eco-friendly material Archives - Zureli

Search for any green Service

Find green products from around the world in one place

Window cleaning

Singapore Safety Glass

According To New Study, Dust Absorbed By Phytoplankton Benefits Them

Posted on June 7, 2023 by dishanth

Carbon prevention or carbon capture?

A significant amount of the conversation surrounding climate change concerns the release of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. While this is important, the priority is most concerned with reducing or eliminating fossil fuel emissions.

While achieving this goal is paramount in creating a clean, eco-friendly world, the topic of carbon sequestration has been under the radar until recently. When most think of carbon sequestration, they imagine carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology or think of trees.

Both are valuable and productive carbon sequesters; however, they are not the only areas or mechanisms useful for reducing carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Our world’s oceans are single-handedly the largest carbon sinks we have, and many marine organisms participate in this important process.

Phytoplankton makes up an important role in carbon deposition onto the ocean floor. In recent years, they have been thriving due to mass amounts of dust being created and deposited.

Carbon sinks and carbon eaters.

In the ocean, there are multitudes of different organisms sequestering carbon. Seagrass is one of the largest carbon sequesters and provides large habitats for other fish and marine animals to thrive in.

However, despite the outsize role that some marine organisms play in carbon sequestration, phytoplankton also makes up a key role.

Phytoplankton generally pulls up their nutrients from the ocean and use those nutrients to turn carbon dioxide into organic matter, which then gets deposited back onto the ocean floor.

Due to climate change-induced wildfires and natural disasters, phytoplankton have been thriving in recent years. According to a new study published in Science Magazine and led by Toby Westberry out of Oregon State University, there is a direct correlation between the amount of dust being brought into the ocean and the numbers and health of phytoplankton in the area.

They used satellite imaging to observe the differences in the coloration of the water before and after a major dust storm or wildfire occurred. They noticed that the water in the affected areas began to turn green, indicating larger numbers of phytoplankton.

The researchers also found that depending on the altitude of the marine environment, there is an observed difference in the health and numbers of phytoplankton. In lower altitude areas, there were fewer phytoplankton despite being healthy, and in higher altitude areas, there were more phytoplankton as well as being more healthy.

It all adds up.

Phytoplankton, while important, doesn’t make up as much of an impact on climate sequestration as one might hope. This is because dust-related phytoplankton growth only makes up 4.5% of the global yearly carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean. Though, in some areas, the amount of carbon absorbed can reach highs of 40% of the total amount.

Nonetheless, It is important to be aware of the multitudes of different ways carbon sequestration can occur. These systems are large and complex and take up many different forms. To address the issue of storing carbon and removing it from our atmosphere, we must understand it won’t be a “one-size-fits-all” approach that is successful. It will take multiple different mechanisms working together and complementing each other to save our world. Phytoplankton, it seems, will be playing an important role in this.

Source Happy Eco News

Vegan handbags made of pineapple, cactus and cork could help save the planet

Posted on September 13, 2022 by dishanth

LOS ANGELES – Pineapples aren’t just for piña coladas anymore.

As fashion looks to become more sustainable, designers are trying unusual materials – such as pineapple, cactus and cork – to create handbags and other apparel traditionally made of vinyl or leather.

Instead of relying on petroleum-based synthetic fabrics that dominate fashion, Remington Reble and other designers use vegan textiles intended to help heal the environment.

“Concern for the environment is increasing. And so with that comes those conscious choices to change how you live and consume,” said Reble, an Arizona State University fashion graduate who makes handbags from cactus.

Purveyors of plant-based leather alternatives tout their products as good for the environment because they don’t have toxic chemicals and, of course, don’t involve animal cruelty.

The trend delights animal-rights activists.

Plant-based leather is a “better option because it doesn’t involve factory farming, which is what animal leather is coming out of,” said Ashley Byrne, spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA.

Helga Douglas shows off one of her handbags made from leather substitutes. She uses such materials as pineapple and cork for her Los Angeles fashion brand Svala. (Photo courtesy of Helga Douglas)

Helga Douglas, creator of the Los Angeles fashion brand Svala, makes handbags out of pineapple and cork.

“I was always looking for handbags and accessories that were made from more sustainable, animal-friendly fabric,” said Douglas, who sells her bags online. “And I couldn’t really find exactly what I was looking for. So that’s why I created Svala.”

Her handbags are made of a leatherlike material called Piñatex, which is derived from pineapple leaf fibers collected by farming cooperatives in the Philippines. The processing is finished in Spain.

Because Piñatex is a byproduct of pineapple harvest and doesn’t require any extra land water or fertilizer, its manufacturer says on its website that it is one of the most sustainable textiles on the market.

She said customers are always curious about Piñatex, but she assures them they won’t smell like a tropical cocktail. The product holds up if taken care of properly, Douglas said.

Helga Douglas shows off one of her handbags made from leather substitutes. She uses such materials as pineapple and cork for her Los Angeles fashion brand Svala. (Photo courtesy of Helga Douglas

“It really does require some maintenance in the same way that you would care for leather,” like occasional waxing and buffing, she said.

Svala’s cork bags also are popular, Douglas said. In contrast to the stoppers in wine bottles, the cork is finished in a way that makes it smooth to the touch with a glossy finish.

Adding to its sustainability, cork bark can be harvested without killing the tree; the bark just grows back. Douglas said Svala has associated itself with a nonprofit organization that helps plant trees.

In Arizona, Reble recently started his brand Ribellè to market his cactus handbags. The project ties into his upbringing as a native Arizonan.

“My mom … sent me an article about cactus leather,” he said. “And then that combined with living my entire life in Arizona. It just immediately clicked.”

He obtains his cactus leather from a company called Desserto, based in the Mexican state of Jalisco. On its website, Desserto says the material is made with the pads of nopal cactus.

Desserto says it grows its cactus without irrigation. The pads are harvested every six to eight months, then cleaned, mashed and dried for three days. Non-toxic chemicals are mixed with the organic raw material to produce a leather substitute. Because the spines are removed during processing, wearers needn’t worry about being pricked.

Reble said the cactus leather substitute feels the same as traditional leather. Other businesses are using cactus for jackets and automobile seats.

For instance, Mercedes-Benz says its new Vision EQXX electric car “is made with animal-free textiles – like cactus fibers, mushrooms and vegan silk – that provide a luxurious finish from upholstery to door handles.”

Vegan leather substitutes are somewhat less durable than animal leather because they’re thinner and more sensitive to cracks and tears. However, careful use can extend a product’s lifespan up to 10 years, Reble said.

Like Reble, Douglas is enthusiastic about these materials.

“I think that it’s really great to have a fabric that is very sustainable and eco-friendly,” Douglas said.

Source – Cronkite News

From sneakers made of banana leaves to fish scale dresses, fashionistas hunt for eco-friendly materials

Posted on March 1, 2022 by dishanth

Sneakers made from banana or pineapple leaves, dresses from nettles or fish scales – the search for sustainable materials has taken the fashion industry to some wild places.

Experts warn these new textiles are not a quick fix for fashion’s enormous problems with over-consumption and waste, but may be a necessary step in developing cleaner technologies.

“You could possibly eat the final product,” said Hannes Schoenegger, co-founder of Bananatex, which uses leaves from banana ..

He was speaking at the Premiere Vision Paris conference, where industry professionals gather to find out which fabrics will dominate coming seasons.

“We only harvest the sides of the plants, and they’re already growing in the forest, so no chemicals, pesticides or even water are used,” Schoenegger added.

He was among multiple stalls presenting new bio-sourced materials.

Brazil-based Nova Kaeru offered leather made from the discarded scales of the giant pirarucu fish and another from the tropical “elephant ear” plant.

Nearby, Ananas Anam showed off some Nike shoes made from waste pineapple leaves.

Nettles are in
These textiles can be relatively niche, but some companies are determined to bring them into the mainstream.

Spanish firm Pyratex offers multiple options, from recycling the waste of corn and sugar cane production, to making fibres from Icelandic seaweed, Chinese bamboo or Austrian wood.

“It’s not about replacing cotton with one alternative crop. It’s about finding a wide variety of substitutes to make sure that nothing is over-used,” said spokesperson Pilar Tejada Lopez.

One plant getting particular interest is the nettle, which can be turned into a silk-like and incredibly strong fabric that can be used in everyday and luxury clothing.

It highlights the fact that many of these technologies are not new.

“Nettles have actually been used for clothing for centuries, but we have largely forgotten,” said Lopez.

“Part of our job is reintroducing these ideas that have been lost.”

Natural limits
Others warn of over-reliance on new materials in the drive towards sustainability.

“Replacement materials serve no purpose if we continue to make the same amount of clothing,” said Victoire Satto, of The Good Goods, a media firm specialising in responsible fashion.

They could even add to the problem if scaled up by encouraging further deforestation to make way for newly fashionable plants, she said.

That is why companies like Baananatex refuse to go beyond natural farming limits.

“Our project is part of a reforestation programme, a good way of revitalising soils and providing work to local families,” said Schoenegger.

“There’s a natural limit and we won’t go beyond that, because then it would be harmful.”

Pyratex similarly puts a lot of emphasis on partnering with responsible farmers, and avoiding the ultra-complex supply chains that make it difficult for clothing companies to know who grows their raw materials and in what conditions.

But Satto says more research is also needed on the durability of bio-sourced materials, since half the ecological damage from an item of clothing is linked to its disposal.

“If the product only lasts six months, that’s enormous in terms of environmental impact,” she said.

Iterations
Ifeanyi Okwuadi, an award-winning British designer, says his focus is on how clothes are made – not what they are made from.

“When I speak about sustainability, I’m talking about the construction – right down to using the right stitch-length for each stitch because that kind of minute detail affects the longevity of the garment when you put it in the wash,” he said.

He says many bio-sourced materials are still evolving.

“Right now, there’s a lot of buzzwords to draw you in, but eventually we won’t need to say it’s from bananas or whatever — it will just be plant-based fibres.”

“I don’t use them in my work because the tech at the moment is quite primitive. But I see them as iterations, like with all technology, and we need these innovations.”

Source Economic Times