Tag: Reuse

Banana leaves protect potatoes and sponges made from pollen absorb oil. Now, an Indian startup founded by siblings is making compostable packaging from farm stubble. Their newly developed technology splits the stubble into different fibres. Making cellulose that can be used to produce paper and particle board as well as lignin, which serves as a binding agent. Any resulting...

Gin and whisky are saving trees from being felled. Apple leftovers or kombucha are also playing their part. In the USA alone, wood processing produces 100 tonnes of sawdust annually, which could be used as packaging material. A Massachusetts-based startup is manufacturing furniture, kitchen utensils and automobile parts from the valuable waste product. Their design pieces come from a...

Older models are all the rage. But some items of clothing wear easily. Now, a Swedish company founded by scientists is recycling used clothing and production waste from cotton or viscose. Having been de-zipped and de-buttoned, the textiles are ground and dissolved into non-toxic chemicals. The resulting pulp of cellulose fibres is freed from unwanted residues, dried and made...

Hearing aids or pacemakers don’t need batteries. E-bikes and scooters definitely do. After multiple charging cycles, some cells often lose their functionality which makes complex batteries completely useless. A French startup is aiming to prevent this with its innovative new battery pack. The casing is made from recycled materials and contains cells which can be individually exchanged. No cables...

Stretch-jeans can be manufactured sustainably. But for a new look, it’s worth taking a peek inside your existing wardrobe. A London-based startup is helping consumers to find novel combinations. Single items of clothing are photographed and images uploaded to its app. It, in turn, categorises users’ wardrobes. This catalogue lets users generate new combinations for any occasion. Those looking...

We’ve seen football jerseys from coffee grounds and electricity from oranges. Now, a Swiss research team is turning leftover fruit and vegetables into hydrogen and biochar in a flash. First banana- and orange peel, corn cobs or coffee beans are dried and ground. Next the resulting powder is heated and evaporated with a high energy Xenon flash lamp. The...

France decided to reduce waste from electronic devices. Rare earths are crucial components, but hard to recycle sustainably. Now, an Iranian research team is leveraging a scientific phenomenon that is supercritical, literally. Similar to a pressure cooker, water or organic solvents are subjected to extreme heat at high pressure and thus don’t change into steam. The resulting supercritical fluid...

It’s possible to save electricity while showering. But for a clear conscience, why not go further still? A startup from England has designed a portable system that reuses shower water to wash clothes. A detachable water tank is placed on the shower floor like a mat. Once full - typically after 2 minutes - it is reattached to the...