NEWSROOM
Unilever to turn waste plants into fragrances
Unilever and the University of Nottingham plan to turn unsellable plants into fragrances. The plants for the initiative include petunias, roses and marigolds, and will be provided by Bridge Farm Group, which supplies 90 million plants per year to UK retailers. Scents will be extracted from the plants using the Soxhlet method, heating flowers to remove their essential oils and applying ‘ultrasonication’ to improve yield. The process, which only takes 20 minutes, is 40% faster than traditional methods. Globally, around 990 million tonnes of commercially grown plants go to waste each year.
Discounts on e-bikes reduce emissions
Incentives to buy e-bikes reduce car use, according to research from the University of British Columbia. The study, conducted in Saanich, B.C., offered 400 residents rebates of C$350, C$800, or C$1,600 on e-bikes, depending on their income level. Researchers compared bike use with a control group, finding that participants reduced their car use by an average 49km per week. The study’s lead author, Alex Bigazzi, said it is rare to see such large shifts in travel behaviour, and that “incentive programs can be really effective in enabling mode shift”.
Designer spins ‘magical’ oyster yarn into thermally conductive clothing
Eddie Wang, an entrepreneur from Taiwan, has created a material called ‘Seawool’ by incorporating oyster shells into an ‘eco fabric’ made from recycled plastic bottles. Growing up, the designer observed people treating their walls with oyster residue to give their homes year-round climate control. Each year, hundreds of thousands of shells are discarded in Taiwan, creating a steady supply of material to produce Seawool. Wang says the shells create a “magical yarn” due to their “low thermal conductivity,” meaning they do not absorb or give off heat. Currently, Seawool is used to make clothing that is soft to the touch and protects wearers from the cold and UV rays.
Hottest summer ever recorded for Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere has recorded its hottest summer ever, putting the planet on track to break another record for the hottest year. From June to August, global temperatures were 0.69C above historical averages, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Extreme heat caused by climate change was most severe in the Mediterranean region and Eastern Europe, while the UK, Iceland, and parts of Ireland, Portugal and Norway were cooler than usual. September is expected to continue to see high temperatures, with Sweden and Norway reporting record highs surpassing 30C.
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