Good News Notes: “One of the biggest misconceptions about making your beauty routine more sustainable is that you’ll have to sacrifice performance and sleek packaging when switching to less-wasteful products. But Common Heir is one skincare brand that’s proven that plastic-free beauty products can, in fact, be sexy. Co-founders and beauty industry veterans Cary Lin and Angela…
Category: plant-based
Xampla launch trial for plastic-free seed coating
Good News Notes: “Today (1 February), Xampla has announced a partnership with chemical company Croda International to begin trials into plastic-free seed coating. The project, supported by the UK Government and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, will see a £640,000 investment into the company’s biodegradable coating. Used throughout agriculture, coatings protect seeds from pests,…
Once Mekel, Mr Big’s Billy Sheehan, ex-Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron Thal and more share charity single, ‘Human Race’
Good News Notes: “Indonesian singer Once Mekel, best known as the former lead singer of veteran rock group Dewa 19, has collaborated with Mr Big’s Billy Sheehan and former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron Thal for a charity single, ‘Human Race’. Released on Friday (January 21), ‘Human Race’ aims to fundraise for and spread awareness of ForestNation’s ‘Plant With…
Ed Sheeran Plans to Rewild the UK, Starting With His Yard
Good News Notes: “Ed Sheeran has plans for the environment: he aspires to rewild as much of the UK as possible. The English musician told BBC Radio London late last month: “I’m trying to buy as much land as possible and plant as many trees as possible. I am trying to rewild as much of…
‘We’re basically starting from zero’: Restoring Finland’s river ecosystems
Good News Notes: “Chopping down trees is not how most people would expect a river restoration project to begin, but Janne Raassina – who is expertly using a chainsaw to take down four or five earmarked trunks around the Särkkäjoki River in remotest eastern Finland – explains that the rotting wood will be hugely useful to the…
Walmart makes an investment in vertical farming start-up Plenty
Good News Notes: “Walmart said Tuesday that it is investing in vertical farming company Plenty and plans to carry the start-up’s leafy greens in all California stores later this year. The big-box retail giant did not disclose the size of the equity stake or the terms of the commercial deal, but said a Walmart executive will…
Upcycled crops used to make new, surprising products in Japan
Good News Notes: “Upcycling crops that would have otherwise been thrown away is becoming more popular, from making denim out of sugarcane residue to cooking jam from concentrated banana skins. As there is a wide variety of upcycled products, such environmentally friendly brands are likely to catch the eye of consumers. Residue resulting from pressed…
Rare, pristine coral reef found off Tahiti coast
Good News Notes: “Deep in the South Pacific, scientists have explored a rare stretch of pristine corals shaped like roses off the coast of Tahiti. The reef is thought to be one of the largest found at such depths and seems untouched by climate change or human activities. Laetitia Hédouin said she first saw the…
French Fry Oil-Powered Fast Charger Makes It Possible For EVs To Cross Australia’s Vast Emptiness
Good News Notes: “Australia is a lot like the U.S. — a large country with major cities on the coasts and vast stretches of nothing in between. And, much like in America, convincing car buyers that an EV can handle driving through such large empty stretches has proven a challenge. A retired engineer partnered with…
A sweet breakthrough: Scientists develop recyclable plastics based on sugars
Good News Notes: “Researchers from the University of Birmingham, U.K., and Duke University, U.S., have created a new family of polymers from sustainable sources that retain all of the qualities of common plastics, but are also degradable and mechanically recyclable. The scientists used sugar-based starting materials rather than petrochemical derivatives to make two new polymers,…