Elsa Wenzel

3 days ago | trellis.net | Elsa Wenzel

Few of the nearly 8,000 companies with validated science-based net zero targets make headlines for reaching that milestone. But for Shein, which has come to symbolize the excesses of cheap, trend-driven fashion, the news drew widespread criticism from sustainability experts. “If Shein were sincere, perhaps, we wouldn’t see emissions grow quite so astronomically recently,” said Maxine Bédat, director of the New Standard Institute, a New York City think tank.

4 days ago | trellis.net | Elsa Wenzel

Animal, vegetable or mineral. Most materials derive from one of those categories of nature. But a Chicago startup is cultivating a new class of materials from the fungus kingdom. Hydefy, in fact, is developing alternatives both leather and fossil fuel-based plastics. The company just emerged from stealth mode after spending five years quietly formulating its vegan “leather.” In March, it took the wraps off its first branded product, a $1,500 silvery purse by Stella McCartney.

4 days ago | ecotopical.com | Elsa Wenzel

Welcome to EcoTopical Your daily eco-friendly green news aggregator. Leaf through planet Earths environmental headlines in one convenient place. Read, share and discover the latest on ecology, science and green living from the web's most popular sites.

1 week ago | gsb.stanford.edu | Elsa Wenzel

At Apple, Joseph Kao, MS ’24, worked on advanced optical films for the company’s first wearable displays. Yet the more he developed cutting-edge consumer technology, the more Kao wondered about the fate of products at the end of their lives. What would ultimately become, for instance, of the plastic inside the lens module he’d helped make for the Apple Vision Pro? Such questions brought back memories of his childhood in Taipei with his grandparents.

1 week ago | gsb.stanford.edu | Elsa Wenzel

As a renter, Meghan Wood was frustrated by the solar options available to her. She knew that solar panels provide cheaper, cleaner energy. But as she researched the systems on the market, she only found products with hefty price tags and complex installation needs — proving barriers to access for all but high-income households. Instead, Wood asked, what if anyone could purchase a low-cost solar system?