Andrea Jesse's Blog: October 2020

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

A new company called Newlight is turning greenhouse gasses into truly biodegradable products

https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a34127608/newlight-covalent-restore-straws-leather-goods-review/ Today, California biotech company Newlight Technologies launches Restore and Covalent, its commercial food-ware and fashion lines featuring products made with its patented AirCarbon, a material derived from the secretions of microorganisms who have been fed greenhouse gases. In layman’s terms, this means they collect some pollution out of the air, serve it to some critters who say “Pollution? My favorite,” and then they eat that pollution. As atmospheric carbon is absorbed into our oceans, naturally occurring microorganisms feed on it and grow a material within themselves. Newlight has developed a method of collecting that material and molding it into a carbon-negative alternative to plastic and leather that they call AirCarbon. AirCarbon has been used to make packing material and office furniture, and now it’s being formed into straws, cutlery, eyewear, wallets, and handbags. In its newly-opened Huntington Beach production facility Eagle 3, Newlight recreates ocean water conditions, adds the microorganisms, then basically pollutes that water with greenhouse gases it’s collected from landfills and factories. The little guys eat, their little stomachs get full, Newlight empties those stomachs, then filters, dries and forms that substance into pellets which they melt and mold into commercial products. That is the technical terminology, yes. And since it repurposes greenhouse gases which would have ended up in the atmosphere, AirCarbon is carbon-negative. Every product they create is pollution that didn’t end up in the air and water. Restore also offers a line of straws, an alternative to the plastic ones that pollute our oceans, and the paper ones that even the greenest among us have to admit are not getting the job done. AirCarbon has also been formed into a leather alternative— called “Non-Leather,” because we can’t expect these people to be brilliant at everything— for a line of handbags, wallets, and phone and tablet sleeves under the Covalent brand. Non-Leather may not have the heft of real leather, but it’s not flimsy plastic either; the wallet is sturdy enough to accommodate all the credit cards you’re running up right now. All the Non-Leather goods come in AirCarbon’s natural off-white color, or black. Also, each Covalent product is emblazoned with a unique timecode called a “Carbon Date.” When entered into the Covalent website, the Carbon Date allows you to access the full history and carbon footprint of your piece, from when it was pollution and hungry microorganisms all the way up to when you bought it. Restore straws and cutlery are available for restaurants and food service companies now, and you can snap them up on their website restorefoodware.com. Covalent eyewear and Non-Leather goods are available now at covalentfashion.com.