Innovation | GreenerDesign.com

Dutch Company Develops Green Alternative to Common Chemical

GreenerDesign Staff — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:03:00 -0700

DSM, a Dutch chemical and materials company, plans to release a greener version of a chemical used in polymers, resins, food and pharmaceuticals later this year.

Discarded E-Waste Could Be Put to Work in Medicine

GreenerComputing Staff — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:13:00 -0700

Research from the University of York's green chemistry center has found a way to turn a chemical in wide use in LCD displays into medicine that can "help parts of the body regenerate."

Teijin Improves Biofront's Heat Resistance, NatureWorks Strikes New Partnership

GreenerDesign Staff — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:16:00 -0700

Teijin, the Japanese textile company that recently gave up its half of the joint venture partnership running bioplastic manufacturer NatureWorks, has announced its own plant-based material, Biofront, has been improved to perform nearly as well as PET plastic.

'Virtually Waterless' Washing Machine Cleans Clothes with Polymer Beads

GreenerDesign Staff — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:15:00 -0700

Cleaning company startup Xeros Ltd. and Cambridge Consultants have developed a washing machine that cuts water consumption by as much as 90 percent and launders clothes using reusable nylon polymer beads.

Highlights from IBM's Green and Beyond Summit

Matthew Wheeland — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:44:00 -0700

Last week, at San Francisco's new Academy of Sciences museum, IBM gathered a host of industry leaders to discuss how IT can help companies green much more than their data centers. Here are some of the highlights of the event.

P&G, Eastman Chemical Among Winners of Green Chemistry Awards

GreenerDesign Staff — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:42:00 -0700

Among the innovations recognized in the 14th annual Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards were a new type of vegetable oil-based paints from Procter & Gamble, a method to make gasoline or jet fuel from sugars, and other environmentally friendly processes.

Steelcase, Herman Miller Unveil New Products At NeoCon

GreenerDesign Staff — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:16:00 -0700

At the NeoCon 2009 trade show, Herman Miller and Steelcase unveiled some of their newest, and improved, products that are made with recycled material, are recyclable, use less energy, take up less shipping space or help cut down on energy use.

Nokia Wants Charger-Free Mobile Phones

Matthew Wheeland — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:26:00 -0700

By using ambient electromagnetic radiation, Nokia thinks it can enable cell phones to draw power from the air by 2013, meaning millions of phone chargers would no longer need to be manufactured.

Genomatica Takes Another Step Toward Mass Producing a Common Chemical From Sugar

GreenerDesign Staff — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:47:00 -0700

Chemical company Genomatica has met another of its milestones on its path towards using sugar instead of petroleum to produce, on a commercial scale, a common plastic chemical that's used in making air bags and spandex.

Greener By Design: Reducing, Remaking and Eliminating Packaging

Jonathan Bardelline — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:39:00 -0700

The "Packaging Outside the Box" panel at Greener by Design 2009 showed how HP, Frito-Lay and Jedlicka Design are rethinking what packaging should be, with widely different results.

Greener by Design: Terracycle's Ultimate Solution

Matthew Wheeland — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:53:00 -0700

Tom Szaky, the founder and CEO of waste-to-product company Terracycle, demonstrated how waste is nothing more than poorly managed resources, and the many benefits of turning trash into products.

Greener By Design: How Intel and Frog Design Remade the Cash Register Kiosk

Jonathan Bardelline — Tue, 19 May 2009 10:12:00 -0700

Intel is a company that makes computer chips, not cash registers. So it was a leap into new territory when a team within Intel started developing a point-of-sale system after some quick research found they could cut the energy use of cash registers by 70 percent with just some repurposed computer chips.

Chocolate Powered Car Has Vanilla Performance

Hugh Byrne and Gerri L Elder — Tue, 19 May 2009 10:00:00 -0700

The WorldFirst Formula 3 racecar made with renewable and sustainable resources has received significant press in recent weeks. One irresistible aspect of the car is that its biodiesel engine runs on biofuel made from waste chocolate and vegetable oil. The car was designed as a Formula 3 racecar, but unfortunately does not meet all of the Formula 3 standards because of its biodiesel engine.

Greener By Design: Why and How Innovation Matters

Matthew Wheeland — Tue, 19 May 2009 05:15:00 -0700

Steelcase, Method, HP and others are taking environmental innovation to the next level, and at Greener by Design, they shared their thoughts and experiences with making greener products and better products.

Greener By Design: Nature's Rights, Nutrients and Quality Design

Jonathan Bardelline — Tue, 19 May 2009 03:26:00 -0700

"Design is the first signal of human intention ... What is our intention as a species and how do we go about thinking about that?" William McDonough asked during his keynote speech at Greener by Design 2009.