Polyethylene 9x More Efficient To Source From Sugar Cane Over Corn.

Tetra Pak is to pilot the use of renewable polyethylene as a raw material in the manufacture of its plastic caps and closures within the next two years. The carton manufacturer has signed an agreement with Brazilian company Braskem, a thermoplastic resin producer, to buy limited volumes of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) from a renewable feedstock.

According to TreeHugger.com:

“Brazilian plastic company Braskem SA reports that, using ethanol feedstock, their polyethylene process, scheduled to operate commercially in 2011, will make product with exactly the same characteristics as polyethylene derived from petroleum. Environmental- and cost-efficiency of the process hangs on feedstock choice. It will be “nine times as efficient to derive ethanol from sugarcane as from corn, and four-and-a-half times as efficient compared to ethanol derived from sugar beets.” Even more strikingly, a spokesman for Braskem reported, manufacture of one pound of petroleum-based polyethylene “releases 2.5 kg of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere,…whereas the same amount of sugarcane-based PE captures that same amount of the gas.”

Read more at packagingnews.co.uk and TreeHugger.com.

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The Newest Eco-Textile: Animal Feathers and Wheat Gluten

Currently there are many natural fiber alternatives on the market, but 38 million tons of synthetic fiber is still produced annually, the majority of which is derived from petroleum. A new study however, has found that regenerated proteins could be an abundant alternative to the vast amount of synthetic fibers in use today.

Researchers have discovered that proteins in wheat gluten and feather keratin, when processed correctly, have suitable characteristics for use in a wide range of fiber-based applications. Unlike synthetic fibers, protein-based fiber originates from waste or by-product sources that are rapidly renewable but have similar qualities to wool. The US alone creates about 5 billion lbs. of feathers annually, the majority of which have no suitable use. Wheat gluten is also abundantly available, low in cost and a renewable resource.

Protein-based fibers have always suffered from poor wet strength, but this problem can be mitigated thanks to advances in nanoparticle and cross-linking technology thereby making protein based fibers a more commercially viable alternative.

Cellulose based fibers have been gaining popularity in recent years, but protein-based fibers are quite promising as they are commercially abundant, consistent in quality and have a guaranteed supply. With further research, protein based fibers have the potential to tap already existing infrastructures for raw material, and produce a wide range of useful products in place of the multitude of petro-based synthetics.

To find out more, check out the article at Bio-Macromolecules

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Being good never felt so…Good.

Oeuf NYC is a company that is very interested in doing good by being good. Be good to the earth, be good to the ones you love, be good to each other. This is what they believe.

By partnering with manufacturing facilities in Latvia and Bolivia they have helped to bring income to areas that are less fortunate, and to minimize Oeuf’s impact on the environment. The wages that workers earn in Bolivia give them the financial support necessary to send their children to school and feed their families. In Latvia, not a single thing in Oeuf’s four factories goes to waste. All of the material scraps, cuttings and leftovers are reused or recycled. Even sawdust. Oeuf’s production processes all meet E1 standards, which are lower than California’s standards for 2012, and they use the most eco friendly materials possible.

So what is it that they make you say? What else could be more suitable for such a caring company than baby products? That’s right, Oeuf NYC has developed and entire line of eco friendly and baby safe furniture and clothing. You can view their entire list of wonderful products on their web site.

Bamboozled by Bamboo?

Bamboo has been touted as the new wonder fabric, it is rapidly renewable, requires little or no pesticides, and is soft to the touch. Today consumers can find many “eco-friendly” products that are made from bamboo but can it really be all that sustainable?

Bamboo is a grass that grows up to two meters per week, and is cut and not uprooted when harvested allowing it to grow back quickly. It is extremely hardy and usually requires only rainfall to grow and thus many industries find it quite appealing as a source material. Unfortunately the majority of bamboo is derived from large plantations in China that are highly under-regulated. Many of the plantations were created through the clear cutting of forests, and although usually grown organically, bamboo is very invasive and can choke out native species and greatly affect local ecosystems. To be processed into fiber, a lot of energy is also consumed and toxic chemicals like caustic soda are needed to refine it into a wearable textile. The whole production process needs greater regulation and transparency to ensure its growth and production is more sustainable.

As with most products on the market there are usually trade offs in its production and use, and bamboo is no exception. Bamboo does have some great positive attributes however; It can be made into a variety of textiles that can be as soft as cashmere or as strong and durable as denim. Bamboo is also praised for its UV protection and its anti-microbial properties although further testing is needed to bolster these claims.

There is no doubt that bamboo is a highly versatile material. It can be used successfully not just for textiles but for a variety of other industries as well. For bamboo to truly be a sustainable material however, more attention must be put on its production and how it is harvested and processed. There is no doubt that bamboo can be a great sustainable material, but the hype surrounding it can be detrimental for the real facts to come out.

Visit the Organic Clothing Blog for more info

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Effervescent Plastics Promise More With Less

A new method of expanding plastic during molding looks to change the way plastic goods are manufactured in the future and may help ease our growing appetite for virgin plastic. By infusing microscopic bubbles into the interior of plastic, MicroGREEN, an Arlington Washington based firm, has developed a solid-state microcellular technology that increases strength and more importantly, vastly reduces the use of plastic source materials.

MicroGREEN’s patented technology, developed at the University of Washington, promises to increase output while lowering material costs by up 75% or more. The process can be tailored to each specific application and can be used with a variety of virgin and recycled plastics, such as PET and even bioplastics like PLA. The process does not chemically alter the plastic so the end product can be recycled over and over again. A common example on MicroGREEN’s website claims that the plastic found in a common 20oz soda bottle is enough to make seven 12 oz coffee cups using their patented technology.

The process creates a naturally smooth outer surface, is lighter weight, has excellent insulating qualities and requires less energy to manufacture. The new technology is FDA approved for use with food, and applications can range from use in electronics and appliances, to the aviation and automobile industry, and even in building supplies and lighting. With a long list of benefits, MicroGREEN’s process of doing more with less is a much-needed advance in our plastic dependent society.

To find out more visit MicroGREEN’s Website

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Wal-Mart Unveils a New Sustainability Initiative

Wal-Mart is making headlines again, thankfully this time it’s a lot less controversial. On October 22nd in Beijing, Wal-Mart held a groundbreaking conference with around 1,000 different suppliers and manufactures outlining the future goals of the company. With many companies today realizing the need for more sustainable business models, Wal-Mart is following suit with an initiative to bring more sustainable and energy efficient practices to its already immensely successful business and supply chain.

“Sustainability is about building a better business. We think it is essential to our future success as a retailer — and to meeting the expectations of customers,” said Lee Scott, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. “Maintaining the trust of our customers — today and in the future — is tied hand-in-hand with improving the quality of our supplier factories and their products.”

Wal-Mart’s main initiative focuses on meeting or exceeding social and environmental standards, promoting innovation and efficiency and building stronger partnerships with suppliers, governments and NGOs. Beginning in China in 2009, Wal-Mart will create a new supplier agreement that will require factories to certify compliance with local laws and regulations as well as rigorous social and environmental standards. Wal-Mart will also partner with its top manufacturers to improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2012. Along with increasing environmental standards, Wal-Mart will also implement stricter product safety and quality measures that will greatly reduce returns of defective merchandise

Thanks to its great success, Wal-Mart is in a unique position to bring about effective change by working collaboratively with foreign suppliers and manufacturers. Although by no means the first company to strive to be more environmentally conscious, the fact that a large and powerful company like Wal-Mart is making a commitment to sustainability will no doubt have a positive impact and lead the way for other corporations to follow.

Wal-Mart Press Release

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Plastic from…Bacteria

No, this isn’t fringe science.  This is real and is happening now, and it is the business of Genomatica, a chemical company based in San Diego, focusing on the bio manufacturing of sustainable chemicals.  In a process similar to biofuel creation, through the fermentation and manipulation of E. coli bacteria (along with sugar and water), Genomatica has developed a petroleum-free incarnation of butanediol (BDO), a versatile chemical compound common to a range of plastic products.  Noteworthy, is the company’s intent to utilize particular kinds of sugars which do not threaten the scarcity of foodstock-based sugars on world markets.  The company chose to initially focus on BDO due to the dramatically increasing cost and energy-intensive nature of its fossil-fuel based production, and because it is such a ubiquitous product within the world of plastics.

If the company can indeed develop a cost-competitive plastic from their more environmentally friendly approach, they will have proven the viability of potentially large-scale non petroleum-based manufacturing solutions.  According to Genomatica’s own brief on how the company views sustainability, “… government, academia and industry should strive to maximize resource efficiency through activities such as energy and non-renewable resource conservation, risk minimization, pollution prevention, minimization of waste at all stages of a product life-cycle, and the development of products that are durable and can be reused and recycled.”  It’s hard to beat that, so we should all keep our eyes on the work of Genomatica, for we might be seeing some great things emerge from this company in years to come.

Genomatica

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Recycled Cardboard Made Into Furniture

Krooom focuses on environmental performance and makes products which are produced with at least 60% recycled paper. Their technical team has developed and invented patented technology that has enabled the creation of products which are strong, sturdy and lightweight. They ship folded flat and require no tools for assembly. According to Nitzan Bertele, their Chief Design Officer, “advanced patented technology ensures no visible corrugated edges. Our products are completely printable, and meet many of the standards for moisture resistance.  Their production facility in China is supervised by our own staff, strictly working under international and local labor laws.”

In a typical re-manufacturing process, recycled cardboard is dropped into a water-based solution in which it dissolves, contaminants (tape, staples, dirt, etc.) are removed by gravity, flotation, or filtration, the recycled pulp is blended to produce a mix with the characteristics required for production of a specific paper product, and the pulp is pumped to a paper machine where the final product is manufactured. Paper production from recycled cardboard consumes less energy, produces fewer emissions to air and water, and generates less solid waste than production of similar products made from virgin fiber.

Please visit Krooom for more information.

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