Carbon Sequestering Clothing, Ginkgo Bioworks Scale-up Rare Ingredients, Fruit Leaf Waste Fabric, Sugarcane Shoes and More: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the Week of September 2nd

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Big name shoe and apparel companies like Nike, Pangaia and Old Navy are on a sustainability roll. News from Nike on their work with Newlight Technologies for wearables that actually sequester carbon, Pangaia’s addition of two new biobased fabrics to its collection made from pineapple and banana leaf waste and nettles, eucalyptus and seaweed, and Old Navy’s new flip flops made from sugarcane are sure to catch the consumer eye.

In today’s Digest, Ginkgo Bioworks scale-up of fermentation-based rare ingredients, tasty cell-based crab meat, Clariant news in Brazil, and more. READ MORE

#6 Once-mothballed succinic acid plant running at double original output

In Sarnia, Ontario, a biobased succinic acid built that went offline in 2018 is getting new life thanks to a new, more efficient process from LCY Biosciences.

The Taiwan-based company tells The Sarnia Journal is has more than doubled the 8,000 metric tons per year of annual capacity achieved by BioAmber, the bankrupt former owner of the plant.

“LCY Group (has been) a chemical company for more than 50 years. We have a lot of experience in mass production and commercialization,” says LCY general manager Dex Hsu.

After an undisclosed investment, LCY Biosciences has reached 18,000 metric tons of annual capacity and aims to bring this output up to 30,000 metric tons by 2023.

Most of the succinic acid produced in Sarnia is exported to Asia to be made into biodegradable plastics. “It is increasingly in demand all over the world, simply because every country recognizes that single-use plastic is a very big issue,” Hsu adds. “Biodegradable material made from succinic acid will be one of the solutions.”

#8 Clariant gains full ownership of Brazil natural ingredients firm

In Brazil, Swiss specialty chemical Clariant has bought out the 70% of shares it did not already own in Beraca, a manufacturer of natural ingredients for the personal care industry, from company’s founders.

Beraca produces natural ingredients for the personal care sector, including inter alia fats, oils and botanicals, which are all collected and extracted in an environmentally sustainable manner. Located in the Amazon region, Beraca also promotes the development of communities and is “strongly committed” to sustainability and fair trade processes. The company generated sales of $15 million in 2020.

“With its focus on sustainable products and processes, Beraca fits perfectly into Clariant’s portfolio,” emphasizes Conrad Keijzer, CEO of Clariant. “We gain valuable access to natural materials based on the biodiversity of the Brazilian rainforest. This opens up great opportunities for high-quality growth for our Care Chemicals business.”

Clariant first acquired a 30% stake in Beraca in 2015. Financial terms were not disclosed. Clariant aims to close the transaction by year-end.