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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 – 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. Remnants of manio root further 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 can ring – The E6PR is a six-pack ring that replaces the conventional 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

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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MILK MaterialLab SmartMaterials EdibleVegetableWasteBioplastics Alumni

Chitosan Bioplastics

Material made from shrimp chitin – 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 are using the chitin found in shrimp shells to develop a plastic alternative. By acetylating the biopolymer, chitosan is[...]

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MILK MaterialLab ChitosanBioplastics PaulKheem

Tômtex

Material from chitin and coffee grounds – Tômtex makes vegan 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[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Bayonix Stefan Hunger

Biotrem

Wheat bran disposable tableware – Growing up in a family that had been running a mill for decades, Jerzy Wysocki decided to put the leftover product of the grain milling process, wheat bran, to good use. He developed a natural material from the seed husk and a small amount of water, which is suitable for use as disposable tableware[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Biotrem Geschirr aus Weizenkleie MILK-MaterialLab-Biotrem-Geschirr-aus-Weizenkleie-6

Heineken Green Grip

Compostable cardboard applicator – In the future, the British brewery Heineken will replace the plastic rings of its multipacks with a recyclable and compostable cardboard applicator. This saves the company over 500 tons of plastic. This is equivalent to 94 million plastic bags. By the end of 2021, only Green Grips are to be found on supermarket shelves.[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Heineken Green Grip

Totomoxtle

Corn material – Totomoxtle is a new type of veneer material made from Mexican corn husks. The purple, red as well as cream corn grains give a unique design to the lamps, wall coverings, cans and tables. Fernando Laposse’s goal here is to preserve jobs and safeguard the agricultural diversity of his home country. With the declining[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Totomoxtle Fernando Laposse

That’s Caffeine

Furnishings from recycled coffee scraps – Atticus Durnell recycles coffee scraps by making furnishings such as lamps, plates and even tiles from them. By pressing these remains with resin, completely biodegradable products succeed. Subsequent sealing provides individual color in addition to water and temperature resistance. The idea of the Briton gives the previously unused waste a new functionality and thus[...]

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MILK MaterialLab ThatsCaffeine Atticus Durnell

Scoby Packaging

Packaging from organic waste – MakeGrowLab’s woven biowaste packaging is made entirely of cellulose, making it free of toxic pollutants, synthetic polylactides and fossil fuels. Scoby is 40 times more durable than paper and is compostable and plastic-free due to its natural ingredients. Thanks to its airtightness and water resistance, Scoby has already been able to encase shampoos, soaps,[...]

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MILK MaterialLab ScobyPackaging MakeGrowLab MILK-MaterialLab-ScobyPackaging-MakeGrowLab-10

Pinepac

Packing From Pine Needles – Pinepac, the winner of the 2017 International Packaging Contest in the Material category, is a package made of pine needles and resin. To produce them, the plants are crushed and mixed with the organic binder resin. The resulting mixture is then pressed into molds, which consist of salt, flour, sunflower oil and water. Subsequent[...]

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MILK MaterialLab PinePac Lina Petersson Arina Pauli MILK-MaterialLab-PinePac-Lina Petersson-Arina Pauli-4