Green Chemicals Blog
Recycle
Gucci to establish “Circular Made in Italy”
I’ve always been advocating on the blog about luxury brands taking the lead to test the waters in using renewable chemicals, ingredients, materials and packaging, especially since they can easily afford to pay high premiums for low-volume, sustainable products. Gucci has long been doing this, as far as I recall. I reported on a blog … Continue reading
Louis Vuitton launches renewable sneakers
I saw this post from Biofuel Digest about Louis Vuitton’s new limited edition Charlie sneakers for men ($2324 available starting 19th July). According to the article, most of the shoe’s outsole is made from recycled polyurethane, while corn-based bioplastic is incorporated into the upper. Shoelaces are made from waste plastic, and packaging is paper-based with … Continue reading
Solvay launches Renewable Materials and Biotech Growth Platform
Solvay recently announced the launch of its new Renewable Materials and Biotechnology platform, dedicated to developing innovative and sustainable solutions for a range of markets, using renewable feedstocks and biotechnology. I’ve covered Solvay once in a while and I also remember its collaboration (via Rhodia) on bio-based n-butanol with Brazil-based Granbio. Back in 2015, the … Continue reading
PepsiCo sets 2030 virgin fossil-free plastic goal
This announcement from PepsiCo Europe is just one of the growing list of well-known consumer brands looking to reduce or eliminate future use of virgin fossil-based plastic in their product packaging. The company says it plans to eliminate virgin fossil-based plastic in all its crisp and chip bags by 2030. This will apply to brands … Continue reading
Eastman’s $1bn plastics recycling investment in France
Tecnon OrbiChem’s Bio-Materials reporting has continuously evolved to catch up with the latest low-carbon/zero-carbon technology solutions being developed within the chemical/materials sector. I have already been including analysis and reports about the recycling trends and projects – especially chemical recycling – in our Bio-Materials reporting since 2018. Our coverage has also expanded towards reporting about … Continue reading
Plastics Recyclers formed Chemical Recycling Group
This month’s Bio-Materials content is brimming with interesting information ranging from Coca-Cola’s 100% bio-PET, a new ethenolysis project in Europe, the global oleochemicals market going crazy (in terms of pricing anyway), Total Corbion’s new recycled PLA offering, etc. etc. I am still working on my report but speaking of recycling, I wanted to share this … Continue reading
US DOE Releases Plastics Innovation Challenge Draft Roadmap
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the Plastics Innovation Challenge Draft Roadmap and a request for information (RFI) seeking stakeholder input on the Draft Roadmap. Announced in November 2019, the Plastics Innovation Challenge is a comprehensive program to accelerate innovations in energy-efficient plastics recycling technologies. The Plastics Innovation Challenge will also position the United … Continue reading
Enerkem and partners to build waste-based methanol plant in Canada
It has been a while since the blog has an update on how Enerkem has been doing. This month, Enerkem, with a group of strategic partners, that include major investor Shell, along with Suncor and Proman, Hydro-Québec supplying green hydrogen and oxygen, and with the support of the Québec and Canadian governments, announced a plan … Continue reading
Calling all startups: Enter the KAITEKI Challenge
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation (MCHC) and Greentown Labs, the largest climate tech startup incubator in North America, are now accepting applications for the KAITEKI Challenge, the latest iteration of the Greentown Launch corporate partnership accelerator program. Greentown Labs and MCHC seek novel technologies in alternative proteins, waste plastics recycling, and the prevention of food loss … Continue reading
Ocean Cleanup Sunglasses now available
I think I mentioned in past blog posts that I’m (slightly) addicted to shopping but nowadays I am also trying to be more proactive in minimizing wastes hence my preference for buying thrift items and products made from recycled materials. This recently launched Ocean Cleanup sunglasses, however, is in my holiday wish list. I’ve been … Continue reading