HAY! Straws

Straws Like In the Old Days – The special feature of the compostable HAY! Straw wheat straws is their gluten tolerance. The bio-based grain is cut into length, rinsed several times with sterile water and thus preserved. At no time does the genetically unmodified plant come into contact with glyphosate or other chemicals. Many small Dutch farmers supply the company with[...]

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MILK MaterialLab HAY Straws

Grounded Packaging

Sustainable Packaging Solutions Supplier – Grounded Packaging is a Sydney-based company that produces recyclable and compostable packaging solutions for food and consumer goods. The envelopes, films, vacuum bags and stand-up pouches are made from potato, corn or rice starch. Residues of manioc root additionally strengthen the material. Fast-growing eucalyptus trees are used as the basis for the industrially and[...]

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MILK MaterialLab GroundedPackaging

E6PR

Compostable Six-Pack Ring – The E6PR is an innovative six-pack ring that replaces traditional plastic rings on can multipacks. The ring, made from by-product waste and other compostable materials, decomposes within a few days or weeks, depending on its environment. The start-up was created by the merger of several companies that want to put an end to environmental[...]

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MILK MaterialLab 46PackRings E6PR

Edible Seaweed Packaging

Biodegradable Plastic – Indonesian researchers Dr. Noryawati Mulyno and David Christian developed the Edible Seaweed Packaging made from seaweed. In their homeland, 90% of plastic waste is disposed of in the ocean and at the same time it has a large supply of algae. To produce a plastic-free alternative from the marine plants, they founded the company[...]

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MILK MaterialLab EdibleSeaweedPackaging Evoware Noryawati Mulyno

Smart Materials – Bioplastics

Bioplastic From Food Scraps – The Smart Materials research team at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in Genoa uses food scraps to make a bioplastic. To do this, they studied plant waste products such as cocoa pod shells, rice husks, and vegetables that were pulverized for use in vegetable drinks and colored pasta. Depending on the properties of the[...]

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Chitosan Bioplastics

Material From Shrimp Shells – The biodegradable material Chitosan Bioplastics was developed as a research project by industrial designers Paul Kheem and Ronny Haberer during their studies at New York’s Pratt Institute. In order to reduce global marine pollution, they use the chitin found in shrimp shells to develop a plastic alternative from it. Acetylation of the biopolymer yields[...]

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MILK MaterialLab ChitosanBioplastics PaulKheem

Vivomer

Compostable Bioplastics Made With Microorganisms – Shellworks produces Vivomer, a sustainable bioplastic made with microorganisms found in marine or soil environments. Four designers, Ed Jones, Insiya Jafferjee, Amir Afshar and Andrew Edwards of the Royal College of Art and Imperial College, developed the nature based mono-material. As a bio-based polymer, the PHA is 100% vegan and free from microplastics, while[...]

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MILK MaterialLab TheShellWorks EdJones InsiyaJafferjee AmirAfshar AndrewEdwards

Tômtex

Material From Chitin and Coffee Grounds – Tômtex makes leather from seafood waste and used coffee grounds. Seafood shells contain a large amount of chitin, which promotes biodegradability of the material. After preparation, the raw materials are refined with a layer of beeswax. Sealing ensures the water resistance of the material and allows individual surface texture. This allows design patterns such[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Bayonix Stefan Hunger

Gone

Compostable Disposable Packaging – As a result of the environmental impact following sporting events, Lizzie Wright developed the concept of Gone. She was looking for a solution that would replace the plastic packaging of energy gels while being biodegradable. After consumption, athletes can throw “Gone” on the street or in nature without polluting it. The material, which consists[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Gone Lizzi Wright MILK-MaterialLab-Gone-Lizzi-Wright-9

Biotrem

Wheat Bran Disposable Tableware – Growing up in a family that had already been running a mill for decades, Jerzy Wysocki decided to give the residual product of grain milling, wheat bran, a use. He developed a natural material from the grain shell and a small amount of water, which is suitable for use as disposable tableware by hot[...]

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Changhua

Loofah Bottle Packaging – During a stay in Taiwan, designer Dorian Etienne developed a bottle packaging from a regional product, the gourd plant “loofah”. The natural fibers obtained from them multiply quickly and have high durability. Since the spongy pumpkin has shock-absorbing properties, the material is particularly suitable for transport packaging. Thanks to the loofah material, the bottle[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Changhua Dorian Etienne

The Compostable Mailer

Mailing Bags Made From Corn Starch – The shipping bags from wastebased are made on the basis of corn starch and the natural PLA polymer, are completely of biological origin and therefore also compostable at home. The idea of producing a material that can be dissolved in water within seconds, leaving no environmentally harmful traces, led the British company to produce[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Wasedbased Versandtaschen MILK-MaterialLab-Wasedbased-Versandtaschen-8