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Chemistry, Materials & Packaging

The latest developments in safe and sustainable chemicals, new materials, fuels, and more.

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How Gap, MycoWorks, Thousand Fell Are Edging Fashion Closer to Circularity

Denim and leather have helped style some of the most iconic fashion statements throughout history — so when taking apparel full circle, it makes sense to start with these types of classic materials that never seem to go out of vogue.

The ‘Secret’ Ingredient in the World’s ‘Greenest’ Buildings? FSC-Certified Wood

Across the country and around the world, thousands of buildings use FSC certification as a way to ensure that the wood materials used support responsible management of forests, keeping them intact and healthy for the people and animals who depend on them.

Trending: Startups Find Surprising Ways to Fuel Shift Away from Animal-Based Proteins

Cross-Posted from Product, Service & Design Innovation. Startups in Israel and Colorado are hitting the lab to reinvent dairy products and pet treats, respectively, without a single animal protein (as we know it) in sight.

New Concept Jacket Designed to Illustrate Viability of Fully Recyclable, Circular Garments

DuPont Biomaterials teamed up with Youngone to design a jacket comprised of recycled and plant-based fabrics that can be mechanically recycled at end of life — providing a glimpse into a circular future for textiles.

SB Corporate Members Collaborate to Drive Circular Innovation

When BASF and its customer and fellow Sustainable Brands Corporate Member, Stanley Black & Decker, realized they had similar interest in recycling technologies for plastics and battery materials, they decided to launch an innovation challenge.

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2019 Nobel-Winning Chemistry Professor Shares His Views on Renewable Energy

Dr. Stanley Whittingham, the pioneer of lithium-ion batteries, spoke with BASF about a fossil-fuel-free future.

Now Is the Time to Detox the Fashion Industry — Here's How to Do It

Can the fashion industry take the lead to reduce the use of harmful chemicals and become an influential global force in sustainability? ZDHC Foundation Executive Director Frank Michel outlines why now is the time for the industry to stick to its sustainability commitments, and offers the industry a free tool to start detoxing.

Biodegradable, Recyclable: Designing Products for a Better End-of-Use Outcome

As part of an effort to recognize and learn from a wide array of organizations about the ways we can each make a positive impact on people and the planet, Shaw is spotlighting 10 diverse organizations intently focused on products and initiatives that support the wellbeing of people and the planet.

Fibersort Technology Could Be Game-Changing for Recycling Post-Consumer Textiles

Cross-Posted from Waste Not. The tech can separate collected textiles by fiber composition and color into precise recycling feedstocks and return them to the supply chain — but studies show consumers need to drive the garment industry to use more recycled content in their products.

Meet 5 More Disruptors That Could Transform Fashion as We Know It

The H&M Foundation has unveiled the latest crop of innovators to earn its Global Change Award. The five startups share a €1 million prize pot and will participate in the Foundation’s Innovation Acceleration Program.

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Forestry Day and Every Day: Don’t Overlook the ‘Urban Forest’

While it is crucial to maintain sustainability managed forests, sourcing paper fiber from them is not the only option to consider. As we all move toward creating a more circular economy, it’s important to also consider sourcing materials from the “urban forest.”

Trending: With COVID-19, It’s 2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back in Fight Against Single-Use Beverage Waste

While Starbucks trials a NextGen coffee cup solution, COVID-19 concerns lead to reusable cup bans around the globe. Meanwhile, a UK soft drink manufacturer rolls out beverages in seaweed cachets.

Trending: In Fashion, What’s Outside Also Counts

New partnerships aim to tackle the fashion industry’s packaging footprint — with circular solutions for polybags and MATCHESFASHION’s new, recyclable boxes furthering the cause.

Igniting the Healthy Building Materials Movement: A Conversation with Perkins&Will

Here, Mary Dickinson, co-director of Perkins&Will's Material Performance Lab, sheds light on the firm’s efforts related to the environments in which we live, work and play; the market drivers for those initiatives; and the challenges and keys to success along the way.

Anti-Plastic Regulation Risks Less Sustainable Alternatives

Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. Faced with shortages of suitable recycled material, a growing consumer backlash and a hostile regulatory environment, it is no wonder that some companies are shifting away from plastics. But encouraging this shift towards material choices that do little to improve end-of-life environmental impact would be the worst possible outcome for the planet.

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Trending: C&A, G-Star, Genomatica Set New Course for Sustainable Textiles

The two clothing giants and the leader in bioengineering have each achieved industry-first milestones with their latest innovations — which raise the bar for sustainable denim and biobased nylon.

Tools for Healthy Buildings — at All Price Points

The Healthy Building Network’s HomeFree initiative helps leaders in affordable housing "do better" through scientific guidance and educational resources. The following insights from Billy Weber, HBN’s Collective Impact Director, were taken from a recent webinar, hosted by Shaw.

#ItsInOurHands: How Cleansing Wipes Can Be Both Convenient and Sustainable

Fact: Most personal-care wipes contain plastic and therefore can become a burden on the environment. Lenzing‘s biodegradable VEOCEL™ fibers offer an alternative solution. We talked to Jürgen Eizinger, VP of Global Business Management, Nonwovens at Lenzing, about the future of wet wipes.

Report: Overhaul of Paper, Textile Industries Can Halt Climate, Extinction Crisis in a Decade

Canopy’s ‘Pulp Thriller’ outlines a plan to save the world’s forests and climate by replacing 50% of forest fiber from pulp manufacturing with next-generation, alternative fibers such as agricultural residues and waste cotton.

More Major Retailers Are Saying ‘Forever Chemicals No More’

To paraphrase Voltaire: “With great market power comes great responsibility.” Retail market leaders are setting the pace in the transition to safer chemistry in their products and packaging. Their actions add up to saying, “Forever chemicals no more.”

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