Cartamela Apple Paper

Paper From Apple Scraps – Since 2003, the South Tyrolean company FRUMAT has been drying and grinding the cellulose-containing fruit residues from apple juice production (so-called apple pomace) in order to produce natural paper from them. Nearly half a million tons of these fruit wastes accumulate in the European region every year and, due to their fungal hazard, have[...]

Learn more

MILK MaterialLab Car

NACHHÄLTER

Wood Cellulose Compostable Packaging – NACHHÄLTER are 100% recyclable and fully compostable packaging solutions whose raw material is created from forestry cuttings. For material recovery, viscose (soluble) is first extracted from the pulp, which is filtered through a pouring nozzle and runs into a precipitation bath, after which a transparent film of pure regenerated cellulose is produced. The Grünkunft[...]

Learn more

Chicory Plastic

Plastic From Chicory Waste – Chicory is known as a salad, not so much as a raw material for plastics. The root of the plant usually ends up in the composting plant. Only a fraction is used to produce biogas from it. Researchers at the University of Hohenheim have discovered the chicory root as a resource for obtaining hydroxymethylfurfural[...]

Learn more

MILK MaterialLab Chicorée Hochschule Hohenheim

Bio-Lutions

Tableware From Natural Fibers – BIO-LUTIONS uses only non-consumable raw materials such as banana stems, bagasse and rice straw in their products. By using such bi-products, they are able to abstain from the need for agricultural land. The disposable tableware and packaging solution are manufactured using a mechanical process that eliminates pulp extractions and bleaching. This process is aimed[...]

Learn more

VEIO

Textile Shells – The scarf series VEIO, processed by turning, was created by Kathin Morawietz‘s idea of pressing the layers of old textiles together by a thin layer of glue. In the process, these become a dense block that retains the feel of the fabric and makes it a visually unique piece. Once the material is strong[...]

Learn more

MILK MaterialLab Veio Kathrin

Fungi Mutarium

Plastic Eating Fungus – The prototype Fungi Mutarium enables the cultivation of a fungal biomass that is suitable for consumption, in addition to its amazing ability to degrade long-lasting plastic waste. Specially designed agar forms based on a mixture of starch and sugar, known as “FU“, serve as the nutrient base for the fungus. In shape they resemble[...]

Learn more

MILK MaterialLab Fungi Muratium

Gum-tec

Chewing Gum Recycling – Gumdrop Ltd. has set itself the goal of eliminating rubber emissions by recycling all types of chewing gum waste and processing it into a variety of products in collaboration with companies and manufacturers worldwide. In a new process, the recycled chewing gum is turned into the material Gum-tec, which can be processed into items[...]

Learn more

MILK MaterialLab gum tec Gumdrop

Cooking New Materials

Material From Organic Waste – With the Cooking new materials project, food waste such as banana or orange peels or even soy milk is given a new function by being transformed into a leather-like material made from bio-waste. The substance bonded with a natural binder to form a substrate has high resistance in contact with water. With their aesthetic[...]

Learn more

MILK MaterialLab Biowaste Material younyang song

Algae Offset Ink

Algae Printing Ink – This algae-based ink replaces petroleum-derived pigments used in conventional offset ink and have a much smaller carbon footprint. The project was carried out jointly by the Patagonia brand and Living Ink. After a successful test run, 8,000 brochures were printed on a 100% PCW recycled paper. Living Ink. has been working on algae-based ink[...]

Learn more

MILK MaterialLab Algae Offset Ink Cast Iron

GRASPAP

Paper From Grass – GRASPAP is a purely mechanically but particularly sustainably produced natural fiber that is processed without the use of chemical additives or water. In addition to these ecological and economic aspects, the new fiber is characterized by special properties for paper production: It serves as a supplementary raw material for pulp or groundwood pulp and[...]

Learn more

Waste Vault Pavilion

Pavilion Made From Recycled Beverage Cartons – On the occasion of the IDEAS City Festival in New York in 2015, beverage cartons were cut up and pressed into plates by heat. These formed an environmentally friendly pavilion that had tremendous strength due to the plastic coating on the recycled cardboard. The recycling concept was developed and implemented by Prof. Dirk Hebel[...]

Learn more

MILK MaterialLab Waste Vault Pavilion ETH Zuerich

Ocean Bottle

Plastic Bottle Thermos – With its reusable water bottle, the Ocean Bottle company is making a contribution to counteracting the increasing plastic pollution of the oceans. Made from recycled biomaterial and plastic waste, the Ocean Bottle itself can dive into the recycling loop. The recycling idea is complemented by the promise that 1,000 more plastic bottles will be[...]

Learn more

MILK MaterialLab Ocean Bottle Ocean Plastik Bottle