As synthetic materials are much easier to care for than leather and also resistant to moisture, they are increasingly being used as uppers for running shoes. adidas uses a very special material in its new "Futurecraft Biofabric Shoe". The upper of the shoe is made entirely of artificial spider silk. Spider silk is extremely robust. The threads are thinner than a hair, yet more tear-resistant than steel, more elastic than rubber and also ultra-light.
Although every full diaper contains valuable nutrients, they are currently incinerated with household waste in huge quantities. Each child goes through about 6000 diapers before it is completely toilet trained at the age of about two and a half years. The most important elements of a conventional diaper are made of petroleum-based materials. These are outer shell of the diaper as well as the superabsorber (SAP), which absorbs and stores the liquid released.
Around the globe, plastic packaging and disposable tableware makes up a significant portion of discarded waste. This problem is particularly acute in India, where policy makers are now pushing for change as part of broader efforts to curb the flood of rubbish. Some Indian states have even instituted a ban on plastic.
The world population is growing and resources are becoming scarce. An important contribution to food security could be breeding insects instead of cattle, pigs and poultry. Insects are rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and unsaturated fatty acids. Insects also consume significantly less resources than their four-legged counterparts.
“There are only 34 harvests left until 2050, by which time there will be 10 billion people on the planet. The time for change is now,” says Guido Ritter. In Central Europe, we live in an affluent society, while other places are characterised by scarcity.
Components in the engine compartment of a car must be able to withstand extreme heat loads of over 200 degrees Celsius. Daimler uses biopolyamide engine covers for the Mercedes A-Class. While conventional plastic is produced from crude oil, the cover consists largely of castor oil. The oil is extracted from the seeds of the castor oil plant Ricinus communis, which belongs to the spurge family.
Alcohol has fat and dirt dissolving properties, therefore it is particularly well suited as an additive to cleaners. In cooperation with the chemical company Clariant, the family-owned company Werner & Mertz, known for its ecological and environmentally friendly “Frosch”-products has tested the use of bioethanol based on straw in washing and cleaning agents.
For much of his career, Florian Hammerstein wanted nothing to do with coffee. The market is too closed off, the structures too immobile, and only a few high-ranking players have a real say in the future of the industry. It is thanks to his enthusiasm and courage to pursue unusual projects that Hammerstein and his company, Original Food, remain actively involved in the coffee business.
Wasteful packaging has been a thorn in bioeconomy’s side for a long time. Especially food items that are packaged in layers of non-degradable plastic have caused resentments among environmentally conscious customers. The Deutsche Verpackungsinstitut (German Packaging Institute; dvi) supports sustainable packaging; it is a platform for information, insights und impulses regarding all packaging matters.
Circular or closed-loop economy is the holy grail of any sustainable economy. The idea is that no materials are being wasted and lost during production, and instead everything can and will be reused and recycled. However, although Germany has one of the most advanced waste management systems in the world, only about 14% of the raw materials used in the German industry are derived from recycling processes.