The rising concerns about environmental harm and pollution create a setting for the search for better materials to produce more sustainable products. Plastic plays a crucial role in modern life and most of the commonly used are of fossil origin. Polylactic Acid (PLA) has been appointed as a more sustainable alternative, due to its origins in biodegradable raw materials. This paper aims to review scientific research, where Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is performed on this material, in order to further understand the environmental impacts and to assess whether it is a more viable option when compared to the most commonly used plastics. A systematic literature review of 81 LCA studies focused on the LCA of PLA products was conducted. An assessment of key aspects, including the system boundaries, raw materials origin, and quantitative analysis of five environmental impact categories was performed. In this comparative analysis, in addition to presenting the results for PLA products, they are also compared with other fossil-based plastics. This leads to the conclusion that PLA has higher environmental impacts on Marine Eutrophication, Freshwater Eutrophication, and Human Toxicity, which are mainly related to the agricultural phase of growing the raw materials for PLA production. For Climate Change, Polystyrene (PS) presents the higher Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, and for the Ozone Layer Depletion category, Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) presents the higher impact. PLA is a solution to replace fossil plastics. However, the use of alternative biomass sources without competition with the feed and food sector could be a key option for biobased materials production, with lower environmental and socioeconomic impacts. This will be a pathway to reduce environmental impacts in categories such as climate change, marine eutrophication, and freshwater eutrophication.

The worldwide textile sector is one of the most polluting and consuming natural resource value chains. In recent years, trends have demonstrated a linear model driven by fast fashion, increasing the sustainability problems of this sector. The European market and industry are changing the paradigm and promoting some actions towards a sustainable value chain. This paper applies a systematic approach to reviewing scientific research, where Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is implemented as a tool to understand the impacts considering a holistic life cycle framework, from raw materials to the end-of-life of textile products. The methodology and criteria applied resulted in 73 articles used for qualitative analysis, of which 39 met the criteria for quantitative analysis. The quantitative results reported in the studies were organized and presented by phase of the garment production life cycle (production of fiber, yarn, fabric, manufacturing, and recovery/end of life). From a cradle-to-gate perspective, wool yarn production, by worsted processing, was the material with the highest values (95.70 kg CO₂ eq/kg) for climate change/global warming potential, closely followed by silk fabric (80.90 kg CO₂ eq/kg). Extending to a cradle-to-grave boundary, polyester had the highest values for the previously mentioned category, reaching a potential release of 40.28 kg CO₂ eq per kilogram of polyester textile. When data was available, the user phase predominantly contributed to climate change/global warming potential. Additionally, there were significant differences in maximum and minimum values for some of the materials, which were related to methodological considerations, database inventory, and frequency of use and care considered by the different authors. The study also addresses the considerations and limitations of diverse LCA impact assessment tools.

Three isolates of a novel, rapidly growing, non-pigmented Mycobacterium species were recovered from the water and runoff of a public fountain in a rural village in central Portugal, formerly used by the local population as a source of drinking water and not accessible to animals. High-quality draft genome sequencing, in silico DNA–DNA hybridization, and phylogenetic analyses confirmed that isolates 21AC1^T, 21AC14, and 21AC21 represent a previously undescribed species within the genus Mycobacterium, forming a distinct phylogenetic lineage closely related to Mycobacterium wolinskyi, Mycobacterium goodii and Mycobacterium smegmatis. MALDI-TOF MS analysis of the type strain 21AC1^T revealed a unique spectral profile. A comprehensive polyphasic characterization was performed, including chemotaxonomic analyses of fatty acid and mycolic acid composition, as well as an extensive biochemical characterization. Their susceptibility to 12 antimicrobials was also assessed. The identification and characterization of novel nontuberculous mycobacteria species are of increasing environmental and clinical relevance, as infections by these opportunistic pathogens are on the rise globally. Based on our findings, we propose that isolates 21AC1^T, 21AC14, and 21AC21 represent a novel species, for which we propose the name Mycobacterium appelbergii sp. nov., with the type strain designated as 21AC1^T (=BCCM/ITM 501212 = DSM 113570) and the additional two strains as 21AC14 (=BCCM/ITM 501447 = DSM 118402) and 21AC21 (=BCCM/ITM 501448 = DSM 118403).

Three isolates of a novel, rapidly growing, non-pigmented Mycobacterium species were recovered from the water and runoff of a public fountain in a rural village in Central Portugal. High-quality draft genome sequencing, in silico DNA-DNA hybridization, and phylogenetic analyses confirmed that the isolated strains 21AC1^T, 21AC14, and 21AC21 represent a previously undescribed species within the genus Mycobacterium, forming a distinct phylogenetic lineage closely related to Mycobacterium wolinskyi, Mycobacterium goodii, and Mycobacterium smegmatis. MALDI-TOF MS analysis of the type strain 21AC1^T revealed a unique spectral profile. A comprehensive polyphasic characterization was performed, including chemotaxonomic analyses of fatty acid and mycolic acid composition, as well as an extensive biochemical characterization. The antimicrobial susceptibility of the three strains to 12 antimicrobials was also assessed. The identification and characterization of novel nontuberculous mycobacteria species are of increasing environmental and clinical relevance, as opportunistic infections by these pathogens are on the rise globally. Based on our findings, we propose that strains 21AC1ᵀ, 21AC14, and 21AC21 represent a novel species, for which we propose the name Mycobacterium appelbergii sp. nov., with the type strain designated as 21AC1^T (=BCCM/ITM 501212 = DSM 113570) and the additional two strains as 21AC14 (=BCCM/ITM 501447 = DSM 118402) and 21AC21 (=BCCM/ITM 501448 = DSM 118403).