkumar Nair, Mycorena’s CEO, said in a statement.

    Nair says Mycroena is striving to create high-quality products that bring the entire alternative segment “to new heights” through new technology and innovative approaches.

    Together with Barcelona-based street food brand, RIP Foods, Mycorena plans to launch a vegan, Middle Eastern-inspired kofta in the Netherlands. This collaboration is aimed at developing superior mycelium-based street food options.

    Through its collaboration with Finland-based Rebl Eats, Mycorena’s Promyc-based products are now sold in more than 100 stores across the country, with the partners broadening their collaboration to reach the French market.

    Further bolstering Mycorena’s footprint in the Finnish market is the partnership with Meeat Food Tech Oy, with the first product prototypes debuted at the International Food & Drink Event in London.

    Mycorena’s partnership with Revo Foods, renowned for revolutionizing the world of 3D printing with plant-based seafood alternatives, also opens up new possibilities for exploring mycoprotein potential in product development.

    Elevating alternative food

    Through these partnerships, Mycorena aims to influence a broader market beyond vegans, elevating the alternative food segment through innovative products and technologies.

    “We want to prove that mycelium brings the untapped potential we’ve been missing. We believe our common values will accelerate the category beyond the vegan market,” Nair said.

    Mycorena's mycolein
    Mycorena’s mycolein | Courtesy

    In April, Mycorena debuted its fungi-based fat, Mycolein. The company says the product offers “unparalleled benefits,” due to its versatile nature for imparting juiciness and flavor in plant-based and alternative protein, “with superior qualities similar to animal fat or as a healthier fat in meat products.”

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  • WNWN’s Cocao-Free Chocolate Frozen Desserts Triumph in Häagen-Dazs Innovation Challenge

    WNWN chocolate-free frozen desserts
    2 Mins Read

    WNWN Food Labs, the food tech startup focused on cocoa-free chocolate, has won ‘Best Demo’ in the Häagen-Dazs Start-Up Innovation Challenge.

    The contest, organized by food innovation network EIT Food, focuses on finding solutions to crucial issues in health and environmental sustainability.

    Häagen-Dazs innovation challenge

    last month, the London-based WNWN showcased its innovative product at the Arras Technical Center in France — the innovation nucleus for the Häagen-Dazs brand. WNWN brought forward nine different culinary applications using its unique cocoa-free chocolate, with a spotlight on three iterations of a chocolate hazelnut ice cream.

    WNWN Founders | Courtesy

    “The numbers don’t lie: chocolate itself generates more emissions per kilogram than dairy, so switching just that one ingredient dramatically reduces ice cream’s overall carbon footprint without requiring any other production changes,” WNWN CEO Ahrum Pak, said in a statement. “Our cocoa-free chocolate is a simple one-to-one replacement for the chocolate formats General Mills currently uses.”

    The unique cocoa-free chocolate produced by WNWN originates from plant-based ingredients, such as legumes and cereals, thanks to its proprietary fermentation process. This allows the company to craft a product that mirrors the qualities of conventional chocolate, while being vegan, caffeine-free, gluten-free, palm oil-free, and lower in sugar.

    Chocolate-free chocolate

    According to an internal lifecycle analysis, WNWN says its dark chocolate generates 80-90 percent fewer greenhouse gases than traditional chocolate, mitigating deforestation, habitat destruction, and unfair labor practices. In light of climate change threatening cocoa crops, WNWN’s innovative solution addresses concerns over potential chocolate shortages and increasing prices.

    WNWN chocolate
    WNWN chocolate | Courtesy

    In May, the company debuted its first vegan version of milk chocolate. It tapped tiger nuts to recreate the creamy dairy-like texture.

    WNWN raised more than $5 million in a Series A funding round in March after debuting its chocolate-free dark chocolate last year.

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  • Synonym Launches TEA Scaler Tool to Catalyze Biomanufacturing Growth

    3 Mins Read

    Synonym, a leader in designing, developing, and managing commercial-scale biomanufacturing facilities, has launched Scaler — the first free online techno-economic analysis (TEA) tool exclusively for fermentation.

    The creation of Scaler is geared towards propelling the growth of biomanufacturing. Synonym says Scaler can help businesses forecast their operational and production expenses at an industrial scale.

    The tool simplifies the process for businesses to comprehend the requirements to construct and operate at a scale that could bring their bio-products to the mass market.

    The tool follows Synonym’s $6.3 million Pre-Seed funding round last October.

    Forecasting manufacturing costs

    The inception of Scaler is Synonym’s answer to the complex and costly challenge of forecasting commercial-scale manufacturing costs, a hurdle often faced by businesses in this space. The initiative is freely available to the synthetic biology community. And Synonym says it aims to demystify techno-economic analysis, facilitating companies to plan their commercial trajectories and manufacturing strategies effectively.

    Photo by Talha Hassan on Unsplash

    “Fermentation holds immense potential across many different applications from food to materials and chemicals,” the company said in a post shared to Medium. “In order to unlock this potential, companies must build long-term plans, including a manufacturing strategy, to accurately forecast their costs of production. But determining commercial-scale manufacturing costs has been a complex and costly challenge that companies in this space have always faced.”

    Scaling fermentation tech

    Scaler’s initial launch supports techno-economic modeling for aerobic, aseptic fermentation processes. Synonym’s team intends to incorporate more technologies and molecule types into Scaler over time, solidifying its place as the market’s most comprehensive, free TEA tool.

    Photo by Louis Reed at Unsplash.

    Scaler allows users to adjust more than 50 parameters in their models, involving variables linked to fermentation, feedstock, media, downstream processing, financing assumptions, among others. Users are then provided with a bespoke report containing key insights about their process, including capital expenditure and cost of goods sold breakdown, sensitivity analysis, bankability analysis, co-location analysis, and facility sizing matrix, among other critical details.

    The development of Scaler is an integral part of Synonym’s broader vision, the company says. After the launch of Capacitor.bio last year, a directory cataloging all existing fermentation capacity, Synonym concluded that the current capacity is insufficient.

    Large-scale biomanufacturing infrastructure requires benchmarks and underwriting which are currently non-existent in synthetic biology. Synonym says tools like Scaler are instrumental in establishing a new asset class in biomanufacturing infrastructure, providing crucial metrics and milestones that potential investors need to consider.

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  • Hyfé’s $9 Million Seed Funding Brews Up a New Era In Biomanufacturing

    wheat field
    3 Mins Read

    In a bid to address some of the most pressing challenges in biomanufacturing, the startup Hyfé has closed an oversubscribed $9 million Seed investment round.

    Hyfé’s Seed funding round was spearheaded by Synthesis Capital, with further participation from The Engine, Refactor Capital, Supply Change Capital, Overwater Ventures, X Factor Ventures, and Alumni Ventures. This new funding brings the company’s total investment to $11 million, which includes a similarly oversubscribed pre-seed round.

    Hyfé plans to use the funds to advance select commercial partnerships, double its staff, and make strides toward pilot-scale technology demonstration. Rosie Wardle, co-founder and partner at Synthesis Capital, will join the company’s Board of Directors.

    ‘As pivotal as the invention of the steam engine’

    “Biomanufacturing has the potential to solve some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity, but first it needs to be made economically viable,” Michelle Ruiz, co-founder and CEO of Hyfé said in a statement. “We are building a solution that addresses a fundamental bottleneck for the bioeconomy just as it’s reaching an inflection point. This historic moment is as pivotal as the invention of the steam engine, the age of science and mass production, and the rise of digital technology.”

    The Hyfé Team
    The Hyfé Team | Courtesy

    Hyfé is uniquely positioned in the sector, leveraging its considerable experience in wastewater treatment and fermentation-enabled waste valorization to develop feedstocks from food processing wastewater.

    This abundant and largely untapped source of carbon holds significant potential in the fight against climate change and resource management, providing an opportunity for food and beverage manufacturers to reduce wastewater treatment costs and improve water resilience. Biomanufacturers, on the other hand, gain access to more sustainable, affordable feedstocks.

    Future feedstocks

    The sector currently accounts for up to 1.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. By extracting nutrient building blocks from wastewater, Hyfé transforms them into easy-to-metabolize feedstocks, overcoming key hurdles in alternative feedstock development, such as compositional variability, availability, and lack of data.

    Harvesting soy
    Harvesting soy | Courtesy Pixabay

    “The future bioeconomy will be worth at least $4 trillion, and up to $30 trillion globally. We have a timely opportunity to propel this growth through the development of cost-efficient and sustainable feedstocks,” said Wardle.

    “We’re thrilled to support Hyfé, a leader in the biomanufacturing revolution, in their next phase of growth, applying their technology to power the development of more sustainable products across sectors through bioproduction. This is something the world desperately needs to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, revitalize the manufacturing sector, strengthen our supply chains, and improve our health and environment.”

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  • The World’s First Gelato Made Out Of Captured Carbon Debuts in Singapore

    Solein gelato
    3 Mins Read

    Singaporeans will have a chance to try the world’s first gelato made from air at the restaurant Fico.

    Developed by Finnish food tech company Solar Foods, the new dessert is made using ingredients derived from air.

    Last September, Solar Foods obtained regulatory approval from Singapore to sell Solein — its revolutionary microbial protein. The public got their first taste of Solein during an exclusive invite-only event at Fico earlier this year.

    Gelato made from air

    To create this innovative gelato, Fico, a concept by The Lo & Behold Group, crafted a brand new recipe that combines the flavors of Solein with indulgent chocolate. The dessert will be available beginning on June 15th.

    The launch marks the first time that a food made without photosynthesis and agriculture has been made accessible to the general public. By replacing dairy with Solein, the new gelato removes animals from the equation while offering familiar tastes and textures in an entirely new way.

    Solein is produced using a bioprocess that feeds microbes carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen along with small amounts of nutrients. The bioprocess resembles winemaking, with the gases replacing sugar as the source of carbon and energy. The result is a food source that’s 65-70 percent protein, 5-8 percent fat, 10-15 percent dietary fiber, and 3-5 percent mineral nutrients with a nutritional composition similar to soy or algae.

    In celebration of the highly anticipated release of Solein, a visionary team led by Oliver Truesdale-Jutras, Director of sustainability consultancy Re:Growth, and Fico’s Chef-partner Mirko Febbrile, curated a Solein-inspired tasting menu. This exclusive event showcased the diverse flavors of Singapore and exemplified the potential of Solein as a versatile ingredient.

    Vegan gelato made from air comes to Singapore
    Vegan gelato made from air comes to Singapore | Courtesy Solar Foods

    “It is a remarkable opportunity to be the first chef team to introduce a one-of-a-kind ice cream to the world,” Mirko said in a statement. “It combines the familiar delicious taste we all love with a unique ingredient produced without relying on traditional agriculture.”

    The chef says exploring Solein’s versatility has been “an incredible journey.” The restaurant has experimented with its potential, creating dishes ranging from miso soups, pasta, sauces, and desserts.

    “If you didn’t know, you could not guess this gelato includes an entirely new, unique, and nutritious ingredient just by tasting it. It looks, feels and tastes just like any other Italian gelato – and that is exactly the idea. Solein is the ‘Intel inside’ of the food industry”, said Solar Foods CCO Shilei Zhang.

    “Solein Chocolate Gelato also fits a perfect fit for this market. Ice cream is highly popular in Singapore: it’s common to see people queuing at ice cream kiosks for a cool treat on a hot Singapore evening. Chocolate is also one of the most popular flavours in ice cream across the world, so it is easy to adapt to local tastes,” Zhang said.

    Fico’s Solein-powered gelato will be launched through the Pedal for Gelato initiative, promoting an active and healthier lifestyle. Participants who cycle more than 15km in a day will receive a complimentary scoop of the gelato.

    Expanding food made from air

    Solein’s versatility extends beyond gelato, making it suitable for a wide range of sweet and savory recipes and familiar foods. Shilei Zhang, Solar Foods CCO, likened Solein to the “Intel inside” of the food industry, seamlessly integrating into various dishes while promoting sustainability.

    Courtesy Solein

    The gelato launch marks the beginning of a number of Solein-based foods entering the market in the near future, the company says.

    Solar Foods recently announced a strategic alliance with Japanese food company Ajinomoto, marking its first partnership with a global food brand. The collaboration includes product development using Solein and a marketability study set to begin in early 2024.

    Solar Foods’ commercial production facility, Factory 01, is currently under construction in Finland and is expected to commence operations in 2024.

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  • With Help From Jaguar Land Rover, Uncaged Innovations Raises $2 Million for Bio-Based Leather

    uncaged leather
    3 Mins Read

    Uncaged Innovations, a biomaterials startup focused on sustainable leather alternatives, has raised $2 million in a Pre-Seed funding round.

    Uncaged’s funding comes from investors, including InMotion Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) investment arm. Other mission-driven funds and syndicates striving to replace the use of animals in supply chains participated in the round, including VegInvest, Stray Dog Capital, Alwyn Capital, Hack Capital, and GlassWalls Syndicate.

    High-performance vegan leather

    The company says the funding will be used to launch next-generation high-performance vegan leather — a sustainable alternative to traditional animal products that do not compromise on luxury feel or durability. Uncaged has developed a formulation library for producing biomimetic leather alternatives based on composite plant-based proteins and polypeptides.

    Photo by Ivars Krutainis at Unsplash.

    By leveraging grain proteins as the fundamental matrix and incorporating other natural components, Uncaged says its bioleather mimics the fibril structure of collagen to provide the performance of animal leather. The company’s platform offers the tunability to generate materials exhibiting various mechanical and aesthetic properties, fitting for multiple end-use applications.

    Uncaged’s tech has earned it the highly-coveted National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to support the research and development of its unique technology.

    Ousting plastic leather

    “The current market landscape for alternative leathers relies heavily on plastic-based materials,” Stephanie Downs, CEO and Co-Founder of Uncaged, said in a statement. “Our technology platform enables us to fuse biodegradable elements that each provide unique characteristics, such as texture, strength, flexibility, water resistance, color, and fragrance. We can tune our formulation to meet different performance specifications. We’re thrilled to work with InMotion Ventures and JLR to reimagine leather in the automotive industry.”

    land rover interior
    Could vegan leather come to Jaguar Land Rover? | Courtesy

    “We’re proud to have leveraged just one percent of the funds raised by previous innovators to go from concept to full-scale production, giving us a competitive edge over our competitors,” Downs said.

    “We are excited to support Uncaged Innovations and its vision for the future of biomaterials,” said Mike Smeed, Managing Director of InMotion Ventures. Uncaged’s mission is to create eco-conscious materials is in alignment with InMotion Ventures’ goal of investing in exceptional entrepreneurs and setting new benchmarks in quality, technology, and sustainability, the company says.

    “We’re proud to be collaborating with Uncaged to explore responsible leather alternatives as we look forward to a sustainability-rich modern luxury vision for our future vehicles,” Rossella Cardone, Director and Head of Sustainability at JLR said of the investment. “This is in line with our strategy on the sustainability and provenance of the materials we use. We must embrace new material possibilities, new processes, and new technology and invest in sustainable material innovation.”

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  • Renewal Mill Secures Initial Series A Funding for Diverted Food Waste Flour Blends

    Renewal Mill
    3 Mins Read

    The upcycled food innovator, Renewal Mill, has successfully secured the initial phase of its Series A funding round.

    The undisclosed financing round was led by Beyond Impact Advisors and ICA Fund.

    In the upcoming months, Renewal Mill plans to secure the remainder of its Series A round. The acquired capital will fuel further expansion of its retail presence, facilitate the introduction of new products, and explore fresh opportunities to create a more sustainable food ecosystem by diverting food waste.

    Second life foods

    Since its inception in 2016, Renewal Mill has been instrumental in giving a second life to residual pulp from plant-based milk production, transforming this by-product into eco-conscious flours, baking mixes, and cookies.

    “Growing a business can be an uphill battle for female founders,” Renewal Mill’s co-founder Caroline Cotto said in a statement.

    Renewal Mill
    Renewal Mill baking mixes have diverted 66,000 pounds of food waste | Courtesy

    “As a super small, female-founded team, having ICA on our side made the process of growing our business and trailblazing the upcycled food industry a little easier. The Accelerator at ICA was incredibly helpful. From helping us build a deck to sales pitches and opportunities to get our product in front of investors, ICA has been there for us, and has done a great job of making us as entrepreneurs feel more human and supported,” Cotto said.

    Beyond Impact Advisors’ CEO, Claire Smith, expressed strong support for the company. “With a firm footing in both the upcycled ingredients and the plant-based products space, Renewal Mill not only continues to bring its own innovations to market but also helps its customers do the same,” she said.

    “Through it all, the company remains singularly focused on ensuring its mission that food be put to its best and highest use — feeding people, a mission we’ve supported them on since 2018 and are proud to continue championing,” Smith added.

    The venture’s success to date has translated into more than 66,000 pounds of diverted food waste. Additionally, Renewal Mill has fostered a network of collaborative relationships with various enterprises throughout the Bay Area. Last year, the company’s three new baking mixes and flours hit the shelves of Whole Foods Market outlets across the country.

    Partnerships and new product launches

    In March, Renewal Mill debuted its first co-branded product in a partnership with precision fermentation company Perfect Day on a gluten-free Upcycled Vanilla Cake & Cupcake Mix. The mix incorporates Perfect Day’s Egg Replacer made from animal-free whey protein along with Renewal Mill’s upcycled okara flour —a byproduct of soy milk production. The mix was developed by five-time James Beard Award-winning baker and cookbook author Alice Medrich.

    Renewal Mills
    Renewal Mill is expanding its upcycled flour options | Courtesy

    Perfect Day’s egg replacer provides a structure that’s hard to replicate in traditional egg-free vegan baked goods, according to Medrich who said in a statement, “Perfect Day Egg Replacer is a game changer. I didn’t think it possible to reproduce the texture of a classic American-style cake without using actual eggs.”

    “Perfect Day has been the perfect partner,” Cotto in a statement at the time of launch. “Not only did the functionality of the egg-replacer open up a whole new range of R&D possibilities for us, but Perfect Day’s mission to make the foods we love with almost no impact to the earth aligns deeply with our mission to make eating for the planet easy, delicious, and fun.”

    The brand has also recently added its third upcycled flour to its portfolio; upcycled white corn flour — a byproduct of the cornmeal milling process — joins Renewal Mill’s upcycled oat and okara flours.

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  • Climax Foods Debuts ‘World’s First’ Plant Casein: ‘One of the Most Important Scientific Breakthroughs’

    pizza
    4 Mins Read

    AI food tech startup, the Bay-Area-based Climax Foods Inc., has debuted what it says is the world’s first plant-based ingredient that mimics the functionality, flavor, texture, melt, and stretch of the dairy protein casein.

    The new innovation positions Climax Foods as the plant-based pioneer in successfully reproducing the utility, consistency, and flavor of the primary protein in animal milk for use in a range of applications, namely cheese. Climax’s plant-based casein is devoid of hormones, antibiotics, and the top eight food allergens. In addition, Climax Foods’ groundbreaking “precision formulation” technique enables the sustainable production of this protein at scale, price-wise equivalent to traditional animal-based casein.

    Recreating the complexity of dairy

    Existing plant-based dairy alternatives are typically mixtures of oil and starch that can disappoint conventional cheese fans in terms of nutrition, texture, and performance. Climax says that despite more than $1.5B of funding invested into multiple companies aiming to manufacture a casein substitute through precision fermentation, significant scalability, and regulatory issues persist. Climax’s scientists, utilizing AI and plant-based ingredients, have discovered an alternative approach by identifying abundant and naturally occurring plant proteins capable of imparting genuine melt and stretch to plant-based cheeses.

    “As foodies and scientists, we have a profound appreciation for the complex flavors and textures of dairy products, but also recognize their vast inefficiencies — such as requiring 700 gallons of water to make one pound of cheese,” Climax CEO and Founder Oliver Zahn, a Harvard-trained astrophysicist, and alum at both Google and SpaceX, said in a statement. “Our production process uses 500 times less water at our current pilot scale.”

    climax cheese
    Climax is bringing its vegan cheese to market | Courtesy

    According to Daniel Westcott, Head of Protein and Texture at Climax Foods, the company can achieve this without the need for genetic modification as well — a major barrier to entry in key markets including the European Union.

    “An immeasurable range of protein diversity and combinations already exists; we simply use data science and machine learning to pay very, very close attention,” Westcott said. “This gives us the ability to model and verify formulations at the microscopic level in a fraction of the time that it would take a traditional approach. And while we love learning through data science, we generate our data by making cheese, which means that the busiest half of our lab is the kitchen.”

    Climax Foods’ “precision formulation” process combines data science with machine intelligence to uncover ideal ingredient and process combinations that maximize the potential of plant sources. Compared with the centuries-long trial and error methods traditionally used in food innovation, Climax Foods’ AI-enabled precision formulation process condenses this procedure into mere weeks.

    New Culture, another Bay Area company working to replicate casein, just made its market debut at Nancy Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles. Unlike Climax, though, New Culture taps precision fermentation, a novel tech that uses microbes to recreate the dairy protein. While that cheese can serve as a stand-in for dedicated dairy lovers, it brings with it the allergen risks common with conventional dairy.

    Zahn says Climax is able to offer “a better way to everyone, especially hardcore cheese lovers,” through its tech.

    “To do this, we committed ourselves to understanding, on a microscopic level, what makes animal-based foods so craveable, and used that understanding to determine the precise steps needed to get that same exact performance from plant sources like seeds,” Zahn says.

    ‘One of the most important scientific breakthroughs in food in the last six thousand years’

    “We’re not changing any ingredients genetically; we’re using what is already there. The difference comes from our depth of knowledge of the rich biodiversity of the plant kingdom down to a cellular level. Plants can impart all of the same texture, taste, and performance of animal-based ingredients – our AI-enabled Deep Plant Intelligence platform takes away the guesswork. For our casein replacement, our AI platform and precision formulation process helped us uncover a mechanism in specific plant proteins that imparts indistinguishable melt and stretch and mouthfeel from casein while also dramatically improving nutrition.”

    Climax is working to revamp Bel Group’s vegan cheese | Courtesy

    Climax’s vegan casein-based cheeses have already earned the support of Michelin-starred chefs including Dominique Crenn and Jean Georges Vongerichten, as well as plant-based chefs Tal Ronnen, and Matthew Kenney. Major cheese manufacturers such as The Bel Group are also excited by the potential; Climax Foods has in aiding the redesign of Bel’s French staple cheese products into plant-based versions.

    “Caseins are involved in all dairy transformations including cheese, yogurt, cream, and others,” said Anne Pitkowski, Bel Group’s Director of Research and Applications. “They are directly responsible for the product texture, stability, and, moreover, bring the very unique property of stretchability. Those properties are linked to the specific micellar structure of the casein assemblage that, until Climax Foods’ discovery, had not been met anywhere else in nature.”

    While the company’s current focus is on dairy products, Zahn says that Climax Foods’ precision formulation process holds potential for the replacement of any type of animal-based food in the future.

    “This is one of the most important scientific breakthroughs in food in the last six thousand years,” Zahn said, “but we are only getting started.”

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  • Vegan Seafood Startup Plantish Rebrands as Oshi As It Eyes Global Market

    3 Mins Read

    Plantish, the innovative Israeli company acclaimed for its cutting-edge plant-based salmon produced via unique, patent-pending additive manufacturing technology, has announced a rebrand to Oshi.

    Oshi says the renaming event symbolizes a substantial evolution for the brand as it embraces its transition towards becoming a global food entity, readying itself for a U.S. product debut later this year.

    To this point, Oshi has raised $14.5 million in funding. Among the notable investors are Unovis, renowned for its financial backing of industry players like Beyond Meat and Oatly. Additional backers includes Pitango, TechAviv Founder Partners, SOMV, SmartAgro, E2JDJ, Alumni Ventures, HackSummit, and OurCrowd.

    The company, established in March 2021, boasts a roster of notable collaborators, encompassing Michelin-starred chefs, famed cookbook writer Adeena Sussman, and content producer Nuseir Yassin from Nas Daily.

    ‘A transformative journey’

    “By rebranding to Oshi, we are embarking on a transformative journey to position ourselves as a leading global seafood company,” Ofek Ron, Co-Founder and CEO of Oshi, said in a statement. “Our new name, which stems from the word ‘Ocean,’ represents our values and our commitment to delivering exceptional seafood products that resonate with consumers worldwide. We are dedicated to offering a sustainable and delicious alternative to conventional seafood while promoting a healthier and more environmentally friendly food system.”

    Courtesy Oshi

    With the vast majority of global fish intake (more than 70 percent) being attributed to whole-cut styles like entire fish or fillets, Oshi has a strategic goal to instigate a sea-change in the alternative seafood domain through its introduction of whole-cut, plant-based salmon.

    In the past, the technical hurdles of creating whole-cut alternatives resulted in a lack of options in the alternative seafood industry, which has predominantly been confined to products like fish fingers and fried fish. Oshi’s pioneering additive manufacturing technology has surmounted these limitations, laying the groundwork for a new, sustainable methodology in plant-based seafood creation.

    Global vegan seafood market

    Oshi is targeting a launch into the U.S. restaurant industry by the conclusion of this year, with ongoing chef collaborations to fine-tune product offerings ahead of the much-anticipated launch. Concurrently, the company has solidified a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Coop for distribution collaboration on Oshi’s salmon fillets in 2025. Coop Group, one of Europe’s leading retail giants with more than 7,000 outlets, seeks to provide its customers with a sustainable, superior alternative to traditional salmon through this partnership.

    Good Catch Salmon Burgers
    Good Catch Salmon Burgers | Courtesy

    Oshi’s U.S. and European debuts will see it join an emergent seafood successors category led predominantly by the Wicked Kitchen empire that boasts the U.S.-based Good Catch and the recently acquired Current Foods.

    Elsewhere, global seafood leader Thai Union has stepped up its vegan seafood offerings as well as led an investment into French algae startup Algama. And in Canada, Toronto’s New School Foods debuted its first product earlier this year: a plant-based whole-cut “raw” salmon filet that works and tastes just like conventional.

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  • Upstream Foods Says Cultivated Fat Will Help Plant-Based Seafood Market Surge

    salmon
    3 Mins Read

    When it comes to seafood alternatives, the choices are limited. Dutch start-up Upstream Foods aims to change that by cultivating fat from salmon cells for the plant-based seafood market.

    The alternative seafood sector has seen significant growth in the U.S., with both dollar and unit sales experiencing a 53 percent increase last year, according to the Good Food Institute (GFI). This upward trend is expected to continue. But to truly appeal to mainstream consumers, alternative seafood needs to elevate its quality.

    As consumer demand for sustainable alternatives continues to grow, companies like Upstream Foods are striving to meet the challenge and provide high-quality options. Upstream Foods’ innovative approach to cultivating salmon cell fat for use in plant-based seafood aims to revolutionize the industry.

    ‘Next level fat’

    Kianti Figler, founder and CEO of Upstream Foods, emphasized the need for improved product quality during her speech at F&A Next, an event hosted by Rabobank, Wageningen University & Research, Anterra Capital, and StartLife. She acknowledged that the current offerings do not yet match the taste and quality expected by consumers, Food Navigator reports.

    Plantish vegan salmon | Courtesy

    “When we’re talking about taste, we’re talking about fat,” she said at the event. “To take plant-based seafood to the next level, we need next level fat.”

    According to recent TURF analyses, the main reasons consumers would choose plant-based seafood are flavor (78 percent), the potential to reduce overfishing (7 percent), omega-3 content (3 percent), lack of bones (1 percent), and contribution to reducing plastic waste (1 percent). GFI suggests that once consumers have a positive impression of alternative seafood flavors, messaging focused on these additional benefits can make the products more appealing.

    Figler agrees with this approach and believes that taste and fat are closely linked. Upstream Foods’ solution involves cultivating fish fat from salmon cells through cellular agriculture. The company develops a proprietary cell line from salmon cells, cultivates them in a bioreactor, and then combines the fat with a plant-based matrix.

    Scaling up

    Upstream Foods is currently optimizing its salmon cell line and establishing its process at a lab-scale. The company foresees the main challenge in scaling up will be reducing production costs.

    Figler acknowledges that cost efficiency is a significant hurdle faced by the entire industry, as the infrastructure has primarily been designed for the pharmaceutical sector, lacking incentives for ingredient cost reduction.

    fish
    Courtesy Martin Widenka via Unsplash

    “Making this entire process cost efficient is, I think, the biggest challenge we’re all facing,” Figler said.

    While Figler expressed a desire to enter the European market first, she noted that the time-consuming process of submitting a Novel Foods application to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) might not be feasible for a start-up. Instead, Upstream Foods plans to focus on the U.S. market, aiming to scale its process and file for regulatory approval within four years.

    The road to market entry involves developing a proof of concept with global plant-based seafood players, followed by raising €3 million in seed funding. Upstream Foods plans to scale its process to 30L and then 100L, with further increases in scale before seeking regulatory approval in the U.S.

    While Europe may not be the initial market for Upstream Foods due to the challenges associated with EFSA approval, the company remains optimistic about the future of plant-based seafood and the potential to offer quality products that satisfy consumers’ taste preferences while delivering health benefits and affordability.

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  • Melibio’s Bee-Free Mellody Honey Makes Its Retail Debut at Eleven Madison

    Mellody honey

    2 Mins Read

    Melibio’s Mellody plant-based honey is making its direct-to-consumer debut via chef Daniel Humm’s Eleven Madison Home store in New York City.

    Following up from its debut at the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, Calif., last month, Mellody will be available as part of the Eleven Madison Home’s Tea & Honey box.

    Mellody x Eleven Madison

    The collection features honey oat shortbread cookies made with Mellody honey, one jar of Mellody plant-based honey, a honey dipper, and three single-origin teas from In Pursuit of Tea: Himalayan Black, Thunderdragon Green, and Elderflower.

    The culinary team at Eleven Madison Home is also developing an infused flavor of the Mellody plant-based honey that will be released in the next month as a duo with the original flavor. 

    Eleven Madison Home brings curated vegan food boxes to Manhattan

    “We were blown away by the quality of Mellody and were excited at the possibilities of how we can incorporate it into our kitchen through recipes and products,” Eleven Madison’s Director of Operations Chef Daniel Distefano, said in a statement.

    “A plant-based diet can often be seen as limiting. This product and what we’re doing with Eleven Madison Home goes a long way to discredit that notion,” he said.

    Benefits of going bee-free

    Melibio created Mellody to provide a vegan alternative to honey but also to help protect the world’s pollinator populations. The company says its plant-based honey addresses critical environmental issues caused by the commercial honey industry.

    “Native bees are critical to food production and biodiversity conservation, but they are under increased pressure due to fierce competition from invasive European honey bees,” Melibio says.

    Mellody comes to Eleven Madison

    “Many people are unaware of the issues surrounding commercial honey production and its impact on the 4,000 native bees in the US,” said Darko Mandich, co-founder and CEO of MeliBio. “By providing restaurants and consumers with a delicious and sustainable alternative, we hope to help restore ecological harmony and make room for native pollinators.” 

    Melibio says its Mellody honey is “molecularly identical” to conventional honey, so users experience the same taste, smell, look, and texture that they’re expecting from a honey product. The vegan honey works just like conventional across applications, and is “a vegan’s best friend in terms of sweetener,” Mandich says.

    The post Melibio’s Bee-Free Mellody Honey Makes Its Retail Debut at Eleven Madison first appeared on Green Queen.

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  • Mycorena’s Sustainable Fungi-Based Fat Mycolein Makes Its Market Debut

    Mycorena's mycolein
    3 Mins Read

    Following its release in 2021, Sweden’s Mycorena says its fungi-stabilized sustainable fat dubbed Mycolein, is now available for sale.

    Mycorena first announced its fungi-based fat that mimics animal fat in late 2021. The product earned high praise for its superior behavior and sensory qualities that outperformed plant-based fats such as coconut oil. The product, which is being marketed as Mycolein, is now ready for its retail launch under the company’s mycoprotein brand Promyc, currently available across select European stores.

    “Recognising the challenges faced by our partner food companies in sourcing a stable fat ingredient, in 2021, we launched the first fungi-stabilised fat as a prototype product,” Ramkumar Nair, Founder & CEO of Mycorena, said in a statement.

    ‘Unparalleled benefits’

    “At that time, we were still determining the product’s scalability, as has been the case with many similar products launched in the market. And now, after nearly 1.5 years of development, we have successfully created a full-scale process for producing the product and are fully prepared to launch it commercially,” Nair said.

    The product underwent extensive trials and tasting with plant-based partners including the vegan steak producer Juicy Marbles and meat alternative producer Dalco Foods.

    Courtesy Juicy Marbles

    “We are incredibly grateful to our partner companies who have supported us with extensive verification and product development trials. It’s satisfying to hear that the addition of Mycolein has elevated their products’ palatability and sensory offerings,” Nair said.

    Mycorena says the product is now better than ever and holds significant potential for improving the sustainability of the food sector. Mycolein offers “unparalleled benefits,” the company says, due to its versatile nature that enhances the juiciness and flavor of any food product, including plant-based and alternative protein and meat products, “with superior qualities similar to animal fat or as a healthier fat in meat products.”

    A healthier vegan fat

    Compared to animal fats and popular vegetable fats, Mycolein has a better nutritional profile and delivers the same, or even better organoleptic results, “making it a healthier and more desirable option.”

    Unlike most fats, Mycolein is also a source of dietary fiber, offering more than a 40 percent fat reduction compared to other fats. The clean label fat also contains very little saturated fat — 85 percent less than coconut fat. It joins a burgeoning designer fat category that’s seeing fermentation and cell tech advance sustainable alternatives to animal fat and palm oil.

    Mycorena's Promyc meat
    Mycorena’s Promyc meat | Courtesy

    “Our fat solution stabilises emulsions, locks in all of the product’s flavours, and maintains its juiciness during cooking. Compared to conventional vegetable fats, our solution is healthier. In addition, the tailored recipe of our solution allows for the introduction of additional flavours and fortification, such as Omega 3,” says Joan Lluch Casarramona, Food Specialist at Mycorena.

    According to Mycorena, using mycelium biomass in its Mycolein is a novel use of the material, something the company says can revolutionize the industry. The company already operates the largest mycoprotein factory in Europe.

    “The potential applications of this technology are limitless. While we initially focused on enhancing food products through fat solutions, this is only the beginning,” says Sandra Zachrisson, Head of Product Innovation at Mycorena. “Our ultimate goal is to leverage this technology to unlock new, sustainable solutions for food manufacturing.” 

    The post Mycorena’s Sustainable Fungi-Based Fat Mycolein Makes Its Market Debut first appeared on Green Queen.

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  • Supplant’s Second Product Upcycles Wheat Stalks Into Sustainable, Fiber-Rich Flour

    Supplant 's upcycled wheat stalk flour is more sustainable and healthier than conventional
    3 Mins Read

    The Supplant Company has launched Grain & Stalk Flour — a flour blend that uses more of the wheat plant by deriving matter from both the grain and the stalk.

    According to Supplant, its new flour maintains the taste and texture of baked goods, pasta, and other flour-based products while offering fewer calories and more fiber than regular flour. It is also helping the company make strides toward a more sustainable food system by using the underutilized agricultural side-streams such as oat hulls, wheat straw, and corn cobs.

    Upcycling food waste

    Supplant was founded with a mission of upcycling food waste into staple ingredients that are more nutritious and sustainable than their conventional counterparts. The new flour, which is being used in pasta, maintains the taste and texture of conventional flour-based products while offering fewer calories and more fiber than regular flour — six times more fiber than conventional.

    Supplant says that by utilizing both the grain and the stalk, the flour offers a viable alternative to regular refined wheat flour, which is stripped of most fiber.

    wheat field
    Photo by rajeev ramdas on Unsplash

    The Grain & Stalk Flour is Supplant’s second product. Its first, Supplant Sugars from Fiber, launched in 2021. It’s made from corn cobs and other food waste using enzymes that turn the cobs into sweeteners.

    The flour will make its debut on the menu of one of the world’s top restaurants, the three Michelin-starred Per Se, in collaboration with seven-Michelin star Chef Thomas Keller.

    “I’m proud to play a part in Supplant’s innovation and impact as they bring Supplant Grain & Stalk Flour to their sustainable ingredient portfolio; the company is making extraordinary strides in delivering on integrity without compromising the environment or our health, and that is something that strongly resonates with me as a chef,” Keller said in a statement. He’s already partnered with The Supplant Company to create chocolate bars and shortbread cookies with Supplant Sugars from Fiber.

    “By bringing under-utilized plant material back into the food system, Supplant Grain & Stalk Flour furthers our mission to create a food system that is fit for the future – one that is more sustainable, more food-secure and more nutritious for all,” said Supplant’s founder and CEO, Dr. Tom Simmons.

    Sustainable bulk food supply

    By upcycling agricultural side-streams that aren’t currently used in the food system, Supplant says it can help address the interconnected problems of nutrition, sustainability, and food security.

    “Writ large across the farm, you could effectively double the output of an arable farm, which not only will produce more food but it has less environmental impact per ton of food product made,” Simmons told Food Dive.

    Supplant flour
    Supplant’s new pasta made from upcycled wheat stalk flour | Courtesy

    According to Simmons, Supplant’s goal is to be a B2B supplier offering products that deliver improved nutrition, a high level of sustainability, and can help to increase food security.

    “We’re doing the bulk components because that’s really what the health issues are caused by. That’s really what the environmental issues are caused by,” Simmons said. “And that’s the unique thing that this approach can really do. It can do scale bulk replacement of ingredients.”

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  • Cauldron Raises AU$10.5 Million to Scale Australia’s Precision Fermentation ‘Fermaculture’

    Michele Stansfield cauldron
    3 Mins Read

    Australian precision fermentation company Cauldron, has raised AU$10.5 million to build Asia-Pacific’s largest network of precision fermentation facilities using a revolutionary hyper-fermentation platform.

    Cauldron says its new platform, starting in Orange, New South Wales before expanding nationally, will enable mass-scale production of new forms of food, feed, and fiber, and unlock a $700 billion global industry opportunity.

    Funding a fermented future

    To support this plan, Cauldron has raised AU$10.5 million from local and global investors to fund the expansion of its existing pilot plant, build a national production network, and establish a world-beating team of precision fermentation experts. The funding round was led by Main Sequence, the deep tech venture capital firm founded by CSIRO, and Horizons Ventures. The oversubscribed funding round is one of Australia’s largest seed rounds in a female-founded startup.

    Michele Stansfield Cauldron
    Michele Stansfield | Courtesy Cauldron

    Cauldron’s revolutionary hyper-fermentation platform is a breakthrough for the growing industry, helping precision fermentation companies scale and commercialize faster. Cauldron says its platform reduces costs significantly while increasing efficiency by five times compared to conventional methods.

    “Humanity has spent thousands of years getting fermentation to work. With Cauldron’s revolutionary ‘fermaculture’ platform, we are supercharging that process and unlocking the next evolution of how we produce food, feed and fibre globally,” Cauldron CEO and founder Michele Stansfield, said in a statement. “Our technology, 35 years of expertise, combined with Australia’s unique infrastructure and abundance of natural resources, will help ensure companies in this space can get new products and ingredients to market quickly, at lower cost and risk.”

    According to Cauldron, many companies in the precision fermentation space have struggled to produce at scale. The bacteria and microorganism-based tech can be costly for startups – something Cauldron says it can help offset.

    Australia as a fermentation hub

    Main Sequence Partner Phil Morle said that if Australia doesn’t tackle this opportunity, others will. “Precision fermentation is already a crucial part of medicines like insulin and many animal feeds but is often done at smaller scale and overseas. Cauldron will serve as a regional powerhouse for production to ensure Australia plays a part in the future of agriculture and other industries,” Morle said.

    “We believe Australia has the unique advantages and natural resources to become a world leader in the age of bio-based manufacturing,” said Chris Liu of Horizons Ventures. “Cauldron’s hyper-fermentation platform provides a supercharger in the quest for scalable precision fermentation without sacrificing cost and efficiency, particularly due to its easy access to abundant local feedstock supply alongside a carbon neutral production process.”

    Michele Stansfield of Cauldron
    Michele Stansfield with the Cauldron fermentation facility | Courtesy

    Cauldron has already attracted the attention of other Australian biotech companies, including Loam Bio and ULUU. Loam Bio is using Cauldron’s network to accelerate the production of the microbial technology needed to capture carbon and store it long-term, while ULUU is working with Cauldron to scale up production to help get its first products to market faster and replace plastics across a variety of uses.

    The company also announced the appointment of David Kestenbaum, former General Partner at ZX Ventures (the CVC arm of AB InBev), as a co-founder and CFO of Cauldron. 

    The post Cauldron Raises AU$10.5 Million to Scale Australia’s Precision Fermentation ‘Fermaculture’ appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • Malaysia Gets Its First Cultivated Meat Facility

    malaysian meal
    3 Mins Read

    Slated to launch in Q4 2024, Cell AgriTech says its first cultivated meat production facility will also be Malaysia’s first.

    Cell AgriTech says it plans to be in full production by spring of 2025, pending regulatory approval for cultivated meat. The company made the factory announcement during the first Malaysia Cultivated Meat Conference held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center earlier this month.

    Malaysia’s first cultivated meat facility

    “We are proud to be the first cultivated meat company in the country, bringing a sustainable and delicious alternative to traditional meat products,” said Jason Ng, the founder and manufacturing vice president of the Cell AgriTech group of companies.

    eel
    Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

    Cell Agritech’s focus will be on seafood, with tuna and eel up first. The goal is to achieve price parity with conventional seafood, the company says. The new facility will span three to four acres in size, with a 1,000-liter production volume.

    According to Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup, who was also present at the conference, the global cultivated meat market is expected to grow from US$176.48 million (RM791.87 million) in 2022, to US$321.71 million (RM1.44 billion) in 2027.

    “The development of cultivated meat technology in Malaysia promises to create job opportunities and revenue while addressing national challenges such as food security, health management, and climate change,” Kurup said.

    Cultivated meat is currently only approved for sale in Singapore, but two U.S. companies, Eat Just’s Good Meat and Upside Foods, have received FDA clearance with “no questions” on their tech.

    Alternative protein across Southeast Asia

    In a post shared on LinkedIn, the Good Food Insitute APAC said the historical development also opens up opportunities for new collaborations across Southeast Asia. That kicked off with Ng announcing that Cell AgriTech will partner with Singapore’s Umami Meats to scale up the production of cultivated seafood.

    fish ball
    Courtesy Umami Meats

    Last year, Umami Meats announced it had produced cultivated fish cakes and filets, following the launch of cultivated fish ball laksa last August. It filed a patent for a novel single-stem cell technology that it says can build both muscle and fat in cultivated seafood.

    Mohd Khairul Fidzal Abdul Razak, CEO of the Bioeconomy Corporation — the lead development agency for the bio-based industry in Malaysia — said that as the global population surpassed 8 billion last November 2022, the cultivated meat industry is “poised to grow substantially.”

    “We believe that the future of meat is cultivated,” Ng said. “We are committed to bringing this innovative and sustainable solution to the meat industry as our focus in the field of cellular agriculture.”

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