Earth Day 2026

Happy Earth Day!

There are countless reasons to celebrate and be grateful for our planet. The purpose of Earth Day is to promote positive environmental action that will help protect our planet for as long as possible. Sustainable technologies and biodegradable materials play a key role in this mission, and considering this year’s Earth Day theme “our power, our planet”, it is particularly fitting to reflect on the promising advances in biodegradable batteries.

Over the last decade the rapid growth of Internet of Things devices, consumer electronics and monitoring technologies has resulted in an alarming increase in electronic waste, i.e. e-waste. In fact, the United Nations reports a record 62 million tonnes of e-waste was produced in 2022, which represented an 82% increase from 2010. This is a source for environmental concern as e-waste has low recyclability rates and can introduce highly toxic substances, including plastics, heavy metals and other pollutants, into the environment.