Renmatix, the U.S. leader in affordable cellulosic sugars headquartered in King of Prussia (Pennsylvania), announced a $14 million investment, led by Bill Gates. Industry demand for competitive alternatives to petro-derived molecules is gaining traction, despite recent market pressures. In the interest of expanding that supply, the Plantrose® process provides an enabling technology for profitable biorefineries. This investment in commercializing Plantrose will help drive towards the first wave of Renmatix licensees building Plantrose-enabled biorefineries in diverse global markets like Canada, India, Malaysia, the U.S. and elsewhere. In parallel, that activity will facilitate further market development in downstream bioproduct applications.
Arkema, the French company created in 2004 following the reorganization of Total’s Chemicals branch, continues to expand its specialty polyamides production capacities in China and the United States, in order to support its customers’ growth around the world, in particular in the sports, consumer electronics and automotive markets,
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has signed a three-year contract for the supply of sustainable biofuel in Los Angeles. This means that KLM will purchase sustainable biofuel for all its flights at this airport for a period of three years. The biofuel will be produced by the local biofuel refinery AltAir Fuels and supplied by SkyNRG. Los Angeles is the world’s second airport that has incorporated biofuel into its regular refuelling process. The airport in Oslo, Norway, was first to do so in March this year. KLM was also involved in that initiative.
Neste and Ikea of Sweden yesterday announced partnership to deliver renewable, bio-based plastics. The two Scandinavian companies have joined forces to take leadership in renewable, bio-based materials, and invite other companies to join the initiative.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture selected the Safety Equipment Institute – a subsidiary of ASTM International – to manage the certification program that supports labeling thousands of products as “biobased.” The renewal of this five-year contract will mean that more and more people will be able to find and purchase products that are made and packaged using renewable materials.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 