February 24th, 2011

Disposables Debate: Can Recycling, Materials Innovation Make Plastic Bag Bans Obsolete?

Single-use plastic grocery bags, and the various fees, taxes and bans proposed to curb pollution from their disposal, are causing controversy again this week.

A newly surfaced study, still under peer review, suggests that disposable bags aren’t as bad for the environment as re-usable cotton bags.

The study — The Life Cycle Assessment of Supermarket Carrier Bags by Dr. Chris Edwards and… → Read More

January 26th, 2011

Metabolix Oilseeds Gets $203,000 Grant To Test 'False Flax' As Possible Petroleum Replacement

A Cambridge, Mass. biosciences company that makes plastics, chemicals and energy from renewable crops rather than petroleum, Metabolix, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBLX) today announced that its subsidiary, Metabolix Oilseeds, obtained a $203,000 grant from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture (or USD $203,614.92) to test a crop called Camelina Sativa, or false flax, as a possible petroleum… → Read More