Day: January 6, 2022

Estée Lauder explores paper-based bottles to help meet sustainable packaging goals

Read the full story at ESG Today.

Prestige beauty company Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) announced today that it has joined the Pulpex partner consortium, a collaboration of leading packaged goods companies dedicated to developing paper-based bottles.

Pulpex is a first-of-its-kind technology that forms bottles from wood pulp using 100% renewable feedstocks from responsibly managed forests. It was launched in 2020 as a collaboration between venture management company Pilot Lite and beverage alcohol company Diageo. Additional partners in the consortium include Unilever, PepsiCo, GSK Consumer Healthcare and Castrol.

Husker team gains momentum toward developing nitrogen-efficient crops

Read the full story from the University of Nebraska.

As nitrogen fertilizer prices rise across the country, a research team that includes University of Nebraska–Lincoln scientists has gained new resources and partners as they work to decrease the amount of nitrogen that crops such as sorghum and corn require to reach their maximum yield potential.

New York orders insurers to disclose exposure to climate-related risks

Read the full story at IEFFA.

New York State’s financial regulator called on insurers to consider climate-related risks in their business planning and provide related disclosures.

Breakthrough ocean cleanup technology hauls thousands of kilograms of waste from Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Read the full story at Planet Ark.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch — the largest accumulation of ocean plastic on the planet — could soon be cleaned up thanks to a new device capable of collecting thousands of kilos of waste per trip.

Called System 002, and nicknamed ‘Jenny’, the device is the result of years of research by The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit that develops technologies to tackle ocean pollution. It is essentially a giant barrier that floats on the water’s surface, using currents to capture plastic while allowing marine life to pass below.

Sustainable electrochemical process could revolutionize lithium-ion battery recycling

Read the full story from the University of Illinois.

Illinois chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Xiao Su and colleagues found an economical and sustainable method for separating cobalt and nickel from each other for battery recycling purposes – making spent battery electrodes a secondary source of these valuable metals.

Waste not, want not: New process turns manure into fatty acids

Read the full story from the Wisconsin Energy Institute.

University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have demonstrated a new process for transforming a plentiful Wisconsin waste into fatty acids, energy-rich molecules that can be used to make fuels and a wide range of important chemicals.

LafargeHolcim, Geocycle achieve major circular economy milestone with CenterPoint Energy to recycle 6 million tons of power plant coal ash

Read the news release.

The multi-year project directly combats environmental challenges through innovative recovery and recycling that will significantly reduce ash pond landfills and consumption of virgin raw materials in cement manufacturing.

Telecom giant, Midwest researchers partner on energy-efficient manufacturing

Read the full story at Centered.

Midwestern university researchers are teaming up with a telecom giant to find ways to solve climate problems. The Purdue Research Foundation in Indiana joined AT&T’s Connected Climate Initiative, with a main goal of incorporating new technologies to improve industrial manufacturing power management.

Purdue will examine the potential of 5G-enabled wireless technologies to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions for advanced manufacturing applications. AT&T is providing funding for the research project.

Half of the world’s coastal sewage pollution flows from few dozen places

Read the full story in Scientific American.

An analysis of roughly 135,000 watersheds reveals that large amounts of key pollutants come from human wastewater, not just agricultural runoff.

Supply chain woes could bring changes to contract manufacturing

Read the full story in Food Business News.

Supply chain problems could have companies reevaluating their strategies for contract manufacturing. Going with contracts instead of spot buying, building up inventory in advance and sourcing more products domestically are options.