Styrofoam decomposing mealworms

Plastic-Eating Organisms – While mealworms normally feed on wheat bran, biologists at Stanford University and Peking University have given them polystyrene – a form of plastic foam – instead. Mostly, this material is used for polystyrene packaging, yoghurt cups or cable insulation. In a test experiment, the worms ate the material completely – approx. 40 mg per[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Mehlwürmer Frauenhofer Institut

Brill Food Printer

Culinary Products From the Printer – The Brill Food Printer enables a variety of culinary shapes and colors with its food-grade 3D printing technology. Using this innovative technology, chefs can produce visually unusual creations for confectionery, garnishes or figurines in different sizes. The result of cooperation between the companies Brill Inc. and 3D Systems, as well as various chefs, focuses[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Brill Food printer 3DSystems

Tuesa

Birch Bark Antiseptic Containers – Anastasiya Koshcheeva‘s storage boxes Tuesa are truly unique due to the natural birch bark and regional cedar wood. The oils contained in the natural materials ensure a long freshness of the stored food. The modern design was developed and handmade in Siberia. The aesthetic and practical focus is especially on the birch bark, which[...]

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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[...]

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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[...]

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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[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Algae Offset Ink Cast Iron

Ponto Biodesign

Bacterial Cellulose Film – Ponto Biodesign offers a sustainable alternative to plastic-based packaging materials. It is obtained from a mixture consisting of water, bacterial and yeast cultures (scoby), which – spread on a smooth surface and dried – produces a bacterial cellulose film with paper-like properties. On contact with water, the material develops an adhesive effect that can[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Ponto Biodesign Elena Amato

Lactips

Milk edible packaging film – Lactips is an edible plastic made from milk protein and produced in the form of pellets. Production is based on an industrial process that enables rapid production in large quantities. The thermoplastic, water-soluble pellets dissolve in both hot and cold water. Lactip offers barrier properties against oxygen, fats and mineral oils. It can be[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Lactips Lactips

Ooho

Edible Sip of Water – NOTPLA‘s edible water sachet was described in the media as the “bottle of the future” back in 2015. With “We make packaging disappear”, the company promises to counteract packaging waste through their flexible and edible shell, thus reducing plastic use. The “unpackaged” liquids are particularly advantageous for large events and can be used in[...]

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MILK MaterialLab OHOO Notpla

Algae Water Bottle

Bottle From Agar-Agar – Ari Jonsson during his at the Academy of Arts in Rekjavik has developed the concept for a water bottle made of agar-agar, which dissolves within a few days after use. For this purpose, agar-agar is brought to a boil with water and a gelled mass is formed. This is then poured into a frozen[...]

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MILK MaterialLab ager ager Ari Jonsson

Pasta 3D Printer

Printing method for pasta – The 3D printer uses dough cartridges filled with a mixture of durum wheat flour and water. This makes it possible to produce individual pasta shapes within two minutes, which could not be realized with conventional production processes. In addition to the appearance, the taste and consistency can also convince compared to classically produced pasta.[...]

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MILK MaterialLab 3D-Pastadrucker Barilla

Apeel

Edible protective spray for food – Californian start-up Apeel Sciences has developed an edible protective spray for fruit and vegetables made from food waste. This tasteless and low-calorie variant, due to its waterproof molecular structure, primarily serves to preserve the food, thus allowing protection from moisture and gases that continue the ripening process. The protective spray consists primarily of glycerol[...]

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MILK MaterialLab Apeel Apeel Sciences