Adidas has shoes made of ocean plastic. Nike has ones made of recycled leather. Now, Reebok has its first plant-based athletic shoe.
The "NPC U.K. Cotton + Corn" sneaker, which debuted Tuesday, has a top made from 100 percent organic cotton, a sole made from a corn-based rubber substitute and an insole made from castor bean oil. No dyes were used for the chalk-colored kicks and they'll also come in 100 percent recycled packaging.
To make the sole, Reebok used an ingredient called Susterra propanediol, developed by DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products, that's described as "a pure, petroleum-free, non-toxic, 100 percent USDA certified bio-based product, derived from field corn."
The bio-based shoe is just the first phase of Reebok's "Cotton + Corn" sustainable product line that was first announced last year.
Reebok's Future Team, which created the shoe, is now developing footwear that's actually biodegradable.
The goal is to create shoes that can decompose in six months, Reebok said in a blog post Tuesday. The company noted that "most stories about sustainable shoes are recycling stories"—meaning they're either made from recycled materials or up-cycled from old shoes.
"Our issue with recycling is you recycle plastic, it's still plastic ... You're not getting rid of the problem," Bill McInnis, vice president of Reebok's Future Team, recently told CBS News. "The idea is how do you get rubber and plastic out of the process and replace it with natural things that grow like corn."
Just think, instead of throwing your shoes away for good—adding to the roughly 300 million pairs that end up in U.S. landfills annually—you can compost them or simply bury them in your backyard.
"Typical shoes are made from oil-based plastics that can sit around in landfills for hundreds of years when you're done with the," McInnis said on a company web post. "We're focusing on creating shoes made from things that grow, made from things that bio-compost, made from things that can be replenished."
The cotton and corn shoes are available online and cost $95.
Reebok launches sustainable sneaker made from cotton and corn https://t.co/aLPJPjALmn https://t.co/ASZcH61KUs— CBS News (@CBS News)1534305783.0
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A boy walks through plastic waste on Juhu beach in Mumbai, India on June 2, 2018. Punit Paranjpe / AFP / Getty Images
By Lisa Newcomb
Analysis released Thursday of the world's top 10 biggest plastic polluters in 15 countries reveals how major corporations hide behind the veneer of corporate responsibility while actively working to thwart regulatory legislation around the globe.
<p><br/></p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/17/delay-distract-and-derail-new-report-reveals-how-plastic-polluters-have-avoided?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>
<p>"This report is a damning exposé of the tactics employed by the plastics industry and shines a welcome light on the shadowy world of corporate lobbying," Natalie Fee, founder of City to Sea, which supported the research conducted by the Changing Markets Foundation, <a href="http://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Talking-Trash-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">said</a> in a statement.</p><p>"For too long," said Fee, "the true cost of plastic production has been externalized, meaning plastic producers continue to get away with ecocide while waste management companies, consumers and marginalized communities around the world are left to deal with millions of tonnes of toxic plastic waste."</p>
<div id="5899a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f2af5e24600e9a04a59098846be0795c"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1306489782529335296" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Out now! 📢 Our ground-breaking new report reveals the hypocrisy of the world’s biggest #plasticpolluters, who claim… https://t.co/TWutruUlqA</div> — Changing Markets Foundation (@Changing Markets Foundation)<a href="https://twitter.com/ChangingMarkets/statuses/1306489782529335296">1600326412.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The report—titled "<a href="https://talking-trash.com/" target="_blank">Talking Trash: The Corporate Playbook of False Solutions</a>,"—exposes how Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, Mars Incorporated, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Perfetti Van Melle, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever <a href="http://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Talking-Trash-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">deploy</a> "tactics to undermine legislation in individual countries are in fact part of a global approach by Big Plastic to ensure that the corporations most responsible for the plastic crisis evade true accountability for their pollution."</p><p>According to Changing Markets Foundation Thursday, the investigations <a href="http://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Talking-Trash-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">found</a>:</p><ul><li>Big Plastic is a well-organized network of organizations that fight against proven solutions to the plastic pollution crisis through similar tactics across the world</li><li>Voluntary commitments and group initiatives from the ten biggest plastic polluters are used to distract consumers and governments, enabling polluters to continue with business as usual</li><li>Corporations work behind the scenes to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/31/there-no-end-big-oils-evil-campaigners-condemn-industry-plan-pour-us-plastics-africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">delay and derail</a> legislation and ensure they can continue flooding the world with cheap, disposable plastic packaging</li><li>Plastic producers have co-opted the Covid-19 pandemic and capitalized on people's fear to call for regulatory rollbacks and delays on environmental legislation</li></ul>
<div id="688ca" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3370c14123ff2ac521085479120d1260"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1306488205198401536" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">DELAY, DISTRACT and DERAIL: 3 tactics that help Big Plastic fight plastic legislation behind the scenes across the… https://t.co/f29Pc86aMj</div> — GAIA (@GAIA)<a href="https://twitter.com/GAIAnoburn/statuses/1306488205198401536">1600326036.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"This report exposes the two-faced hypocrisy of plastic polluters, which claim to be committed to solutions, but at the same time use a host of dirty tricks to ensure that they can continue pumping out cheap, disposable plastic, polluting the planet at a devastating rate," <a href="http://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Talking-Trash-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">said</a> Nusa Urbanic, campaigns director for the Changing Markets.</p><p>"Plastic is now pouring into the natural world at a rate of one garbage truck a minute, creating a crisis for wildlife, the climate and public health," Urbanic continued. "The responsibility for this disaster lies with Big Plastic—including major household brands—which have lobbied against progressive legislation for decades, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/18/greenpeace-finds-labels-plastic-products-mislead-public-and-harm-americas-recycling" target="_blank">greenwashed</a> their environmental credentials, and blamed the public for littering, rather than assuming responsibility for their own actions."</p><p>Big Plastic jumped at the opportunity presented by the Covid-19 pandemic—which has caused a <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/single-use-plastic-covid-180975312/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">surge</a> in single-use plastic consumption—to pressure lawmakers to roll back current regulations and prevent new ones, according to the report. </p><p>Additionally, Changing Markets <a href="http://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Talking-Trash-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">noted</a> that plastic pollution has devastating effects on the environment and is a key contributor to the climate crisis.<span></span></p><p>According to the group:</p><blockquote>"The plastic pollution crisis is a deeply interconnected climate crisis, a biodiversity crisis, and a public health crisis all combined... Plastic saturates almost every surface of the planet—from the deepest abysses to the highest mountains and remotest islands—causing an unprecedented crisis for wildlife... Virgin-plastic production is a major contributor to climate change, generating enough emissions—from the moment they leave the ground as fossil fuels, and throughout their entire life cycle—to use up 10 to 15% of our entire carbon budget by 2050 at current rates of growth. Disposal of plastics through incineration and backyard burning also contributes to climate change and creates a toxic fallout undermining human and planetary health."</blockquote><p>The industry's contribution to the global climate emergency is nothing new, but progressive legislators continue to face an uphill battle when it comes to regulating these powerful corporations.</p><p>President Donald Trump, for example, has called climate change a "hoax," and, despite pleas from environmental advocacy groups and progressive lawmakers, many Democratic lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)—as well as presidential nominee Joe Biden—still do not <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/31/despite-poll-showing-aggressive-climate-action-winning-issue-biden-boasts-i-am-not" target="_blank">support </a>the Green New Deal.</p>
<div id="eaab1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0f6dbe75ec7e7ed4656a767958238c89"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1306313773511303169" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Amount of federal government subsidies given to the fossil fuel industry every year: $15 billion. The amount it sh… https://t.co/NRWQWRiw5f</div> — Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders)<a href="https://twitter.com/SenSanders/statuses/1306313773511303169">1600284448.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Urbanic urged lawmakers to act to protect the planet.</p><p>"The voluntary initiatives and commitments by the industry have failed," she said in a statement. "Policymakers should look past the industry smokescreen and adopt proven, progressive legislation globally to create the systemic change that this crisis so urgently needs."</p>
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Moderna, Pfizer Release Study Designs as Vaccine Distrust Grows Among Americans
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Health + Wellness
Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld has his arm disinfected by Dr. Chao Wang during a Moderna clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine at Meridian Clinical Research in Rockville, Maryland on July 27, 2020. Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The Washington Post via Getty Images
The secretive blueprints for two of the leading vaccine candidates for the coronavirus were released Thursday. Pfizer and Moderna became the first two companies among the nine leading vaccine candidates to share their study designs, hoping that the disclosures will create trust and clarity for the public, as The New York Times reported.
<p>The details that the two companies shared are usually kept secret until after a study is complete, yet the companies decided to publish the size of their trials, the selection criteria for patients, and the adverse reactions that would cause the trials to stop prematurely. The Moderna trial will include 30,000 participants, while the Pfizer trial will have 44,000 participants, according to The New York Times.</p><p>The information released shows that the two companies and their executives still do not know if the vaccines are safe and effective. Furthermore, the disclosure shows that the ambitious time frame that President <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">Trump</a> touts to have a vaccine available in a few weeks is all but impossible, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/09/17/vaccine-companies-reveal-their-study-designs-even-trump-sows-confusion/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>.</p>
<p>Trump's frequent comments about the availability of a vaccine to the general population by election day contradict the word of scientists, health officials and the companies manufacturing and testing the vaccine candidates. That mixed-messaging has sown confusion with the public and created the appearance that a vaccine candidate will be rushed to market prior to proving its safety and efficacy, according to The Washington Post.</p><p>"We need trust as much as we need efficacy," said Andrew Pavia, an infectious-diseases specialist at the University of Utah School of Medicine, to The Washington Post. "We can't afford to do anything that reduces the trust. It's not just the trust of the public. Experts in the field have to see enough of the data to feel comfortable to recommend it."</p><p>New poll number show that trust is eroding. Data released Thursday by the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2020/09/17/u-s-public-now-divided-over-whether-to-get-covid-19-vaccine/" target="_blank">Pew Research Center</a> show that the number of Americans who are willing to get a vaccine for the coronavirus has dropped precipitously since the beginning of the pandemic.</p><p>According to the new poll, about 51 percent of the population is likely to get the vaccine, while 49 percent said they are unwilling or unlikely to get it. Only 21 percent said they would definitely get the vaccine.</p>
<p>The percentage of people who were likely to get the vaccine is down from 72 percent in May, marking a 21 percent drop over the summer. The thorniest issue for study participants was their growing concern that a vaccine was being developed too fast and it would be widely distributed before it was proven to be safe and effective.</p><p>"Over the past month alone — a period in which President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised a vaccine will be delivered by the end of 2020 and possibly before the Nov. 3 election — the share of adults who say they would get vaccinated has fallen 8 points after public opinion on the matter generally remained steady over the summer," the researchers wrote, as <a href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/516952-americans-willingness-to-take-covid-19-vaccine" target="_blank">The Hill</a> reported.</p><p>That growing unease about a vaccine is what prompted the nine companies with the leading vaccine candidates to take the unusual step of banding together to pledge that a vaccine would not be released prematurely, according to The Hill. For a vaccine to be effective, confidence has to grow so enough people will receive the vaccine to raise immunity levels high enough to stop transmission of the virus.</p><p>As for a realistic timeframe, Thursday's disclosures by Moderna and Pfizer showed that there would not be a vaccine from either company by election day. Moderna's estimated timetable showed it would not likely know if its candidate works until 2021. Pfizer did not release an estimated timetable in its disclosure, according to The New York Times.</p>
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New Zealand could be the first country in the world to require its major financial institutions to report on the risks posed by the climate crisis. Lawrence Murray / Wikimedia Commons / CC by 2.0
New Zealand could be the first country in the world to require its major financial institutions to report on the risks posed by the climate crisis.
<p>This means that about 200 of the country's biggest companies and banks would have to report on the impact that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/extreme-weather" target="_self">extreme weather</a> events or climate polices will have on their business, <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/300107158/election-2020-financial-sector-will-have-to-report-on-climate-change-risk-in-worldfirst-move" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stuff explained</a>.</p><p>"Today is another step on the journey this Government is taking towards a low carbon future for Aotearoa New Zealand and a cleaner, safer planet for future generations," said Minister for Climate Change James Shaw Tuesday, <a href="https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2009/S00127/new-zealand-first-in-the-world-to-require-climate-risk-reporting.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scoop reported</a>.</p><p>The move builds on New Zealand's emerging legacy of climate action, such as its historic <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-zealand-zero-emissions-2641247378.html" target="_self">Zero Carbon Bill</a> that committed the country to honoring the goals of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris agreement</a> and achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050.</p>
<p>However, New Zealand's parliament is currently dissolved ahead of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-zealand-ardern-renewable-energy-2647595133.html" target="_self">Oct. 17 election</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/15/new-zealand-minister-calls-for-finance-sector-to-disclose-climate-crisis-risks-in-world-first" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>. In order for it to enter into force, Shaw's party, the Green Party, would have to enter a coalition government after the election and the proposal would then have to pass parliament.</p><p>If it passes, every New Zealand bank, building society, credit union, insurer or Crown Financial Institution with more than $1 billion in assets will have to report annually on the risk climate change poses to its business or explain why it cannot, according to Stuff. That report would include what the risks are, how the institution is managing them and how it is working to address the impacts of climate change.</p><p>"Many large businesses in New Zealand do not currently have a good understanding of how climate change will impact on what they do," Shaw said. "The changes I am announcing today will bring climate risks and resilience into the heart of financial and business decision making. It will ensure the disclosure of climate risk is clear, comprehensive and mainstream."</p>
<p>Shaw said that Australia, Canada, UK, France, Japan and the European Union were developing some form of climate risk reporting, but New Zealand's plan was more ambitious because it included the whole financial system, according to Scoop. The institutions covered by the policy account for 90 percent of the assets controlled in New Zealand, Stuff reported.</p><p>If the proposal passes parliament, the climate reporting would begin in 2023.</p><p>Nobel Laureate in economics Joseph Stiglitz praised the proposed plan, according to The Guardian.</p><p>"Once again, New Zealand is leading the world… It led the world in showing how democratic countries could manage the risks of Covid-19," he said. "And now, New Zealand is leading the way in showing how we can help manage the risk of climate change."</p>
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Patagonia's current logo. Ajay Suresh / CC BY 2.0
Eco-friendly outdoor brand Patagonia has a colorful and timely message stitched into the tags of its latest line of shorts. "VOTE THE A**HOLES," it reads.
<div id="9552f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b2fa13e0488f5bc698dfdbb0b7393780"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1304825415010320391" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">PATAGONIA’s New Tag! https://t.co/llY71SwsQG</div> — Outlander Magazine (@Outlander Magazine)<a href="https://twitter.com/StreetFashion01/statuses/1304825415010320391">1599929596.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The new tags are already a hit online. They became a trending topic on Twitter after a photo of the message went viral, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/15/business/patagonia-voting-tags/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CNN Business reported</a> Tuesday. Company spokesperson Tessa Byars confirmed to <a href="https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/09/16/patagonia-gets-political-with-labels-saying-vote-the-a-holes-out7" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Euronews Living</a> that the tags were genuine, and that "a**holes" in this case meant <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-denier" target="_self">climate deniers</a> specifically.<br></p><p>"It refers to politicians from any part who deny or disregard the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crises</a> and ignore science, not because they aren't aware of it, but because their pockets are lined with money from oil and gas interests," Byars said.</p>
<p>Patagonia is no stranger to taking a stand on environmental issues. Spokesperson Corley Kenna told CNN that CEO Yvon Chouinard has been saying "vote the a**holes out" for years when talking about climate-denying politicians. The company also sued President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a> for his decision to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-shrinking-bears-ears-2515965614.html" target="_self">shrink</a> Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/national-monuments" target="_self">national monuments</a> in Utah and even <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/patagonia-ceo-politics-2613614515.html" target="_self">endorsed</a> two Senate candidates in 2018 because of their support for protecting <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-lands" target="_self">public lands</a>. It also decided to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/patagonia-donates-10-million-2621774314.html" target="_self">give away</a> its $10 million windfall from the Trump tax cut to conservation groups.<br></p><p>The company's latest political message is sewn into its 2020 Men's and Women's Road to Regenerative Organic Stand-up Shorts collection, according to Euronews Living.</p><p>"[W]e have been standing up to climate deniers for almost as long as we've been making those shorts," Byars told Euronews Living.</p><p>The company first started making the shorts in 1973, CNN said.</p>
<p>But Patagonia is doing more to encourage voting than just sharing a cheeky message with customers, the company's director of copy Brad Wieners explained on <a href="https://twitter.com/BradWieners/status/1304818097807790081?s=20" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. The company has worked with BallotReady to design a <a href="https://www.patagonia.com/elections/" target="_blank">widget on their website</a> that helps people make a voting plan for November.</p><p>"We need to elect climate leaders," the website reads. "The 2020 US Senate races will have a significant, long-lasting impact on the strength of our nation's climate policies and the existence of our wild places."</p><p>The website also features a map where the company recommends certain candidates, such as Barbara Bollier in Kansas for her support of renewable energy and Steve Bullock in Montana for his defense of public lands.</p><p>On Election Day 2020, Patagonia will repeat its practice from 2016 and 2018 and close its stores, headquarters and distribution center to encourage voting, CNN reported.</p>
<p>But the company is going farther this year. For the first time, it will also give employees up to four days off to train and work as poll workers to address the national shortage, Patagonia told EcoWatch in an email. It is also providing information on state voting policies in its retail stores.</p><p>"Patagonia is doing our part to ensure this November's elections are accessible for all eligible voters," Patagonia general counsel Hilary Dessouky said in the email. "Already this election has been marred by misinformation about voting, roadblocks to accessible voting and threats to cut essential voting services like the US Postal Service, which allow people to vote safely and securely. Patagonia is prioritizing time off to vote, and we encourage others to vote, serve as poll workers and share localized information to help make sure all voices are heard this November."</p>
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The Tyre Collective's patent-pending technology captures tire wear right at the wheel. The James Dyson Award
This year, the UK National James Dyson Award went to a team of student designers who want to reduce the environmental impact of car tires.
<p><a href="https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/2020/project/the-tyre-collective/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tyre Collective</a> designed a simple device that collects microplastics as they fly off a car tire. As the group of designers explains it, their device helps on the path toward zero emissions by using electrostatic and airflow around the tire to capture the microplastics and other small particles that are shed over the lifetime of a tire.</p><p>As <a href="https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/james-dyson-award-given-device-reduces-tyre-emissions" target="_blank">Autocar</a> in the UK reported, the team says that their design is capable of catching up 60 percent of the particles shed by tires, which is significant considering that tires are one of the largest sources of ocean microplastics, according to a study in <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17201-9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nature Communications</a></em>. That study found that tiny particles shed by tires and brake pads account for roughly 550,000 tons of microplastics that pollute the oceans annually. From that, over 80,000 tons rain down on remote areas covered in ice and snow, which helps accelerate the rate of melting, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/17/device-to-curb-microplastic-emissions-wins-james-dyson-award" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported.</p>
<p>"Everyone focuses on air pollution being directly from the engines themselves and coming out of the exhaust pipe but what people don't necessarily recognize is that tire wear is a huge contributor to that," said Hugo Richardson, one of the members of The Tyre Collective, as <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/years-dyson-award-winner-car-110041877.html" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported.</p><p>Richardson is one of a team of four students from Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art who make up The Tyre Collective. Richardson and the three other students, Siobhan Anderson, Hanson Cheng and M. Deepak Mallya, say they share a passion to use design in a way that advances environmental causes, according to The Guardian.</p><p>"As a team, our strength lies in our diversity," said Richardson, as The Guardian reported. "We come from all four corners of the globe and bring with us a wealth of knowledge in mechanical engineering, product design, architecture and biomechanics."</p>
<p>As the world moves toward more renewable energy and the technology of electric vehicles improves, a device like this may play an important role in making cars more environmentally friendly. That's due to the fact that electric vehicles do not solve the problem of tire pollution. In fact, they may make it worse since electric vehicles are usually heavier than cars with internal combustion engines, according to Autocar.</p><p>"We were unanimously drawn to The Tyre Collective for their creative innovation around this urgent issue of microplastic shedding from tires," said Sophie Thomas, one of the judges of the James Dyson award, according to Autocar. "This collaborative, multidisciplinary team questioned and challenged, building an approach that demonstrates the crucial role of design and enquiry when we search for solutions to these global problems."</p><p>The tiny particles that the designers created can be recycled to make new tires, ink or other materials, according to Autocar. Right now, the design is just a prototype, but the team hopes to use its £2,000 (approximately $2600) reward toward finding a way to scale up its product sustainably.</p><p>"In the future it could be integrated into the wheel arch or even into the mud flap behind the wheel," said Siobhan Anderson from the The Tyre Collective team, as Reuters reported.</p>
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