Resources

German designer Melina Bucher this year released the world’s first entirely vegan and bio-based handbag. We asked her about her collaboration with pioneering biobased materials innovators and what she believes will propel the industry forward.

The tool will assist startups in their development of high-performance, plastic-free alternatives that are 100% biobased and compostable — with the aim of reducing dependence on petrochemicals, waste to landfill, and pollution.

Materials touch just about every sector and system on our planet. These books draw on design, biology, chemistry, economics, systems thinking, engineering and more – offering fresh perspectives and inspiration for innovators looking to create new materials that can regenerate communities and ecosystems.

The Principles of Green Chemistry are designed to help chemists make safe and sustainable choices for human and environmental health. Green chemistry can be defined as the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. Today, companies, governments, and higher education systems are integrating them into curricula and practice. Dr. Charlene Smith, Green Chemistry Lead at Materiom, shares her views on the role of green chemistry in regenerative biomaterials innovation.

The design of biodegradable polymeric materials is of increasing scientific interest due to accelerating levels of plastics pollution.

Biomaterials, used here to signify 100% biobased and biodegradable materials, can offer a promising solution for transitioning away from fossil-based resources, addressing the climate crisis, and combating plastic pollution.

Imagine a future where materials are made from renewable ingredients harvested from our local surroundings: potato skins, fruit peels, and coffee grounds from homes and businesses, woody branches and leaves pruned in city parks, mussel shells and fish scales collected from seafood processors, and regeneratively farmed seaweed bailed up from offshore aquatic farms. These diverse resources are broken down to a common set of material building blocks – cellulose, chitin, starch, glucose – and used as fossil-fuel alternatives to make packaging, textiles, and other products.

At Materiom we envision a future where materials regenerate nature and support human health. What does this mean in practice?

It’s mind-bending to stop and think about how much ‘stuff’ around us is made from oil: cleaning products, packaging, furniture, homeware, clothing, the list goes on.

Materiom has contributed a chapter to the book “Additive Manufacturing of Biopolymers: Handbook of Materials, Techniques, and Applications”.

Bioplastics derived from organic materials other than crude oil are often suggested as sustainable solutions for tackling end-of-life plastic waste, but little is known of their ecotoxicity to aquatic species.

This article focuses on agar biopolymer films that offer promise for developing biodegradable packaging, an important solution for reducing plastics pollution.