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This new label mimics the product's decline in freshness by forming a bumpy surface. Image credit - Mimica
industry
13 November 2018

To reduce food waste, scientists are making labels that track produce as it spoils

A new type of use-by label for milk bottles that decomposes as the liquid inside goes sour could appear on UK supermarket shelves later this year. Labels such as these, capable of telling consumers exactly when fresh produce has gone bad, are being developed by scientists who want to stop food from being prematurely discarded. If successful, these indicators have the potential to reduce the millions of tonnes of valuable food thrown away each year.

The International Space Station air filter which expels CO2 has inspired scientists to try to create an Earth-based version. Image credit - NASA/Mark Garcia
environment | industry
12 November 2018

System to rid space station of astronaut exhalations inspires Earth-based CO2 removal

When astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) exhale carbon dioxide (CO2), it’s removed from the air and pumped into space. Could an Earth-based version help remove greenhouse gas emissions from our atmosphere?

Firms such as Novamont in Italy are using renewable resources to develop bioplastics and biochemicals, through the use of biorefineries. Image credit - Novamont
environment | industry
31 October 2018

Bioeconomies aim to become a beating heart of local communities, both rural and urban

As the EU aims to head towards a sustainable, low-carbon future, experts in bio-based industries at the forefront of this transition are turning food waste and waste-water sludge into bioplastics and converting decommissioned factories into new biorefineries by working with local populations.

Prototype air filtering stations placed in Paris, France, helped to keep the level of particulates below World Health Organization thresholds. Image credit - Pollution event in Paris by Tangopaso and Mariordo is licensed under CC0 1.0
industry | environment
30 October 2018

Ceramic honeycomb air filters could cut city pollution

A new type of outdoor filter that could cut city air pollution and is scheduled to be debuted at the 2024 Paris Olympics has been awarded the €3 million Horizon Prize on materials for clean air.

More than half of the total food waste in the EU, some 88 million tonnes in total per year, comes from households and the food service and retail industries. Image credit - Taz, licensed under CC BY 2.0
health | industry
29 October 2018

Food scraps to become dairy and meat substitutes

Finicky eating habits and wasteful processes have led to a system that discards millions of tonnes of food each year, but new approaches are salvaging the scraps we never see to make products that people will want to eat.

Recycling can be inefficient when parts such as dashboards from cars are too hard to dismantle, says Felipe Maya. Image credit - Felipe Maya
interview | industry
15 October 2018

In a zero-waste society, people will need to share and repair

Businesses and consumers need to stop thinking of products as things to own and move towards a culture of sharing and repairing if we are to fulfil the ambition of creating a circular economy, according to Felipe Maya, project and innovation manager at sustainable engineering firm Exergy, headquartered in Coventry, UK.

The infrastructure for turning seaweed into a sustainable alternative for livestock feed, chemicals and energy is still in its infancy. Image credit - MacroFuels
environment | industry
05 October 2018

Seaweed-powered trucks - hope or hype?

Seaweed has long been touted for its potential as a sustainable ingredient for biofuels, green chemicals and biodegradable materials, but scaling up production to industrial levels in a way that maintains its environmental credentials is proving a real challenge for scientists.

Magnetic fields are among the techniques being developed to extract metal particles from slags (stony waste matter). Image credit - Slag heap at Rammelsberg / Goslar by B.Nunold is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
industry | environment
01 October 2018

Discarded waste could be a treasure trove of rare metals

Miners could soon be scouring mounds of industrial waste to extract rare metals that are needed for products such as electronics, pacemakers, aircraft parts and bicycle gears.

The production of this leather-like textile is considered to be zero impact as it is created from grape marc - a waste material from wine production. Image credit - Vegea
environment | industry | open innovation
25 July 2018

Chicken plastic and wine leather – giving waste new life

A fashion collection made from the remains of grapes from the wine industry and plastic made from chicken feathers are two new twists on the practice of making new products from waste, and a growing demand for sustainability from consumers mean there could be a ready market for this type of innovation.

pharmaceuticals-manufacturer
health | industry
28 June 2018

‘Radical collaboration’ is shaking up the pharmaceutical industry – Carlos Moedas

‘Radical collaboration’ where multinational companies work together and share data instead of keeping it secret is helping to change the model of the pharmaceutical industry and solve problems more quickly, according to Carlos Moedas, the EU’s commissioner for research, science and innovation.

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