In this episode, we delve into the world of alternative plastics. As plastic usage continues to rise, against a backdrop of climate change and the need to reduce emissions and waste across the globe, there is a desperate and time-sensitive need to scale plastics that don’t cost the earth. Lignin Industries is a Swedish-founded company that has done just that, having developed a new bio-plastic from lignin, the second most abundant organic material on Earth. CEO Fredrik Malmfors is this week’s guest.

Fredrik Malmfors joined Lignin Industries in April 2023. His background includes 17 years at Accenture, over two spells. His final position at Accenture was leading their Nordic supply chain work. Malmfors' time at Accenture was punctuated by several years at Swedish agricultural cooperative Lantmännen (agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products in 20+ markets) in senior leadership positions.

CleanTechnica sits down with LandGate CEO & co-founder Yoann Hispa to discuss the past, present, and future of renewable energy technology and data.

Yoann Hispa is CEO and co-founder of LandGate, a leading ClimateTech and PropTech company. Prior to that, he was Executive Director of Engineering at Ruspetro, and led the engineering and drilling operations for a Private Equity’s mineral acquisitions which successfully divested for a 3x. Yoann has 19 years of experience in the energy and carbon industry in various technical and leadership roles. He has been an Instructor of Energy Land Resources at UT-Austin and at the Realtors Land Institute for several years. Yoann holds an Executive MBA from the University of Colorado, an MS in Geosystems Eng. from the University of Texas at Austin, an MS in Geomechanics from the University of Birmingham (UK), an MSc in Civil Engineering from ESTP (Paris, France), and a BS equivalent in Math/Physics.

In this episode of CleanTech Talk, Scott Cooney and Zach Shahan discuss the current state of climate action, reflecting on past US clean energy and EV policies from Obama and Biden, discuss some of the achievements of the Biden administration, and look into the implications of the recent US presidential election and challenges ahead. They explore the impact of local politics on climate initiatives, the role of complacency in political engagement, and the future of electric vehicle adoption in the US.

The conversation also touches on global trends in renewable energy and the influence of fossil fuel companies on climate policy — globally and in the US. Scott and Zach delve into the complexities of climate change a little bit, the illusion of technological solutions and geoengineering, and the geopolitical implications of Donald Trump being elected ... twice.

They also discuss the evolution of Elon Musk's thinking, influence, and involvement in political narratives, particularly regarding climate issues. The conversation culminates in a critical examination of Musk's transformation from a cleantech leader to a far-right political influencer, highlighting the challenges and responsibilities of influential leaders in addressing climate change.

Phillip Kobernick, Associate Director of Energy Programs at Peninsula Clean Energy, and Zach Shahan, CEO of CleanTechnica, talk about why Level 1 EV charging is king, and why it's critical for California to achieve its EV charging goals. Phillip and Zach also talked about other matters, such as building codes, the duck curve, and Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs).

Justine Johnson, Michigan’s Chief Mobility Officer and head of the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), talks with CleanTechnica CEO Zach Shahan about how Michigan’s mobility and electrification strategy, guided by the MI Healthy Climate Plan, is innovating and moving the EV ecosystem forward. They really are leading the way on some of the cutting-edge EV topics of the day.

CleanTechnica talks with Withum — a top 25 advisory, tax, and accounting firm that specializes in renewable energy tax credits (among other important topics) and the cleantech industry — about the complex and changing world of these vital credits and what you need to know for your business to thrive in 2025.

CleanTechnica's Scott Cooney, during Climate Week, talks with Mallika Talwar regarding climate change communications and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication; Sara Newman, founder and executive director of the Climate Mental Health Network; and Zoe Berman, COO of Sound Future, about partying to help save the planet.

CleanTechnica's Scott Cooney talks with Alexia Akbay, CEO of Symbrosia, about natural solutions to reduce livestock methane emissions; a representative of Nuclear Matters, a nuclear advocacy org; Joshua Nodiff, creator of the Climate Imaginarium.

climate week

In this episode of the CleanTech Talk podcast, we sat down with Chris Rauscher, Head of Grid Services & Virtual Power Plants at Sunrun, to discuss how the company is empowering homeowners to become energy producers, ensuring a more resilient, sustainable, and efficient grid. We dive into how VPPs are revolutionizing how we think about power generation and grid stability and what went into the making of the country’s largest virtual power plant in addition to the company’s recent milestone of hitting one million customers.

I recently interviewed Mike Spagnola, president and CEO of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), for our CleanTech Talk podcast series. It was an atypical and interesting conversation for me, because it wasn't with someone entrenched in and coming from the EV industry. This is a more conventional auto guy who's coming at the EV topic from a "normal auto guy" perspective.