Sustainability in the News

Source: Chemical & Engineering News, 4/3/26

"Climate-savvy travelers are likely aware of the global impact of flying. The aviation industry is working hard to decarbonize, but carbon dioxide emissions are only half the story. Contrails—clouds of condensed water that trail behind a jet—may be just as important as carbon dioxide when it comes to global warming. This makes eliminating contrails an attractive target for climate action. New research led by scientists at the German Aerospace Center suggests that it won’t be easy: Removing soot emissions doesn’t prevent contrail formation (Nature 2026, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10286-0)."

Source: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 5/19/25

Nanoplastics are everywhere. These fragments are so tiny they can accumulate on bacteria and be taken up by plant roots; they’re in our food, our water, and our bodies. Scientists don’t know the full extent of their impacts on our health, but new research from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign food scientists suggests certain nanoplastics may make foodborne pathogens more virulent. 

Source: The Conversation, 5/28/25

Researchers at West Virginia University are developing a new technology to change how electronics are recycled. Instead of using toxic chemicals, their approach uses electricity, which makes recovering critical materials from electronics safer, cleaner, and more affordable. 

Source: The Conversation, 8/19/25

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee researchers analyzed public records, government documents, and sustainability reports compiled by top data center companies and found that technology companies don’t always reveal how much water their data centers use.

Source: Fast Company, 8/11/25

The race to build AI infrastructure is draining power grids and water supplies. But with the right innovation, tomorrow’s data centers could clean the air, grow food, and power entire communities.

Source: Inside Climate News, 11/17/25

Ingesting just six pieces of rubber—each smaller than a pea—can all but seal a seabird’s fate, leaving it with a 90 percent chance of death. A 300-pound adult green sea turtle has about a 50 percent chance of survival after swallowing two golf balls’ worth of plastic bags and food wrappers. Gulping down less than a soccer ball’s volume of fishing line or nets is enough to kill nearly all sea lions, seals, dolphins and porpoises.

These are just some of the fatal thresholds marine wildlife face when plastic ends up inside their bodies, according to a new analysis by scientists from the Ocean Conservancy, an international marine conservation nonprofit. In a study released Monday, researchers outline the amount of swallowed debris it takes to block an animal’s gut, tear its digestive tract or force its intestines to twist. 

Source: American Chemical Society, 3/24/25

Source: Science News, 1/13/26

'The last three years were the hottest on record, a new analysis of global climate data finds. They also mark the first three-year period in which the global average temperature exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels — a threshold associated with increased risks to biodiversity, human health and weather extremes.'

See https://climate.copernicus.eu/sites/default/files/custom-uploads/GCH-2025/GCH2025-full-report.pdf for the full report from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and https://climate.copernicus.eu/global-climate-highlights-2025 for interactive highlights.

Source: École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 5/8/25

An edible robot made by EPFL scientists leverages a combination of biodegradable fuel and surface tension to zip around the water's surface, creating a safe -- and nutritious -- alternative to environmental monitoring devices made from artificial polymers and electronics.

Source: Rice University, 5/1/25

A team led by Rice University bioscientist  Caroline Ajo-Franklin has discovered how certain bacteria breathe by generating electricity, using a natural process that pushes electrons into their surroundings instead of breathing on oxygen. The findings, published in Cell last month, could enable new developments in clean energy and industrial biotechnology. 

Source: Emory University, 6/3/25

A new study by Emory University researchers, published recently in Environmental Science & Technology, found that exposure to the tiny particles in air pollution during pregnancy can disrupt maternal metabolisms, altering key biological pathways. These changes were associated with increased risk of various negative birth outcomes, including premature birth. 

Source: BusinessWire, 11/18/25

Epic Cleantec ("Epic") recently announced the launch of a groundbreaking commercial beer made with highly purified recycled water from showers and laundry — now available to consumers across the United States. Shower Hour IPA and Laundry Club Kölsch, Epic’s two beer styles, are category-defining brews made with a uniquely sustainable ingredient: recycled water. Crafted in partnership with the award-winning team at Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company in San Carlos, CA, the beers use water from buildings where Epic operates advanced onsite reuse systems. The water is cleaned with modern, state-of-the-art technology to ensure it’s exceptionally pure. 

Source: Waste360, 9/18/25

Household hazardous waste (HHW) is showing up on states’ and local jurisdictions’ radar, fueled by safety concerns and the exorbitant cost to manage these materials. As batteries, vapes, compressed gas cylinders, and certain other products flood waste and recycling streams, they spark fires and injure waste workers while leaving governments to shoulder most of the cleanup costs. In response, a few jurisdictions are looking at extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws, requiring producers to take responsibility for dealing with these materials at the end of life. 

Source: Le Monde, 10/23/25

The European Parliament on Thursday, October 23, definitively adopted rules clamping down on pollution from the tiny pellets that constitute the building blocks of most plastic products. The text introduces new rules to hold handling and transport firms accountable for spills of the lentil-sized pellets, called nurdles, which are used in everything from car bumpers to salad bowls. 

News Medical, 11/2/25

In a recent article in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, researchers examined blood chemical levels in adults exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through public drinking water systems. Their findings suggest that even in areas without industrial PFAS manufacturing, people can be significantly exposed to these “forever chemicals” through contaminated drinking water, requiring ongoing monitoring.

Source: Environmental Health News, 1/9/26

'A recent review published in Emerging Contaminants found that eggs from chickens raised near waste disposal sites contained high levels of bromated flame retardants (BFRs), a class of long-lasting toxic industrial chemicals.'

Source: Medical News Today, 7/24/25

Vishal Midya is the corresponding author of a new study recently published in the journal eBioMedicine that found exposure to a class of synthetic chemicals called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)Trusted Source — also known as "forever chemicals" — may increase a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Source: Environmental Health News, 1/9/26

"A recent study published by The Lancet Planetary Health examined the public health risks of exposure to a mixture of common plasticizer chemicals, including bisphenol A (BPA) and eight phthalates. 

In short: 

• Exposure to the mixture of nine plasticizer chemicals was associated with an increased risk of death from all causes, as well as an increased risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease. 
• Reducing overall population exposure to this mixture could prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths in the U.S. each year. 
• These risks were only found in people who had lower concentrations of vitamin D and vitamin B9 (folate) in their blood, suggesting that vitamins may help play a role in mitigating harm from exposure. "

Source: Inside Climate News, 12/4/25

Manure management planning could prevent fertilizer pollution. But an antiquated system isn’t doing enough to track manure, a former state employee says.

Source: Florida Atlantic University, 4/30/25

For the first time, scientists have mapped microplastic distribution from the surface to the deep sea at a global scale – revealing not only where plastics accumulate, but how they infiltrate critical ocean systems. For the study, researchers synthesized depth-profile data from 1,885 stations collected between 2014 and 2024 to map microplastic distribution patterns by size and polymer type, while also evaluating potential transport mechanisms.              

Results, published in Nature, reveal that microplastics are not just surface pollutants – they’re deeply embedded in the ocean’s structure. Ranging from a few to thousands of particles per cubic meter, their size determines how they move: smaller microplastics (1 to 100 micrometers) spread more evenly and penetrate deeper, while larger ones (100 to 5,000 micrometers) concentrate near the surface, especially within the top 100 meters of gyres. Gyres act like massive, slow-moving whirlpools that trap and concentrate floating debris – especially plastic.  

Forbes, 3/30/25

Federal researchers are making gains in experiments to ease the process of harvesting recyclable materials in electronic waste from discarded cellphones and computers. 

Two new methods developed by Richland, Wash.-based Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists may hold the keys for how to better salvage critical minerals in e-waste. Traditional methods are time consuming, require a great deal of energy and involve handling hazardous chemicals. 

Scientists at Illinois-based Argonne National Laboratory spearheaded a project to make and recycle luminescent polymers in semiconductor materials that light up such electronics as computer screens and car dashboard navigation displays.

Source: Grist, 6/23/25

The search to find a PFAS-free firefighting foam is relatively new, as a growing body of research illuminates the harmful impact that these chemicals have on humans and the environment. Soybean farmers have presented their crop as a surprising solution to this problem. Although more research and development are needed to ensure soy-based firefighting foam holds up under the toughest circumstances, the product is catching the attention of local fire departments. 

Source: Phys.org, 10/1/25

In a study published in the journal Ambio, researchers examined 52 peer-reviewed scientific papers on plastic found in the Amazon since 2000, particularly in fauna, fish, sediment and water. More than 90% of the research was concentrated in Brazil along the main Amazon River channel, and the most frequently reported microplastic fragment size was less than five millimeters. The findings make for troubling reading. Plastic contamination is not limited to a few spots; it's widespread across the basin. The review found plastic fragments and litter in the water, river sediments, and among plants and wildlife, including birds, fish and mammals. The most alarming discovery was the threat to human health. Researchers found that two-thirds (66%) of the studied animals (mostly fish) that contain plastic are regular food sources for local communities. This high level of contamination puts many people at risk of ingesting plastic fragments, especially microfragments.

Source: Science Alert, 1/4/26

"Every time a load of laundry is done, millions of microplastics are washed from the fibers of our clothes into local waterways. By some estimates, up to 90 percent of plastic in 'sewage sludge' comes from washing machines. This material is then often used in agriculture as soil or fertilizer, possibly exposing those who eat the resulting crops to these pollutants...Figuring out a way to capture plastic pollutants before they leave our washing machines is challenging work. Current filtration systems available on the market can easily become clogged. Researchers at the University of Bonn and the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology turned to nature for inspiration. They decided to make a water filtration system that mimics the mouths of some fish, like mackerel, sardines, and anchovies."

Read about this research in npj Emerging Contaminants.

Source: TechCrunch, 3/5/25

A U.K. startup, originating from founder Jacob Nathan’s high school science project on using enzymes to break down plastic waste, has secured an oversubscribed $18.3 million in Series A funding.

Source: Horizon Magazine, 7/1/25

Green art conservation methods developed by EU-funded researchers are setting new standards and proving useful far beyond museums, from cosmetics to agriculture. 

Source: Texas A&M University, 2/4/26

'What do microplastics, water color, and satellites have in common? Dr. Karl Kaiser, professor of marine and coastal environmental science in the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies at Texas A&M University at Galveston is exploring an innovative idea: using satellites to spot microplastics in the ocean. How? By studying how tiny plastic particles change the way light reflects off the water — and how that changes the color we see from space. If this connection works, it could give scientists a powerful new tool to track microplastic pollution across the globe without ever leaving orbit.'

See https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.5c05604.

Source: Great Big Story, 8/8/24

Harvest mice are the smallest mammals in Britain. They are only about the size of your thumb, and live in tall grass across the countryside, usually in small nests. But with their habitat infringed upon, animal conservationists found an object that makes for a perfect harvest mouse home: the tennis ball.

Source: University of Georgia, 6/11/25

New research from the University of Georgia’s Odum School of Ecology and Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant suggests there may be elevated levels of mercury in Georgia and South Carolina waters.

In studying alligators from the Okefenokee Swamp, Jekyll Island and Yawkey Wildlife Center, UGA researchers found high levels of mercury, prompting concerns about the levels of the heavy metal in the environment. Previous research has shown accumulating levels of the heavy metal in smaller animals in Georgia swamps but not as much is known about animals as high up in the food chain as the alligator. Mercury concentrations in alligators show that the toxin can easily move up the food chain. The researchers discovered that mercury concentrations were more prominent in larger, older gators. That wasn’t just from absorption over time but presumably from the alligators consuming greater amounts of creatures already contaminated with mercury.

Source: The Conversation, 6/4/25

As the summer shopping season kicks off, all eyes are on Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 and whose purchasing power wields significant influence over market trends. Often lauded as the “sustainability generation,” a closer look reveals a complex internal struggle: despite their strong desire for eco-conscious living, many Gen Z consumers find themselves drawn to the allure of fast, affordable, trend-driven consumption. 

Source: Live Science, 12/8/25

Scientists have converted waste cooking oil into various recyclable plastics with exceptional strength — and some were even durable enough to tow a car. Turning nonedible waste into useful polymers is a sustainable way to create new materials, the researchers said in a new study published Nov. 28 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Source: Flinders University, 6/27/25

A major discovery by an interdisciplinary team of experts in green chemistry, engineering and physics at Flinders University in Australia has found a safer and more sustainable approach to extract and recover gold from ore and electronic waste. The glistening gold-extraction technique, unveiled in the leading global journal Nature Sustainability, promises to reduce levels of toxic waste from mining and shows that high purity gold can be recovered from recycling valuable components in printed circuit boards in discarded computers. 

The new process uses a low-cost and benign compound to extract the gold. This reagent (trichloroisocyanuric acid) is widely used in water sanitation and disinfection. When activated by salt water, the reagent can dissolve gold. Next, the gold can be selectively bound to a novel sulfur-rich polymer developed by the Flinders team. The selectivity of the polymer allows gold recovery even in highly complex mixtures. The gold can then be recovered by triggering the polymer to “un-make” itself and convert back to monomer. This allows the gold to be recovered and the polymer to be recycled and reused.

Source: Harvard University, 9/17/25

Scientists at Harvard have discovered how salts like lithium bromide break down tough proteins such as keratin—not by attacking the proteins directly, but by altering the surrounding water structure. This breakthrough opens the door to a cleaner, more sustainable way to recycle wool, feathers, and hair into valuable materials, potentially replacing plastics and fueling new industries.

Source: E+E Leader, 4/28/25

Traditional carbon capture strategies focus on separating and storing CO₂ without addressing the significant energy losses inherent in the process. New research, however, demonstrates a novel pathway: recovering energy directly from CO₂ emissions using ionic liquid-based electrochemical capacitors.

Source: Anthropocene Magazine, 4/9/26

'In a sustainable twist to the saying"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade," researchers in Hawaii are developing a method to convert discarded fishing nets and plastic trash into asphalt roads. Their early tests show that incorporating recycled plastic into asphalt is technically viable and bears minimal risk of shedding microplastics that could end up in the oceans. The team from the Center for Marine Debris Research at Hawai'i Pacific University presented their innovative solution to the island's plastic waste problem at the American Chemical Society Spring 2026 conference.'

Source: NYU Langone Health, 4/29/25

Daily exposure to certain chemicals used to make plastic household items could be linked to the more than 356,000 global deaths from heart disease that occurred in 2018 alone, a new analysis of population surveys shows. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the current study focused on a kind of phthalate called di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), which is used to make food containers, medical equipment, and other plastic items softer and more flexible. A report on the findings was published online April 29 in the journal Lancet eBioMedicine.

Source: Purdue University, 8/20/25

A typical morning hair-care routine can expose you to as much immediate nanoparticle pollution as standing in dense highway traffic, report Purdue University engineers. A Purdue research team led by Nusrat Jung, an assistant professor in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, and her Ph.D. student Jianghui Liu, found that a 10–20-minute heat-based hair care routine exposes a person to upward of 10 billion nanoparticles that are directly deposited into their lungs. These particles can lead to serious health risks such as respiratory stress, lung inflammation, and cognitive decline. The team's findings are published in Environmental Science & Technology.

Source: The Guardian, 9/7/25

Sam Shoemaker’s record-setting voyage shows the promise – and limits – of fungi as a plastic alternative. 

Source: The New Lede, 4/2/26

"People living near concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, in California, Texas and Iowa suffer from higher rates of cancer, suggesting that the air and water pollution from the massive farms may be playing a role, according to a new study. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research, comes just weeks after a years-long report in Iowa found the state’s agricultural chemicals and CAFO pollution are, in part, behind its rising cancer rate. In the new study, Yale University researchers examined the rates of all cancers over the past 20 years in Texas, California and Iowa counties along with the density of CAFOs in the counties. High exposure counties were defined as those in the top 25% of CAFO density for their state. The researchers found rates for all types of cancers were 4% higher in highly exposed California counties, and 8% higher in highly exposed Iowa and Texas counties when compared to counties with lower CAFO density.  They found certain cancers were more strongly associated with CAFO density in each state. For example, stronger links were seen for bladder cancer in California, colorectal cancer in Iowa, and lung and bronchus cancer in Texas."

Read the full study at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2026.124298.

Source: CBS New York, 3/5/26

'A new study shows toxic forever chemicals known as PFAS may be entering the food chain on Long Island through contaminated soil, water and air...Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) conducted the study, along with Stony Brook University and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), in August 2025. They said they purchased a total of 23 items of produce from eight farms on the North Fork and South Fork, including six conventional farms that use pesticides and two organic farms. The farms were not named in the study. The produce included carrots, romaine lettuce, Boston lettuce and beets. The vegetables were frozen the day they were collected and tested for PFAS at Stony Brook labs. Testing revealed some high levels of PFAS, which have been linked to cancer.'

Source: Capital & Main, 1/16/26

'After the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires, federal officials and private companies led a patchwork of efforts to remove debris and contaminated material from areas that burned and others covered in toxic ash.

One year later, homeowners have had the inside of their houses tested after completing remediation and many found hazardous levels of chemicals including lead and asbestos. Community groups and scientists who have worked together on testing projects are now pushing for a more stringent certification system to ensure families don't move into homes with dangerous levels of pollutants.'

Source: Trellis, 3/21/25

Alternew and Revive are partnering with fashion brands to profit from repairs and alterations while keeping clothes out of closets, warehouses and landfills.

Source: Inside Climate News, 12/11/25

With data center developers in Texas and most other states now commonly deploying fossil fuel generators as backup power sources, a nascent industry from the renewable side of power generation—battery storage—has started elbowing its way into the fast-growing sector. A new report by Oxford-based Aurora Energy Research detailed how adding battery storage to a site could improve data centers’ power quality, provide flexibility and reduce transmission congestion, while offering an opportunity to reduce emissions. 

Source: PBS News Hour, 7/28/25

It may sound like the stuff of sci-fi movies, but diverting food waste from the landfill and converting it into electricity has become a real thing. William Brangham visited Ben & Jerry's Vermont ice cream factory and the operations next door to find out how it works.

Source: The Conversation, 3/12/25

A vast number of chemicals are registered for production and use around the world. But only a portion have been thoroughly evaluated for their toxicity due to time, cost, ethical concerns and regulatory limitations. Better understanding the process of determining the toxicity of chemicals could help make them safer. 

Source: Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, 10/17/25

Excessive microplastics contamination could be fuelling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), already a spiralling problem worldwide, a new research report reveals. The report, published in The Journal of Hazardous Materials, finds that plastics act as a platform for biofilms – communities of bacteria and other microbes that cling to their surfaces. These biofilms can help accelerate the spread of drug resistance by creating a protective barrier that blocks the entry of antibiotics into the microbes, and helps resistance genes to transmit more easily within the biofilm community.

Source: Associated Press, 12/19/25

Wastewater flushed down the drain can be used to heat and cool homes and buildings in a sustainable way and climate experts say it is an untapped source of energy due to its stable temperature. And good news, the buildings don’t smell. 

Source: UCLA, 4/24/25

A new study finds that presenting the same continuous climate data, such as incremental changes in temperature, in binary form -- such as whether a lake did or did not freeze in the winter -- significantly increases people's ability to see the impact of climate change.

Source: Waste360, 12/2/25

Greater Peoria Sanitary District (GPSD) treats 20 to 25 million gallons of wastewater each day and uses some of the resulting biogas to heat its boilers while flaring the rest. But now the Illinois utility has other plans for some of the excess and is banking on monetary and environmental returns. That biogas will be converted to renewable natural gas (RNG), injected into the natural gas pipeline, and sold as transportation fuel—a slow but steady growing trend among water utilities looking to reduce their emissions while capitalizing on their waste byproduct. And they have the ideal feedstock. Their gas is high in methane and low in nitrogen, meaning its energy-rich and requires relatively minimal treatment steps.