Sustainability

SUANNUTRA Localizes Lemon Verbena Supply Chain in Valencia, Spain

Madrid – September 30, 2026 -- SUANNUTRA SA has relocated cultivation of lemon verbena, a key botanical input for its branded ingredients, from South America to farms in Valencia, Spain, aiming to secure a more resilient and traceable supply chain.

SUANNUTRA shifts lemon verbena sourcing from the Andes to Valencia farms

The plant, native to South America and traditionally used by Andean healers as a digestive aid and antispasmodic remedy, now anchors three of SUANNUTRA's branded ingredients: Metabolaid®, RelaxPLX®, and Elissara®. "Growing it locally with full control from planting to final product reinforces our commitment to responsible botanical sourcing," said Jaime Durán Sanz, Chief Business Officer for SUANNUTRA.

Barcelona to Host Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress Nov 3-5

Barcelona – – September 30, 2026 -- Fira de Barcelona will host the Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress (TBEWC) from November 3 to 5, bringing city ports, public administrations, research centres and startups together to develop strategies for the blue economy at the Gran Via venue.

Three dedicated programmes target ports, finance and ocean sustainability

The congress conferences will run across three tracks: Smart Ports: Piers of the Future, the Global Blue Finance Summit, and the Sustainable Ocean Summit. Smart Ports will connect ports, startups, companies and investors to address operational challenges in the maritime sector. The Global Blue Finance Summit and Sustainable Ocean Summit, both organized by the World Ocean Council (WOC), aim to link investors with scalable blue economy opportunities and coordinate business and government action on ocean protection.

China Touts 1.17 Billion kW Clean Power Retrofit at CCICED Summit

Beijing – – September 30, 2026 -- Global climate officials meeting in Beijing this week pressed for faster international cooperation on clean energy, pointing to China's build-out of what they called the world's largest clean power and clean steel production systems as a template for coordinated industrial policy.

China reports ultra-low-emission retrofits across 1.17 billion kilowatts of coal power capacity

Huang Runqiu, China's minister of ecology and environment and executive vice-chairperson of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), said the retrofits extend to 990 million metric tons of crude steel production capacity. He added that China now operates or has under construction 101 nuclear power units, the largest such pipeline globally. The figures were presented as evidence of tangible emissions-cutting action rather than policy commitments alone.

Wisconsin Honors Four Energy Efficiency Champions at 25-Year Mark

Madison, Wisconsin – September 30, 2026 -- Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's statewide energy efficiency program, marked its 25th anniversary by recognizing four Energy Efficiency Champions at an award ceremony held at the Wisconsin State Capitol, with honorees crediting sustained operational commitments over one-time projects for their results.

Governor Evers Receives Champion Award for Program Support

Public Service Commission Chairperson Summer Strand presented Gov. Tony Evers with an Energy Efficiency Champion Award for his backing of the Focus on Energy program, including annual Energy Efficiency Day proclamations and a Clean Energy Plan that calls for expanding the program's reach across the state.

Caracal Opens Baltimore Plant to Recycle Hospital PPE Waste

Baltimore – – September 29, 2026 -- Caracal Products & Services has opened a 9,000-square-foot recycling hub in Baltimore to process discarded medical plastics for regional health systems, expanding its East Coast network of facilities.

Facility anchors a recycling partnership with Johns Hopkins Health System

The warehouse, located at 2-6 Alco Place, will serve as the operational base for a recycling program Caracal has launched with Johns Hopkins Health System. The site houses industrial balers that compress polypropylene and polyethylene waste from hospitals into bales onsite before shipment to recyclers, where the material is shredded, melted and reformed into plastic pellets for new healthcare-grade products.

Reser's Fine Foods Cuts Facility Power Use 20% via CO2 Refrigeration

Salem, Oregon – September 29, 2026 -- Reser's Fine Foods has completed two energy efficiency upgrades at its new Don Pancho West facility that are expected to cut overall electricity use by more than 20%, saving nearly 1.9 million kilowatt-hours annually and reducing facility emissions by 8%.

New CO2 refrigeration system replaces six units and cuts power use 41%

The 300,000-square-foot facility, which Don Pancho moved into in September 2025, now runs a centralized refrigeration system using carbon dioxide as its primary refrigerant, replacing six systems that relied on a higher-global-warming-potential refrigerant. The new system is expected to consume 41% less electricity than the modeled baseline while delivering 114% greater refrigeration capacity and more consistent temperature control, positioning Reser's as an early food-manufacturing adopter of CO2 refrigeration technology.

Mars Petcare, Big Idea Ventures Pick 3 Startups for Pet Food Program

New York – – September 29, 2026 -- Big Idea Ventures and Mars Petcare have selected three startups for the third edition of the Next Generation Pet Food Program, drawing 83 applications from 33 countries to advance alternative proteins, fats and oils aimed at cutting the environmental footprint of pet food ingredients.

Program partners with AAK, Bühler, Givaudan and Ingredion select three ingredient startups

EcoBean, a Polish company that valorizes spent coffee grounds from industrial production into high-value ingredients for cosmetics, food and pet applications, joins the 2026 cohort. Loopworm, an Indian insect biotech firm, manufactures protein and fat ingredients from silkworms using proprietary technology. Space Ark Biomedical, based in Taiwan, upcycles okara and brewer's spent grain into functional protein ingredients through enzyme technology and precision fermentation.

UV Stabilizers Market to Hit $3.99B by 2031 on Polymer Durability Demand

Delray Beach – September 29, 2026 -- The global UV stabilizers market is projected to grow from $2.86 billion in 2026 to $3.99 billion by 2031, a compound annual growth rate of 6.91%, according to MarketsandMarkets.

Asia Pacific commanded 37.2% of global value in 2025

Asia Pacific led the UV stabilizers market in 2025 with a 37.2% share by value, driven by regional polymer processing capacity and industrial expansion. North America ranked second, supported by established polymer processing infrastructure and stringent performance requirements for materials exposed to outdoor conditions.

StePacPPC's Xgo Pouch Cuts Cucumber Spoilage, Extends Shelf Life to 16 Days

Tefen, Israel – September 29, 2026 -- StePacPPC has launched a patent-pending resealable pouch that extends the shelf life of moisture-sensitive cucumbers to 16 days by combining modified atmosphere, humidity control, and condensation management in a single package.

Xgo PAZ pouch solves a longstanding packaging trade-off for cucumbers

Traditional laminated stand-up pouches restrict water vapor transmission, trapping moisture that accelerates microbial decay in cucumbers. Packers have historically countered this by macro-perforating the film, but that sacrifices modified atmosphere protection, speeds dehydration, and still allows condensation to form. StePacPPC's Xgo pouch integrates three functions -- modified atmosphere, modified humidity, and condensation control -- into one film structure, according to CTO Gary Ward.

Alder Renewables Hits 1,000-Hour Biocrude Pilot, Eyes Commercial Scale-Up

San Antonio – September 29, 2026 -- Alder Renewables has completed 1,000 hours of continuous operation at its integrated industrial pilot, producing on-spec Alder Renewable Crude (ARC) from commercially sourced woody biomass pyrolysis oil. The sustained run validates the company's low-temperature conversion process and generates operating data now feeding into equipment design for its first full-scale commercial project.

Pilot data will size larger commercial units

The 1,000-hour campaign confirmed Alder's integrated process can hold continuous operation while repeatedly meeting product specifications. Alder is applying the results to refine process controls, operating parameters and equipment design for scale-up engineering.