Climate Insider’s Post

🌱 Plant-Based Pigments get some funding🎨 Developed by UK-based Cambridge scientists, Sparxell's plant-based pigments replicate vibrant colors found in nature using renewable cellulose extracted from waste streams. Their pigments offer toxin-free, fully biodegradable alternatives to traditional chemicals, with longer-lasting color intensity. They were awarded significant recognitions such as Morgan Stanley's Sustainable Collaborative Prize and the 2023 Ray of Hope Award from the Biomimicry Institute. Sparxell have recently made the industry news by securing a $3.2 million funding round, comprising seed investments, grants, and awards. 💼 Investors include The Circular Innovation Fund, Demeter, Cycle Capital, L'Oréal, SpaceX-backer Future Communities Capital, PDS Ventures, Katapult, Joyance Partners, and SNØCAP VC. 💰 The $38 billion colorants market is targeted, with plans to expand into beauty, fashion, packaging, and paint sectors. Sparxell is setting its sights on product innovation partnerships with leading car manufacturers, high-end fashion brands, and cosmetic goods manufacturers. 🚀 Funds will support pilot production, product development partnerships, trials with key manufacturers, and expansion of headcount. Congratulations Sparxell and Dr Droguet! #Sustainablewednesday

As more brands start to adopt next-gen materials, component companies are helping next-gen materials become more sustainable and environmentally friendly.🙌 Dr Benjamin Droguet, Founder & CEO of Sparxell, and Professor Silvia Vignolini discovered ways to replicate vibrant colors in nature using plant-based cellulose. This is a renewable, toxin-free, and fully biodegradable resource with a color intensity that lasts longer than traditional colorants and pigments on the market. "Over 10,000 fossil-based chemicals are used in current coloration processes. The textile industry is a well-known emitter of dyes and microplastics, with over 1.5m tonnes entering the environment every year, while painting has recently been recognized as the largest source of microplastics in the ocean," said Dr Benjamin Droguet. Sparxell recently completed a $3.2m funding round from investors including the Circular Innovation Fund, jointly managed by Demeter and Cycle Capital with L'Oréal as an anchor investor. For more industry news direct to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ejUJzcND Via: https://lnkd.in/dSwj9wJs #Materialinnovation #Nextgenmaterials #Sustainability #Innovation

100% biodegradable garments! Love to see the innovation of so many fantastic companies putting for people and planet at the starting point of their journey. Just example i came across during the weekend: “Our clothes are created with a zero plastic waste end in mind. Today, all of our products are plant-based because what grows from the ground can return to the ground.  Our approach is to collaborate with nature, not simply mimic it. We are partnering with the innovators shaping tomorrow, creating and employing a new generation of synthetic materials that can also decompose, leaving zero plastic behind at the end of the product’s useful life.  This doesn’t mean we want you to throw your UNLESS products away when you are done with them. We want them back so we can repair and resell, recycle, or compost them properly. But, if you find that your dog has buried your products somewhere in your backyard or in the trash, know that they won’t be there for long. Nature doesn’t do dead ends, so we don’t either.” A big respect for companies putting their principles first! 💚

🚀 This seems to be the year of innovation 🚀 🥇 SOOOO MANY WORLD FIRST COMING ABOUT RECENTLY. 🌿 From Seaweed Packaging to Plastic Free Bubble Wrap!! NOW WE HAVE... 👀 Cox & Co claims first flow wrap chocolate paper packaging 🏆 ♻️ This will allow the brand to phase out all plastics and give consumers a kerbside recyclable wrapping. 📅 Offering a 12-month minimum shelf life, Cox & Co’s new paper flow wrap solution could be a big step in reducing the large amount of chocolate packaging waste that currently ends up in landfill. Gavin Cox, founder of Cox & Co, said consumers are now actively seeking brands that take sustainability seriously and products that are easy to recycle. AND MAYBE THE BIGGEST BUSINESS REASON... 📈 This new packaging also allows the brand to reduce its packaging costs by 35%, offsetting price rises and enabling it to continue to offer its bars at a competitive price. 💭 What do you think will be next? 🤖

Are extensive innovation and technological advancements truly the keys to addressing social and environmental sustainability? Or is much of the discourse merely centered on maintaining business profitability as usual? Instead of pursuing complex alternatives to plastic, could a simple habit shift, such as carrying a plant-based bag for groceries, prove to be remarkably effective? Simple solutions often yield significant impacts. Take, for instance, the habit of carrying reusable bags for groceries, which eliminates the need for plastic bags. Instead of investing heavily in innovation and technological advancements for alternatives, small changes in behavior and habits can play a pivotal role in achieving social and environmental sustainability goals.

🚀ACHEMA 2024: What were the highlights? True to myself, I am fashionably late once again reporting on Sustainability news, but at least this one makes up with a lot of interesting innovations to cover! During ACHEMA, held in Frankfurt last June, start-ups showcased in the field sustainable textile dyes, alternatives to microplastics, innovative recycling technologies, and AI-supported applications, placing sustainable chemistry in the front of everyone's minds again! The main aim of these innovations are towards waste reduction, emission lowering, and alignment to ever tightening sustainability standards. ACHEMA 2024 helped these industries get visibility on a global stage. Here are a few examples! 🎻 Vienna Textile Lab Developing biodegradable dyes and pigments from microorganisms, partnering with fashion brands and textile mills to drive sustainable manufacturing. 🥤 BIOWEG Creating bio-based, 100% biodegradable alternatives to fossil chemicals, replacing microplastics with high-quality functional ingredients. 🍼 Mavisol Utilizing AI-powered quality monitoring for PET packaging production, enabling the wider use of recycled PET without compromising quality. ♻ Plastale Presenting solutions for the circular economy, co-exhibiting at the ISC3 booth to connect with global investors and stakeholders. 🌳 Banyan Nation Providing innovative recycling technologies that support a circular economy, showcased at the Innovation Stage. Other innovative start-ups like Energy Robotics GmbH, Coac GmbH, Nextmol, Blueplasma Power, ETB Technologies, FRE Technologies, AllocNow, UniteLabs, and Exomatter also joined in the fray and presented groundbreaking ideas, further advancing sustainable chemistry. Have a look at the article for more insights! #Sutainablewednesday

In the bustling landscape of modern industry, where innovation meets sustainability, one visionary stands at the helm of change: Arpita Kalanuria, the driving force behind Amplearth Packaging & Systems Pvt. Ltd. Her journey as founder and managing director of AmplePac is not just a story of entrepreneurial success, but a testament to the power of circular economy principles in reshaping our future. Since its inception in 2018, AmplePac has revolutionized the FMCG sector by crafting over 100 sustainable packaging solutions from reclaimed metals. Arpita's mission is clear: to combat single-use plastics with products that are reusable, sterilizable, and engineered for multiple lifecycles. This isn't just about business; it's a commitment to environmental stewardship and societal change. Arpita's advocacy extends beyond boardrooms; she champions a low-waste lifestyle and has graced prestigious platforms like FICCI CES and ET SGDs Summit to ignite conversations on sustainable living rooted in Vedic principles. Her voice resonates in the halls of change, urging communities to embrace a future where waste is a relic of the past. AmplePac's impact goes beyond product innovation; it's about catalyzing a global shift towards ESG-focused solutions. By leveraging AI and blockchain, their packaging not only reduces carbon footprints but also sets new standards for transparency and accountability in supply chains. Recognitions have followed Arpita's trailblazing path: from the MeitY – NASSCOM Startup Women Entrepreneur Award to collaborations with giants like Microsoft and CIIE Accenture Sustainability Value, each accolade underscores AmplePac's pivotal role in shaping the future of packaging. But the journey towards a circular economy isn't without its challenges. As Arpita rightly points out, the Industrial Revolution heralded an era of prosperity marred by environmental degradation. Today, with digitalization driving economies forward, the imperative is clear: we must pivot towards circularity to sustainably manage our resources. Circular packaging isn't just a buzzword; it's a paradigm shift demanding collaboration across sectors. From brands to consumers, from logistics to technology, every stakeholder plays a crucial role in fostering a robust reuse ecosystem. India, with its burgeoning tech market and aspirational population, stands poised to lead this charge on the global stage. Imagine a world where every shampoo bottle, every sanitizer container, is not just an end product but a beginning—a reusable vessel designed to endure. This vision hinges on intelligent design and widespread consumer engagement, transforming waste into opportunity and safeguarding our planet for future generations. Arpita Kalanuria's story isn't just about building a company; it's about rewriting the narrative of consumption and waste.Madhuri Awande AmplePac Arpita Kalanuria Visit our website: https://lnkd.in/dwVWAA33 #startup #womenfounder #entrepreneur

Abacá instead of #plastic? From fashion to packaging to industrial products, startups around the world are working to replace plastics with biodegradable materials. The market is booming, even fashion giants are now interested in alternatives, and investors see an opportunity for sustainable profits. Now the alternatives to plastic have to break into the mainstream. What can we expect? #plastics #growth

BETTER? OR NOT! – A dairy and now plastic free spread!? Upfield the plant based food brands business has launched, what it says is, the world’s first plastic-free and recyclable tub for its butters and spreads. The plastic-free packaging is made with paper—compressed wet paper fibers—and Upfield’s new tubs are waterproof, oil-proof, and recyclable in local paper waste streams. Upfield aims to make the paper tub certified home compostable by 2025. They were helped by the team Footprint. How does this innovation help other brands be more responsible? What do you think? #betterornot

"What are the alternatives to fossil fuel-based fabrics? Do we have enough innovative and traditional materials to replace them?" One example of sustainable innovation is by Ananas Anam Ltd., but we need to significantly reduce the production and use of fossil fuel-based textiles in our daily lives, especially given the current climate conditions. Check out below article by Good On You #circulareconomy #sustainability #naturalfibers #soilhealth #wool #pineappleleather #climatechange #textileandclimate #climatepositive #SPCT2024 #zerowaste #concordiauniversity #montreal #publicscholar #slowfashion #Sustainabilityambassador