Spotted: At present, global food security relies on the use of nitrogen fertilisers, but their production and use are responsible for around five per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, along with pollution and soil depletion. One possible solution is to use bacteria that convert nitrogen gas to ammonia to provide the nutrients that plants need and regenerate the soil. However, these bacteria are sensitive to heat and humidity, so it’s difficult to scale up their production and use.
Now, researchers at MIT, led by Ariel Furst, the Paul M. Cook Career Development Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, may have a solution that could remove this limitation. They have devised a metal-organic coating that protects bacterial cells from damage without affecting their growth or function. The coating contains food-safe metal and polyphenol compounds, and can self-assemble into a protective shell.
In their study, the researchers created and tested 12 different coatings. They encapsulated a nitrogen-fixing bacterium that also protects plants against pests. All of the coatings protected the bacteria from high temperatures and humidity and improved the seed germination rate by 150 per cent compared to seeds treated with uncoated microbes.
The research received funding from a number of sources, including the Army Research Office and a National Institutes of Health New Innovator Award. Furst has also launched a company called Seia Bio to scale up and commercialise the coated bacteria.
Regenerative agriculture is gaining steam, as farmers realise that it is not only more sustainable but also less costly. Recent innovations in regenerative agriculture spotted by Springwise include a company rejuvenating exhausted soils using bacteria and solar-powered trackers that help farmers efficiently manage herd location.
Spotted: The textile industry is recognised as one of the most polluting. This is due to manufacturing methods that often require lots of water, energy, and harmful chemicals, and the sector as a whole generates 8-10 per cent of global carbon emissions. But now, one fashion tech startup is harnessing the power of seaweed to create cleaner and more sustainable fashion.
After being frustrated with how harmful the fashion industry can be, Phycolab founder, Thamires Pontes, turned to the potential of seaweed – both as a crop that boosts marine ecosystems while it grows and as a greener material for textiles. The startup is developing natural-based textile fibres derived from macroalgae, called PhycoFiber, to replace existing polluting materials.
Notably, seaweed does not require arable land, pesticides, or insecticides, and the plant absorbs more carbon than terrestrial forests, while also helping to de-acidify and re-oxygenate the ocean. Phycolab also promotes seaweed cultivation as a promising alternative for creating job opportunities in coastal communities; particularly in areas that have been overfished, seaweed farming offers more stable and sustainable employment.
In June this year, Phycolabs was selected as one of the winners of H&M’s Global Change Award. Upon finalising its prototype, the company is looking to test the product with interested players both in Brazil and internationally to prove its viability.
Seaweed has proven to be an effective solution in helping various industries cut their carbon footprints. Springwise has spotted many ways the plant is being used, like in home interiors and as a methane-reducing livestock feed.
MoMA curator Paola Antonelli believes humans will go extinct as a result of climate change, but is “very positive” about how designers can help to slow the decline, she tells Dezeen in this interview.
The Museum of Modern Art curator is the author of several books including Design Emergency (co-written with Alice Rawsthorn), and runs the Instagram account of the same name that explores how design can help build a better future in the face of serious global issues.
Among the exhibitions she has curated is Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival, which showcased architecture and design projects from the last 30 years that explore our fractured relationship with the planet.
To Antonelli, the vital importance of focusing on these issues is obvious.
“When one has a pulse and a brain, one can not be aware of the climate emergency and not be concerned and tempted to do whatever one can, whatever is possible,” she told Dezeen.
“Design is a force for any kind of change that needs to happen”
Antonelli believes that design is well-placed to play a leading role in the global effort to solve or mitigate issues relating to climate change.
“Design is a force for any kind of change that needs to happen,” she said. “It’s a force for propaganda, for changing people’s behaviour, for re-addressing issues, for changing products so that they can become more attuned to needs.”
“It is like an octopus that has different tentacles and can touch multiple point pressures in the ecosystems that make up our life.”
Life Cycles: The Materials of Contemporary Design is Paola Antonelli’s latest exhibition
“When it comes to the climate emergency, design can take on many different roles,” she added.
“I don’t feel that design by itself can change or save the world – that is always a utopia, and it’s unrealistic – but I find that it is a fundamental part of any team effort, and all efforts have to be team efforts at this point to change the status quo.”
One way in which designers can work towards slowing the climate emergency is by creating products which, rather than using materials that contribute to the pollution of the planet, focus on upcycling, re-use and using waste instead of new materials.
MoMA exhibition explores design’s impact on the ecosystem
This is the theme of Antonelli’s latest exhibition at MoMA, Life Cycles: The Materials of Contemporary Design, which explores “the regenerative power of design”, examining how design can be elegant and innovative while still respecting the ecosystem.
Among the pieces on show are works by Mexican designer Fernando Laposse, who has created a marquetry material from the husks of heirloom corn species, and by designer Mae-Ling Lokko, who has a company in Ghana that creates building products from mushroom mycelium and coconut shells.
Fernando Laposse works with heritage corn species
“[Lokko’s work] is about agricultural waste, but very localised to where it is, and I see many designers behaving that way,” Antonelli remarked.
In that vain, she believes designers should look to how people in their local environment have dealt with disastrous natural events in the past to help prepare for a future in which they will become more frequent.
“When you’re dealing with a disaster, it’s usually is a disaster that happens near you, so you could learn a lot from how things are done near you,” Antonelli explained.
“Floods have happened for centuries and they might be more frequent now, but cities and regions of the world have been dealing with them for a really long time,” she added.
“So they might have some structures already in place that need to be either relearned or deepened.”
This is already underway, Antonelli believes, with designers and architects increasingly “studying the local”.
“That is happening at many different levels,” she said. “There are architects and landscape designers that are really trying to understand Native and First Peoples approach to land, respect, land-use or land non-use.”
“Global technological efforts are important, but without that attention to local realities they will be simplifying, or at least overlooking, many important aspects.”
Coronavirus pandemic “gave us a feeling of what clean skies could be”
She argues the coronavirus pandemic also underlined how quickly things can change and that we can have an impact on the climate and how it behaves.
“The pandemic brought everything to a stop and gave us a feeling of what clean skies could be – I mean, we rapidly forgot about it, but there was still this moment of stunned recognition of the fact that skies can be blue if we all stop using cars for a few days,” Antonelli said.
MoMA’s Life Cycles exhibition looks at design’s relationship with the ecosystem
And with much of the world currently in turmoil, whether from the climate emergency or other human-driven disasters and wars, she thinks there is more of a willingness to take these questions seriously.
“There are so many tragedies that are happening in the world right now, there’s no respite, but I feel like it brings everybody more on an alert kind of attitude,” she said.
“So I feel that the climate emergency is considered with more seriousness because it undergirds many of the other crises.”
“Our task is to leave the planet in a better condition”
While Antonelli doesn’t think humans can design our way out of our own extinction, she believes design can play an important role in slowing the decline.
“Slowing the decline is very, very positive; I am very positive,” Antonelli said.
“Even though – as I was saying at the time of Broken Nature – I believe we will become extinct, we have a little bit of control on the when and a lot of control on the how,” she added.
“I’m optimistic that we can be dignified, responsible, and compassionate towards other people, towards other species and towards the planet.”
“And that is our task. Our task is not to live forever. Our task is to leave the planet in a better condition than we found it, or at least as good as possible.”
The exhibition photography is courtesy of MoMA.
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Spotted: Although we are seeing some progress towards climate goals in certain areas of the economy – such as mobility and electricity generation – industries that require very high process temperatures remain difficult to decarbonise, and are overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuels like natural gas.
Now, Estonian cleantech startup Efenco has come up with a creative solution to reduce emissions from industries that require temperatures above 300 degrees Celsius. This novel technology can be applied to natural-gas-powered processes in the short term, but will also improve the efficiency of combustion processes run on hydrogen – a clean fuel that is tipped to play an important role in industry as the world moves away from fossil fuels.
The company, whose name is a shortened version of efficient energy conversion, has created High Energy Ray Ceramic (HERC) technology that makes high-temperature combustion of gassy fuels more efficient. Using a patented cold plasma technique, the company’s ceramic chip recycles heat from typical industrial heating systems to produce higher temperatures with fewer emissions.
Plasma is a high-energy state that enhances chemical reactions. In the case of commercial heating for steel, pulp, and paper manufacturing – as well as district heating and cement production – the HERC technology has the potential to eventually improve the combustion efficiency of natural gas by 40 per cent and hydrogen by up to 75 per cent. So far, however, the HERC prototype has demonstrated an 18 per cent combustion efficiency gain.
No external source of energy is required to make the HERC chips work, and they can be easily installed into existing gas boilers. No additional machinery or expertise is needed.
Overall, use of the HERC chips can make significant reductions both in terms of fuel costs and carbon emissions. Efenco currently has six partnerships in place and is working towards the elimination of 77 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030 through the installation and use of its technology. Having recently raised €4.5 million in funding, the company plans to continue advancing the development of the chips and begin designing a version for domestic and small-scale use.
Improving efficiency and usefulness while reducing environmental harm is the focus of many technologies, with Springwise’s database including examples of a high-performance magnet that does not use any rare earth elements and a nano aerogel that cuts refrigeration emissions.
Spotted: In the past 10 years, the number of academic journals has grown by more than 28 per cent, at an average of more than 2.5 per cent every year. By 2022, that growth brought the global number of academic journals to more than 46,700. Such rapid increases create overwhelming amounts of information for researchers to review at every stage of their career, from students to experienced professionals.
With first-hand experience of that overload, a team of Canadian clinicians and scientists created a digital platform designed to lessen the burden of staying informed on the latest clinical studies and academic articles. Called Pathway, the platform is free to use for clinicians anywhere in the world.
Combining artificial intelligence-powered (AI) assistance with physician authors and editors, the platform summarises the latest in clinical guidelines and trials. It also provides diagnostic support tools such as a clinical calculator. All the articles and summaries include easy-to-access links to original references and adhere to the company’s robust assessment process. Information is available on 33 specialities in adult medicine, including endocrinology, geriatrics, neurosurgery, primary care, cardiology, and more.
As well as the free-to-access option, there is a paid-for service for clinicians seeking to earn continuing medical education credits. And, the company recently introduced Pathway AI for real-time AI-generated answers to clinical queries. The tool is available in beta to clinicians in the United States.
Having recently closed a $5 million (around €4.6 million) round of seed funding, Pathway is continuing to strengthen the volume and quality of content available as well as respond to user feedback. The company also plans to expand access to Pathway AI to clinicians in other countries and further develop the tool’s capability.
Technology is helping reduce the care burden on overworked healthcare professionals around the world. Examples highlighted in Springwise’s database include a platform connecting temporary doctors with practices and an AI imaging analysis tool that helps prioritise patients needing the most urgent care.
Several architects and designers have made it onto the inaugural Time100 Climate list, which recognises “true changemakers” who are making “measurable, scalable” progress in fighting climate change.
Compiled by Time magazine in collaboration with a panel of 10 prominent climate experts, the list includes business leaders across different industries ranging from singer Billie Eilish to Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
Among the three highlighted architects are William McDonough, also known as the “father of the circular economy”, and Diébédo Francis Kéré, who was commended for his “innovative works that are deeply rooted in sustainability principles”.
Diébédo Francis Kéré (top) and Mina Hasman (above) feature on the Time100 Climate list. Top photo is by Astrid Eckert and above by Nick Guttridge
“Having worked on projects in resource-scarce regions like Burkina Faso, I’ve witnessed firsthand the necessity for immediate change,” Kéré told Time.
“What I believe is fundamental for all of us, regardless of our roles, is to cultivate a profound awareness that change is imperative, and it is required urgently,” he added. “The climate challenge is not a distant future scenario; it’s a present reality.”
SOM’s sustainability director Mina Hasman was lauded specifically for her recent work on the Whole Life Carbon Accounting system, which assesses a building’s performance not just in advance but also post-completition to see how it measures up to its sustainability targets.
Architect and designer William McDonough also made it onto the list. Photo by Duhon Photography
In the world of design, fashion designer Stella McCartney was recognised for her ongoing work in funding, developing and trialling more sustainable textiles for the fashion industry, from mushroom leather to regenerated nylon.
And Jesper Brodin, CEO of IKEA franchisee Ingka Groups, was spotlighted as Time argues he has “consistently rolled out policies” to reduce the furniture giant’s carbon footprint such as this year’s move to start replacing fossil-derived glues with bio-based alternatives.
The Time100 Climate list also highlights several representatives of materials companies in their own right, in recognition of their contribution towards decarbonising our buildings and products.
Among them are Kidus Asfaw of Kubik, which is transforming plastic waste into low-carbon building materials, and Mark Herrema of Newlight Technologies, which uses marine microorganisms to make plastic packaging from captured industrial emissions.
Similarly, LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren was recognised for her company’s work in developing “the world’s first alternative aviation fuel derived from industrial waste gases”.
Time’s editors worked with in-house experts from the magazine’s climate action platform Time CO2 to compile a list of the 100 most influential climate leaders in business for 2023, based on nominations provided by a panel of sustainability leaders.
Among the judges were Christiana Figueres, former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and architect of the landmark Paris climate agreement, and Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
Jesper Brodin was recognised for his work in reducing IKEA’s carbon footprint. Photo by IKEA
Marcius Extavour, who is the chief climate solutions officer at Time CO2, said the team focused on highlighting people who have delivered “measurable, scalable achievements over commitments and announcements”.
“In the end, the inaugural Time100 Climate list produced no single perfect instance of complete climate action, but multitudes of individuals making significant progress in fighting climate change by creating business value,” he wrote.
The project is a spinoff of Time’s annual Time100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Customarily, at least one architect is included on this list, who is thereby deemed the most influential architect of that year, with previous winners including Kengo Kuma, Jeanne Gang, Elizabeth Diller and David Adjaye.
Spotted: The population of Freetown, Sierra Leone, is set to reach 2 million by 2028. As the population rises, urban sprawl is threatening the forested, mountainous areas outside the city. Around 70 per cent of Freetown’s trees have been cut down, and the city is already experiencing negative effects – such as devastating floods and landslides – from the loss of these critical ecosystems.
To reverse this trend, the city council has introduced a scheme, called Freetown the Treetown, which encourages residents to plant and maintain new trees and mangroves, using seedlings supplied through local nurseries. Progress is tracked using a mobile app, and, as an incentive, the initiative pays city residents for each tree they plant, maintain, and monitor.
The mobile platform creates a unique geotagged record for each planted tree. Growers must then revisit the tree regularly to water and maintain it, and to verify and document its survival. In exchange, they receive per-tree micro-payments through the platform every two months over the first three to five years of the tree’s life (which is when trees need most maintenance).
To finance the programme, each tree is ‘tokenised’ and the tokens are sold to corporations and institutions to help them meet their climate and corporate social responsibility (CSR) targets. The money raised then goes to maintaining the programme. Freetown the Treetown is a 2023 Earthshot Prize finalist in the ‘Protect and Restore Nature’ category.
Tree planting is an important tool for reducing the impact of climate change. Some recent innovations in forestry that could help with this include providing indigenous communities with funding for forest stewardship and improving tree health by restoring fungal networks.
Spotted: The cost of onshore wind energy has fallen steadily over the last decade. However, wind installations have also steadily increased in size, and while bigger turbines generate more energy, they also make it more difficult to secure public approval and find financing, appropriate sites, and materials. Wind company AirLoom is taking a new approach to address these challenges.
Instead of huge blades on tall towers, AirLoom’s design consists of vertically oriented, 10-metre-long wings attached to a lightweight track. The blades intercept the wind, which propels them down the track, generating power. Supported by 25-metre-tall poles arranged in an oval, the track can range in length from metres to miles, depending on the desired scale.
A key advantage of the design is that it is quieter and lower profile than skyline-dominating turbines, which could help to reduce complaints about local disruption and ruined views. The system is also low-cost and modular, which means it can be deployed at different scales using a standard set of components.
AirLoom recently announced that it has secured $4 million (around €3.7 million) in seed funding. The round was led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures fund, which supports new clean technologies, with participation from Lowercarbon Capital and energy fund MCJ Collective. The money will help AirLoom scale up to the megawatt scale and full deployment.
Despite the difficult market for new wind energy projects, a number of innovations seek to make wind power more affordable. These include a low-cost, single-bladed floating turbine and small turbines for powering microgrids.
Spotted: With the dyeing industry relying on petrochemicals to affix colour to textiles and requiring around 200 tonnes of fresh water for every tonne of coloured fabric, the challenge of reducing even part of the fashion industry’s environmental footprint is huge.
Now, however, one company, UK-based Colorifix, has created a transformative technology for the textile industry’s dyeing needs. Using fermentation and microbes, the startup creates bioengineered dyes. At the start of the process, Colorifix identifies a colour produced by an animal, plant, or microbe, before isolating the section of the organism’s DNA where the colour is coded. Microbes can then be made to recreate this DNA sequence in the lab without needing to use toxic chemicals.
The company ships a small amount of this microbe-produced colour to a manufacturing client, which then ‘brews’ as much dye as needed for each batch of fabric in a process similar to beermaking. All-natural feedstocks – such as sugar, plant by-products, and yeast – fuel the fermentation process, feeding the fast-growing microbes to create a batch of dye in one to two days.
Colorifix dye is usable in industrial machinery, with no special mechanisms or tools needed. To bind the colour to a fabric, Colorifix, again, replicates a natural process for maximum sustainability. The startup uses engineered microbes to bind the dye to the fabric by concentrating salts and metals that occur naturally in water, making it possible to dye textiles at much lower – almost ambient – temperatures. The binding process is swift and strong, requiring far fewer rinses to attain a colour-fast finish.
The entire process hugely reduces water consumption and carbon emissions, while eliminating the release of chemicals into the world’s waterways. Colorifix was an Eartshot Prize 2023 finalist in the ‘Build a waste-free world’ competition category, and the company is working towards a goal of dyeing 15 per cent of the world’s clothes by 2030.
Developments in the process to detoxify the dyeing process are improving rapidly, with examples in Springwise’s database including a new low-temperature, bio-based process and a recycling programme that creates jobs and reduces water waste by turning temple flowers into natural dyes.
Spotted: In the construction sector, 98 per cent of all energy comes from diesel, and fossil fuel generators are also commonly used in a range of other settings such as outdoor live events. In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, diesel generators produce air pollutants harmful to human health, as well as disruptive noise. As a result, companies are increasingly looking for alternative methods for powering their sites.
One promising technology for the future of site energy is hydrogen power, and UK startup GeoPura has successfully trialled the technology on two UK infrastructure projects (National Grid’s Viking Link interconnector project and HS2), potentially paving the way for its wider adoption.
Following ten years of research and development, GeoPura has developed its Hydrogen Power Unit (HPU), which combines hydrogen fuel cell technology with battery storage and real-time electrical conversion. The fuel cell splits the hydrogen into protons and electrons, which creates an electrical current that charges the batteries. The batteries, in turn, provide power to the site for applications such as electric vehicle charging, heating, and hot water. The HPUs are housed in a 20-foot portable shipping container, and it generally only takes a few hours to set up the system. The hydrogen fuel is delivered by HGVs.
Hydrogen is attractive as a fuel because it only emits water vapour at the point of use. If the hydrogen is produced sustainably, the whole system is carbon-free. GeoPura produces its own green hydrogen by using electricity from renewable sources to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. It then tops up its own supply with hydrogen purchased from natural gas producers (which is not emissions-free).
Springwise has spotted various ways that sites could produce and store their own green power, including using volcanic rock cells and spent electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
