Environmentally-friendly

Scientists at RIKEN in Japan have developed a new type of plastic that’s just as stable in everyday use as regular plastic, but dissolves quickly in saltwater, leaving behind only safe compounds.

Non-recyclable, non-biodegradable, petroleum-based EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam packaging is not eco-friendly stuff. There could soon be a greener and snazzier-looking alternative, however, in the form of origami-folded cardboard.

Motorcycle-related waste is a serious problem. And apparently, there’s more waste from motorcycle gear than from the actual machine itself – particularly helmets. Dainese has thus started a ground-breaking helmet recycling strategy.

Love racing but not a fan of the sport's carbon footprint? Idemitsu is hoping to bring that down a notch with its new Plantech Racing engine oil, which uses plant-based raw materials for more than 80% of its base oil.

Travelers could be making all-electric airline flights as soon as 2028. That's when Heart Aerospace's well-funded hybrid-drive ES-30 is planned to enter service, with a battery range of 200 km (124 miles) – or much farther in extended-range mode.

People may joke about tight jeans being "spray-on pants," but On's new Cloudboom Strike LS is a spray-on running shoe. Its LightSpray production process is much faster than traditional methods, resulting in an ultra-lightweight finished product.

iYacht has been commissioned to help German TV and movie actor Daniel Roesner realize his vision for a "sustainable catamaran designed with circularity in mind." The 55-ft multihull will be built using scrap metal, reclaimed wood and recycled cork.

Your boots may soon have a tropical touch, with a breakthrough in using pineapple leaves to make a strong, 100% natural, sustainable leather. It comprehensively outperformed mushroom leather, and has serious potential for scalable, commercial use.

A new biodegradable plastic embedded with spores of plastic-eating bacteria manages to break down 90% of the material after five months in landfill. Weirdly, this actually made the plastic tougher and stronger during use.

A new type of storm-resistant fish farm could make aquaculture operations more eco-friendly. The submersible structure is designed to stay in the deep waters of the open ocean, where it should have less environmental impact than shore-adjacent pens.

Limescale buildup in thermal power plants due to the use of hot water can substantially affect efficiency, prompting researchers to develop a novel soft hydrogel-based surface coating that repels limescale crystals and prevents them from adhering.

Scientists have created a lab-grown microbiome like the one found in a tiny plastics-munching worm, and it has the potential to efficiently and sustainably biodegrade the world's most common and troublesome plastics – all without the need for the worms.