Circular Forum

Every year, a considerable amount of waste is produced and toxic substances are released into the environment as a result of the degradation of the material due to water and dust. For example, more than 150 million smartphones are thrown away per year. However, this number could be drastically decreased using biotechnology. By studying the surface of a pigeon’s feather and the lotus leaves, researchers were able to create a superhydrophobic polymer that could prevent water and dirt from affecting materials such as metals, textiles, medical devices, and more. The surfaces are fabricated so that it creates grooves at a nano-level which will make it a hydrophobic surface. Creating such surfaces will lessen the amount of waste, thereby improving the environment as a whole.

Many natural cosmetics contain active ingredients sourced from plants, for example phytoene, which is used in anti-aging creams and skincare products. However, for some of these ingredients, the amount obtained from a plant is quite small compared to the amount of land, water, and energy that are needed to produce it, resulting in it being unsustainable. Companies such as Bioeffect in Iceland or Biossance in the US are looking at producing these compounds more sustainably through microbial/plant fermentation. Using this fermentation technology, the French biotech company Deinove has been able to produce the phytoene compound in its pure form. This way, production is more efficient and sustainable.

In the typical linear economic model of “take-make-dispose” restaurants will dispose of their waste never giving it a chance to be recycled. In an effort to eliminate the linear economic model and move towards a circular economy, Bicycompost collects food waste from restaurants in the Bordeaux area by bicycle and converts it into 100% natural compost to be used by local farmers. In each “Bio-Bucket” 12kg of “peels” are saved from being wasted, 548g of CO2 is saved from being released into the atmosphere as result of the collection by bicycle, leading to a “greener and more pleasant city to live in”. All of which is produced into 6kg of natural compost to replace chemical fertilizers. Bicycompost allows local businesses to get rid of their organic waste and contribute to a circular economy.