By mimicking the natural process of the toxic chemical production of organisms, scientists at the Imperial College London have discovered a way to program microorganisms to create toxic chemicals which do not harm the microorganism’s development.

To encourage companies to reduce their carbon footprint, Laurence D. Fink, founder and CEO of BlackRock, announced in his annual letter that the firm would avoid investing in companies which “present a high sustainability-related risk”.

Investors are taking note of the more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic waste floating in our oceans today and contributing more than $30 trillion in sustainable investments globally.

The World Economic Forum reports there will be 933 million metric tons of plastics generated annually by 2050.

The Future Forest Economy Initiative, a cooperative effort between the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities and the Northern Forest Center, is accepting proposals to support new markets for wood products.