Spotted: For many companies, more than 70 per cent of their carbon footprint is composed of scope 3 emissions – those that occur in an organisation’s wider value chain. But keeping tabs on these emissions is a hard task, as it can be difficult to trace materials through every stage of the supply chain.
One of the specific problems associated with the data gathering process, is the need to collect information from suppliers that might be sensitive. But now, Dutch startup Circularise is tackling this problem through its digital product passports.
Circularise’s technology generates a digital passport for each different raw material that goes into each component. Companies at the end of the supply chain then add their own information to create a new digital passport for the final product. This facilitates re-use and recycling by providing reliable information on a product’s composition and provenance.
All this information is recorded in an immutable format on a public blockchain. This provides superior levels of verification compared to other digital passport solutions, which use private blockchains.
What really separates Circularise from its competitors, is the startup’s focus on helping suppliers share sensitive information on topics such as environmental impact, material composition, or life cycle assessment data. It does this through its patent-pending Smart Questioning technology. This uses advanced cryptography techniques – called zero-knowledge proofs – that allow suppliers to prove their claims without the need to provide sensitive raw data.
Suppliers answer lists of questions at an agreed level of disclosure – from full disclosure to no disclosure of underlying data. The verifying company can then choose a question from the list, and the supplier provides the answer. If the question is set at the highest level of data privacy, the answer is provided alongside a cryptographic proof. Smart Questioning verifies this proof against the raw data without the data itself being revealed to the verifier.
In the archive, Springwise has spotted other innovations working to modernise the supply chain, including a platform that provides product transparency to customers and another that helps companies decarbonise.
Dezeen Showroom: 3D-printed room dividers made from food waste and mycelium are among recent sustainably-designed products on Dezeen Showroom.
In order to address growing environmental concerns within the furniture and wider design industries, brands are opting to make their products using renewable, recyclable and reclaimed materials, and processes with circular principles in mind.
We’ve rounded up eight recently released furniture pieces made from recycled materials, including waste plastic from abandoned fishing nets, electronic waste from the tech industry and materials derived from the process of making paper.
From a bar stool made from coffee shells to a recycling bin made out of post-consumer plastic, read on to see our selection of the latest furniture designs made from sustainable materials on Dezeen Showroom.
Superpop tables by Paolo Cappello for Miniforms
Miniforms’ Superpop tables – created in collaboration with Italian designer Paolo Cappello – have a rounded rectangular form and a speckled finish reminiscent of terrazzo.
The pieces are made from recycled plastic, which creates the mottled pattern. They are lightweight and durable enough for use either indoors or outdoors and can be recycled further at the end of their lifespan.
Find out more about Superpop ›
Veggro collection by Interesting Times Gang and OBOS
Design studio Interesting Times Gang worked with cooperative homebuilder OBOS on a duo of screens called Loom and Jugoso.
Loom has a pale finish and is made from mycelium, whereas mustart-hued Jugoso is made out of orange rinds. Both are created using 3D-printing techniques and have biomorphic patterns representing the natural materials they are made from.
Find out more about Veggro ›
Eternity high stool by Space Copenhagen for Mater
Danish furniture brand Mater has created its Eternity high stool in collaboration with designers Space Copenhagen, which is made from Matek – the brand’s patented circular waste material.
The material contains both e-waste and coffee shells leading to the stool’s characteristically dark colour. It can be upholstered with Kvadrat’s Re-wool material, which is made from 45 per cent recycled wool.
Find out more about Eternity ›
Alted H01 tiles by Berta Julià Sala for Alted Materials
Spanish brand Alted Materials worked with product designer Berta Julià Sala on a range of tiles made from cellulose waste, a byproduct of the paper industry. The tiles are also coated with a water-based sealant distilled from waste vegetables.
Alted H01 tiles come in three grooved patterns and various earthy colourways. The material allows the tiles to be recycled circularly, preventing material from ending up in landfill as is the case with traditional construction materials.
Find out more about Alted H01 ›
Ovetto waste bin by Gianluca Soldi for SoldiDesign
Italian design brand SoldiDesign has released an egg-shaped waste bin named Ovetto that is both made from recycled materials and is designed to contain them in different compartments for easy disposal.
The bins are made from post-consumer recycled ABS and polypropylene in different amounts depending on its colour. The matt black Ovetto bin is made from 100 per cent recycled content.
Find out more about Ovetto ›
Centenniale coffee table by Joanna Laajisto for Nikari
The Centenniale coffee table was made for Finnish brand Nikari by architect and designer Joanna Laajisto out of 100-year-old wood.
The table’s angular top is supported by contrasting chunky, rounded legs. It can be made from solid oak or ash wood, and emphasises the importance of utilising existing renewable materials.
Find out more about Centenniale ›
Liberty Ocean chair by Humanscale
Office furniture brand Humanscale used up to one kilogram of plastic derived from disused fishing nets for its Liberty Ocean task chair.
The chair represents the next evolution of the brand’s classic Liberty chairs. It shares the same ergonomic technology and comfort as the other chairs in Humanscale’s catalog but is made from sustainably-conscious materials.
Find out more about Liberty Ocean ›
Gaia recycled upholstery fabric collection by Skopos
British brand Skopos has created a collection of materials made out of recycled textiles and post-consumer plastic waste.
Gaia mimics the appearance of textured wool boucle and comes in a selection of 21 earthy colourways.
Find out more about Gaia ›
Dezeen Showroom
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Spotted: Biotechnology has been rapidly gaining momentum in recent years, with manufacturers increasingly turning to the natural world both for its unique qualities and sustainability. One of those manufacturers is Swedish Algae Factory, which uses diatoms – a type of unicellular microscopic algae – to produce its new advanced materials.
The company’s first products are a skin cleanser called Algica and a protective coating for photovoltaic (PV) panels. The products are manufactured via a sustainable, circular process that uses wastewater from other local businesses as an energy source, with the cleaned water is returned to its partner organisations for reuse. According to the company, producing one kilogramme of Algica helps clean the atmosphere of at least eight kilogrammes of carbon dioxide and one kilogramme of nitrogen.
The shells of algae diatoms contain silicon dioxide and are extremely efficient at absorbing light and carbon dioxide. By replacing some of the chemicals traditionally used in skincare products, Algica not only reduces the carbon emissions of production, it also makes the products themselves healthier and more effective. In a controlled, double-blind study, external assessors found Algica’s moisturising capability to be the same as hyaluronic acid.
Because the algae grow in salt as well as wastewater, production processes are accessible to communities without a consistent supply of clean water. By eliminating the need for potable water to grow algae, areas can more easily and quickly engage with new opportunities for economic growth, particularly as Swedish Algae Factory continues to explore additional and improved uses of the plant.
A recipient of an EU LIFE grant, Swedish Algae Factory also has a project called Life Sunalgae for large-scale industrial production of an algae-based silicon film that blocks UV light. When applied to PV panels, the film slows the degradation of materials while increasing the solar cells’ efficiency in converting light into power.
Springwise has spotted the versatility of algae being used in a range of innovations in the archive, including in limestone and to power a microprocessor.
Spotted: In March 2023, the European Commission adopted a proposal that sets out the rights consumers have to ask sellers to repair damaged goods. Advocates call the measures the ‘right to repair’, and so far, many products included in the directive are repairable up to 10 years after purchase. After many years of products being designed for almost instant obsolescence, consumers are pushing brands to improve the robustness of items and make it possible for items to be repaired.
As well as seeking increased accessibility of repairable parts, consumers want more durable goods. With the plethora of products now available online, it can be difficult to ascertain a reliable estimate of the life cycle of a product. Helping to remove that obstacle for consumers is Longtime label, a tool developed by France-based Ethikis. The label indicates repairable designs that are made to last.
Shoppers can shop more confidently, with the knowledge that should something break, the design is fixable. To earn the Longtime label for a product, companies complete an application and an audit of their processes, assisted by the Longtime team. For organisations seeking a more informal assessment, Longtime offers the Durability-Self-Diagnosis tool, which helps businesses gain an understanding of their product’s strengths, alongside areas needing improvement.
Longtime provides an ever-growing list of items on its website that have earned the certification, and consumers are encouraged to nominate products and brands that they believe meet the requirements.
Reducing waste is an essential part of the world’s fight against climate change and Springwise is spotting innovations in every industry that are creating new ways of producing less, or are re-using items that have been discarded. A new platform helps producers track and collect post-consumer products, and a novel type of rubber panel uses recycled tyres to cool buildings.
Spotted: According to the World Bank, each year 4.9 million tons of plastic waste in Indonesia is goes uncollected, is left in open dumpsites, or is leaked from inadequately managed landfills. This ‘wasted waste’ blights neighbourhoods, damages wildlife, and leaches chemicals into the water. To find a solution, Jakarta-based startup Octopus has developed a circular economy platform to collect and dispose of waste.
Octopus offers two main kinds of service. In one, consumers download an app and book a time slot for waste pickers – called pelestari – to collect their trash. The rubbish is then sold on to recycling businesses.
The role of waste picker already exists in Indonesia. However, by taking waste directly from consumers instead of sifting through landfills, the pelestari can work in a safer way and earn higher prices. And, because the app formalises their labour, the pickers can build a verifiable employment history, making it easier to open bank accounts and gain access to credit. Octopus also provides a training programme through its app.
The other part of Octopus’ business model is to provide data on waste collection and recycling to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands that help them meet their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets. Octopus also runs a deposit refund system for larger producers and brands. The startup already has more than 150,000 users and raised $5 million (around €4.7 million) last year, in a funding round led by Openspace and SOSV.
Plastic waste is a huge concern, so it is no surprise that Springwise has spotted a lot of energy being put towards developing innovative solutions. These range from recycling tyres into green roof panels to using fungi to break down hard-to-recycle plastics.
Spotted: Every year, between 8 to 10 million metric tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans. Countries in Southeast Asia are among the major offenders – many lack the infrastructure to collect and process plastic waste. Vietnam, which only recycles around a third of its plastic waste, is one of these. But a startup called ReForm Plastic is aiming to change this, as well as improve the lives of Vietnamese waste pickers – who are largely women.
ReForm focuses on repurposing different types of waste plastic into moulded plastic products such as: construction tiles, tables, chairs, waste bins, playground equipment, and holds for rock-climbing walls. However, the startup is also repurposing the waste system by transforming existing collection centres into small production facilities.
The small recycling centres are equipped with efficient low-cost machinery, collection and processing equipment. Each centre is partially locally owned and managed, but generates products that are centrally purchased and distributed by ReForm.
ReForm already has four factories in operation in Vietnam – and is building six more in partnership with organisations in Thailand, Bangladesh, Laos, Mozambique, and the Philippines. In addition to providing work for thousands of workers, the circular system also formalises a large proportion of the informal waste sector.
One way that innovators are tackling plastic waste is by collecting it and turning it into new products – reducing waste as well as the use of fossil fuels to make virgin plastics. Springwise has spotted a startup making backpacks from recycled plastic and a refillable and decomposable replacement for plastic pill bottles.
Spotted: When water becomes enriched with minerals and nutrients, a process starts called eutrophication, where algae grow rapidly and accumulate, causing algal bloom, which can smell bad, block sunlight, and even release toxins. However, the plants also offer a sustainable, clean, and biological source of raw materials, ideal for many applications. They can be harvested and processed without affecting the environment, and Origin by Ocean is doing just that.
The startup has found that marine overgrowth can be removed and converted into ecological, healthy, and oil-free ingredients for use in everyday consumer products. The company’s patented biorefinery technology, Nauvu, turns invasive and harmful algae and ecologically farmed seaweed into many products in one industrial process. The technology uses selective chemistry to extract valuable bio-based chemicals, which can be used to replace traditional high-carbon chemical ingredients in industries like food, cosmetics, hygiene, and textiles. To make the process as sustainable as possible, Origin by Ocean also recycles chemicals and water.
In addition, the company’s algae harvesting platform can provide employment opportunities to coastal communities around the world, while clearing oceans of potentially toxic seaweed. Origin by Ocean employs individuals directly, from the algae farmers and harvesters to the feedstock producers.
The startup recently raised €7.5 million in a seed funding round which will be used to grow operations and develop an industrial-scale algae refinement plant.
Algae, while essential, can become a danger to our oceans, which is why Springwise has spotted so many innovations trying to use the plant and clean up our seas. One startup has developed bio-based plastics made from macroalgae as a friendly alternative to conventional plastics, and another is turning seaweed into sustainable packaging.
Spotted: As innovators create new sustainable fibres, the options available to those working in the fashion industry are expanding, making it easier to design and produce products with lower carbon footprints. The new fabrics are exciting, bringing with them increased options and challenges for designers. Additionally, many of the companies behind the latest offerings have broader social goals embedded into their working philosophy.
Uganda’s Mawejje Creations, for instance, is a socially minded company that produces textiles made from waste banana plants, fabric offcuts, secondhand clothes, and organic cotton. The business’s Commune Fabric is made for use in fashion and consists entirely of banana crop biowaste. Much like hemp, when grown as part of a sustainable, mixed agricultural crop, the banana plant requires little to no maintenance, making it an excellent replacement for water-heavy cotton crops.
Easily grown in Uganda, the banana plant requires no fertiliser or pesticides, and the production process of the fibres ensures that the final fabric is chemical-free. Mawejje Creations also trains young people in the fabric production process and encourages local farmers to use sustainable methods for the highest quality plants. Importantly, part of the training process includes learning certain styles of weaving as a means of preserving and passing along some of the area’s heritage skills.
The banana plant is proving to be extremely useful, with Springwise spotting innovations that include leather made from banana fibre and a banana-based growth enhancer being used to reduce chemical use in industrial production processes.
Spotted: According to a paper from the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, 36 per cent of the world’s crop calories are actually used for animal feed, which is an inefficient way of producing food. For example, it takes about 100 calories of grain to produce just 12 calories of chicken or three calories of beef. However, a biotech startup in India is developing a more efficient way to feed livestock – using insects.
Instead of growing grain, Loopworm farms black soldier flies and processes them into animal feed products. The insects are raised on food waste sourced from food processors, retail chains, and fruit markets. Once grown, the insects are processed into animal and fish feed.
The finished meal is high in protein, containing around 60 per cent crude protein. The company also claims that it is rich in bio-active peptides which promote anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial properties. Because of this, it can be used as an ingredient in fish, poultry, and even pet food formulations as a replacement for fish meal. The feed also has a lower ash content than traditional meals, which makes it more digestible.
Co-founders Ankit Alok Bagaria and Abhi Gawri set up Loopworm to help solve India’s food waste problem. Bagaria explains: “Our major concern was that we had a significant amount of food waste in India … and there wasn’t much of a meaningful solution, where food waste is actually upcycled. There are solutions like composting, or biogas generation, which actually down cycles the product.”
Insect farming has been gaining traction in recent years as entrepreneurs and scientists search for alternative ways of producing protein for animal and human consumption. Some other innovations that Springwise has spotted include using insects to produce aquaculture feed, and a project that converts waste into animal feed using insects.
Spotted: The global food market is worth more than $9 trillion (about €8.5 trillion) and is going to continue growing. This volume of food has an equivalently large carbon footprint, something growers are aware of and working to change. Helping to capture those improvements is French software-as-a-service (SaaS) company Carbon Maps. Carbon Maps’ platform automates emissions calculations for food products.
Such complex calculations rely heavily on algorithms, and Carbon Maps uses internationally recognised data standards and scientific models for its computations. Product life cycle assessments (LCAs) examine data from basic growing techniques to water usage, processing systems, recycling and more. By utilising the power of artificial intelligence (AI), Carbon Maps enables large industrial food distributors to assess the sustainability of a range of their products, even those that use a multitude of ingredients.
As well as providing eco-scores for each foodstuff, the Carbon Maps system allows for easy updates of LCAs as information changes. A grower may alter their farming practices meaning less water is needed, so the automated emissions calculation system makes it easy for that improvement to be included in the scores for the many products that use those crops.
Carbon Maps includes details such as biodiversity, animal welfare, and soil health in its calculations, allowing for a much more holistic view of the sustainability of an item. The company is currently working with two businesses on pilot programmes, and recently closed a €4 million seed funding round that will be used to expand its operational capacity.
Reducing carbon emissions is such a global priority that – as Springwise has spotted– innovations in two of the worst polluting industries, food and fashion, are pushing the technology and tracking capabilities ahead as quickly as possible.
