Avantium collaborates with Casa da Malha and Lacatoni to develop PEF-based textile prototypes

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CEO Tom Van Aken and Her Majesty Queen Maxima. Source: Avantium

Avantium, a Dutch company specialised in renewable and circular polymer materials, started a collaboration with Portuguese textile manufacturer Casa da Malha and sportswear brand Lacatoni to develop and showcase textile prototypes made with PEF (polyethylene furanoate), Avantium’s plant-based, high-performance polymer branded as releaf®. The collaboration explores the potential of PEF in textile applications, combining Avantium’s renewable polymer technology with Casa da Malha’s expertise in advanced knitted fabrics and Lacatoni’s experience in sportswear design and performance apparel. The project has resulted in a range of prototype textile products that will be presented to industry stakeholders and consumers to demonstrate the material’s potential in the textile sector.

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Fibre-based food packaging set to lead by 2045 as barrier innovations accelerate and regulation tightens, new study reveals

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Source: UPM

A new study from UPM Specialty Materials and global consultancy Smithers points to changing dynamics in the food packaging landscape, with fibre-based materials taking the leading share by 2045, recycling rates climbing toward 37%, and a regulatory landscape where sustainability becomes a strict government mandate. Fibre-based food packaging is on course to become the leading sustainable material by 2045, driven by breakthrough barrier coating technologies, tightening global regulation, and a decisive consumer shift away from single-use plastics. These are among the key findings of the new global study published by UPM Specialty Materials and Smithers.

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CBE JU published its 2025 Annual Activity Report: the EU bioeconomy is alive and well

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Virginia Puzzolo, Head of Program at CBE JU at IFIB 2023 in Florence

CBE JU has published its 2025 Annual Activity Report, presenting a year of strong demand, broader participation and tangible progress in supporting Europe’s circular bio-based sector. From record interest in the call for proposals, strong SME and newcomer participation to industrial deployment milestones, progress towards KPIs and wider engagement of new organisations and underrepresented countries, the latest results underline CBE JU’s contribution to the EU’s strategic goals. 

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UPM and ANDRITZ partner to advance tailored tissue innovation

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The world’s leading multifibre pulp producer UPM Pulp and the international technology group ANDRITZ have signed a strategic, multi-year cooperation agreement to enable tissue manufacturers to develop and optimize next-generation tissue products and processes. With dedicated access to pilot-scale development at ANDRITZ’s PrimeLineTIAC Tissue Innovation and Application Center in Graz, Austria, tissue manufacturers can optimize fibre and process solutions tailored to their production setup. They can also develop and commercialize innovative products faster for enhanced performance and improve efficiency across tissue production and raw materials.

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Neste, Goldwin, Idemitsu and Toray partner to supply renewable nylon fiber for THE NORTH FACE brand

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Goldwin Inc., Neste, Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., and Toray Industries, Inc. have established a supply chain for nylon fiber made from renewable raw materials. Neste supplies Neste RE™, a renewable raw material that enables the production of high-performance renewable nylon fiber and reduces the reliance on fossil feedstocks. The nylon fiber produced through this project is scheduled to be used by Goldwin for a part of THE NORTH FACE products in August 2026. 

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EU Commission steps up action on Europe’s bioeconomy

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Berlaymont, European Commission’s Headquarter in Brussels

The European Commission is stepping up the implementation of the EU’s Bioeconomy Strategy by launching three complementary initiatives. This includes the Bio-based Europe Alliance (BEA) to support market scale-up, the Bioeconomy Investment Deployment Group (BIDG) to improve access to finance, and the Expert Group on Bioeconomy to support implementation by Member States. As part of this, a new call for expression of interest to participate in the BEA was launched on Wednesday 10 June. It aims to address gaps across the value chain that prevent companies from scaling up and reaching full market deployment of bio-based materials and products. 

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LanzaTech JV successful IPO underscores strategic value of more secure fuel supply

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Jennifer Holmgren at IFIB 2018 in Turin, Italy

LanzaTech Global, Inc., a carbon management solutions company, announced that Beijing Shougang LanzaTech Technology Co., Ltd., a joint venture in which LanzaTech held a 9.31% equity stake prior to the offering described below, has launched its Initial Public Offering (IPO) of 40 million H-Shares at a public offering price equivalent to approximately US$1.86 per share, based on applicable exchange rates, on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The offering raised gross proceeds of approximately US$75M before underwriting discounts and commissions.

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Today the second edition of the BioINSouth Forum get started in Seville

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Seville in Spain is hosting the second edition of the BioINSouth Forum. The Andalusian city is for a couple of days the Mediterranean capital of bioeconomy, thanks to the forum that is bringing together leaders and experts from various sectors and disciplines from South Europe and beyond. Today they are discussing and outlining the R&I priorities in bioeconomy, in conjunction with the particularities of the South European regions, asking for a new political EU Initiative: BioSouth. If there is a BioEast it’s also needed a BioSouth to enlarge and boost the European bioeconomy.

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FAO event showcases practical bioeconomy approaches across Europe and Central Asia

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Fountain of Trevi in Rome (headquarter of FAO)

A virtual event organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on 28 May showcased practical, scalable solutions from across Europe and Central Asia, highlighting how circular bioeconomy approaches in agriculture can drive innovation, support sustainable development and help translate commitments into concrete action on the ground.

The event marked the launch of the publication “Case studies promoting bioeconomy through agricultural practices in Europe and Central Asia”, which presents examples of sustainable and circular agricultural practices already being implemented across the region.

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UPM acquires Ray Technology® intellectual property from Avantium, broadening its bio-based glycols IP portfolio

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UPM has reached an agreement with Avantium N.V. to acquire the intellectual property related to Avantium’s Ray Technology®, a process for the production of bio-based mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) and mono-propylene glycol (MPG) from plant-based sugars. The transaction comprises Avantium’s patent portfolio and invention disclosures related to Ray Technology® and is for UPM not material in financial terms. The strategic value lies in the expansion of UPM’s intellectual property position across the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to bio-based glycols.

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