The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Eni signed a 15-year loan for €500 million to convert selected units of Eni’s Sannazzaro de’ Burgondi refinery, located in the Italian province of Pavia, into a biorefinery. The agreement was signed by EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti and Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi.
UPM Adhesive Materials, a global supplier of self-adhesive paper and film products, and Mark Andy, a leading manufacturer of narrow- and mid-web printing and finishing equipment, announce the renewal of their strategic partnership in the Americas for the seventh consecutive year. This global collaboration leverages UPM’s extensive portfolio of more sustainable labeling materials and Mark Andy’s cutting-edge printing technologies to deliver high-quality, innovative label printing solutions to the Americas and European markets.
The Brazilian government last week presented a new strategy to make biodiversity one of the country’s main economic assets for development by 2035. This is according to Agència Brasil. The National Bioeconomy Development Plan (PNDBio) is expected to encompass everyone from extractive workers to industry. Among the goals are expanding payments for environmental services, incorporating new herbal medicines into Brazil’s national public health care network – the SUS – and granting new conservation units to promote ecotourism.
All the 100 vehicles in the Itabus fleet run on Enilive’s HVOlution diesel, a biofuel made from 100% renewable raw materials (in accordance with the European Renewable Energy Directive). Produced at Enilive’s biorefineries in Venice and Gela mainly from waste, such as used cooking oil and animal fats, and residues from the agri-food industry, HVOlution is a hydrogenated vegetable oil that can be used in all validated diesel engines and is available in more than 1,550 Enilive service stations in Italy. HVO diesel biofuel – according to the Italian company – contributes to the decarbonization of the transport sector, including heavy-duty vehicles: across the entire supply chain, in 2025 the average CO₂eq emissions reduction from Enilive HVO for traction use was 79.5%, if compared to the reference fossil mix.
Formula 1® joins the circular bioeconomy. Indeed it has become an affiliate member of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA), established by His Majesty King Charles III when he was The Prince of Wales. As a member of the CBA, Formula 1 will work together with industry experts and other CBA members to strengthen the integration of nature protection and restoration into its strategy and delivery.
IFF — a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences — is enhancing regional production and innovation capabilities to better support the continued growth of its Health & Biosciences (H&B) business in Latin America, one of the fastest-growing markets for the company. The effort includes the transformation of the Arroyito site in Argentina into IFF’s first full fermentation‑based enzyme production hub in the region and the opening of a household care application laboratory at IFF’s Innovation Center in Brazil. Together, these enhancements expand IFF’s regional footprint and are expected to improve speed, reliability and locally relevant solutions for markets including brewing, animal nutrition, biofuels and home care.
Last Tuesday, the European Council approved conclusions on the new EU’s bioeconomy strategy. The Council conclusions welcome the vision for a competitive and sustainable bioeconomy by 2040, promote the use of bio-based and circular solutions across all relevant sectors – as fossil-free alternatives – and support innovation and investments.
On 24 March, the CBE JU Stakeholder Forum 2026 will take place in Brussels, bringing together Europe’s bio-based community for high-level discussions on how to move from innovation to real market impact. The second edition of the forum will focus on a key question: what still needs to happen for Europe’s bio-based innovations to become competitive, large-scale industrial solutions? The forum will bring together CEOs from leading European bio-based companies (among these Catia Bastioli CEO Novamoent, Niklas von Weymarn CEO Metsa Spring, Nicolas Sordet CEO Afyren), as well as key EU decision makers, to discuss what it takes to transform innovation into industrial reality.
The European Commission launched a call for interest last Tuesday to participate in the European Bioeconomy Investment Deployment Group, a new platform aimed at accelerating investment in the EU’s growing bioeconomy sector.
Stora Enso has published a climate resilience plan outlining its approach to climate action, target attainment, and business preparedness for future climate scenarios. The plan includes a forecast for emission reductions across all scopes by 2030. At the end of 2025, the Group’s Scope 1 and 2 CO2e emissions were 61% lower and the estimated Scope 3 emissions 38% lower than in the 2019 base year. The target is to achieve a 50% reduction in all scopes by 2030.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 