Today, the Commission has proposed a series of targeted actions to boost biotechnology and biomanufacturing in the EU. The Communication on Building the future with nature identifies the challenges and barriers and proposes to tackle them, in line with the Communication on the long-term competitiveness of the EU.
Continue reading
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) honored last 8 March the second annual National Biobased Products Day, a celebration to raise public awareness of biobased products, their benefits and their contributions to the U.S. economy and rural communities. “Bioproducts offer opportunities for more revenue streams for small and mid-sized farmers while giving consumers more in-demand, clean options for everyday items.”
A Festival that aims to engage youth as drivers of the transformative change required in view of the multiple challenges that Europe faces today, and to unlock the potential of the bioeconomy to make the transformation happen. This is the ‘Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival’ organised by the European Commission (DG Research and Innovation) in cooperation with the Bioeconomy Youth Ambassadors, and accompanied by independent satellite events all over Europe on March 13 and 14
In addition, the Festival helped the European Commission to gather views on an update of the Bioeconomy Strategy and Action Plan.
It took place between 11 and 17 of March 2024 in various locations across the EU, and comprised of:
The target audience of the high-level event of 13-14 March 2024 consists of bioeconomy stakeholders, regional, national and international policy makers and youth interested in the bioeconomy.
The satellite events, organised in 18 countries, are offering space for discussions, networking, and information on career opportunities.
Afyren, a greentech company that offers manufacturers natural, low-carbon ingredients produced using unique fermentation technology based on a completely circular model, and Suez, a world leader in circular solutions for water and waste management, are working together on a new way of creating value from organic waste.
Equal opportunity and equal treatment in the labour market are at the core of decent work. Unfortunately, women around the world still face additional hurdles to access employment, and once in employment, to access decision-making positions and jobs in certain sectors or of certain characteristics. This horizontal and vertical gender segregation of employment, combined with the unequal distribution of unpaid work (including household and childcare activities), results in differences in working conditions such as the gender pay gap and the over-representation of women in part-time jobs.
Reims is worldwide known as the capital of Champagne, the excellent sparkling wine that is made in the Champagne region of France using the traditional method (méthode traditionnelle). Founded by the Gauls, Reims became a major city in the Roman Empire and played later a prominent ceremonial role in French monarchical history as the traditional site of the coronation of the kings of France. From 19 to 21 March Reims will be also the capital of the industrial biotechnology and bio-based economy.
Airbus and TotalEnergies signed a strategic partnership to meet the challenges of aviation decarbonization with sustainable aviation fuel. In line with the objective of achieving net carbon neutrality of aviation by 2050, this partnership aims to contribute to the reduction of the sector’s CO2 emissions, in which Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) play a key role. SAF supplied by TotalEnergies – the Franch company claims – can reduce up to 90% CO2 emissions over lifecycle compared to their fossil fuel equivalent. These are biofuels produced from waste and residues from the circular economy (animal fats, used cooking oils, etc.) and “e-jets”, synthetic fuels for aviation.
“In future, I believe that regulation, consumer behaviour and sustainability will force the traditional petrochemical industry to rethink and find alternative ways to move forward.” To say it – in this exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Bertel Karlstedt, the new CEO of Circa Group, the Oslo-headquartered biochemical company, which is listed on Euronext.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
Evonik and Uniper officially launched the Technical Options for Thermal Energy Recovery (TORTE) project in Gelsenkirchen. As one of the first phases of Evonik’s ‘Herne Green Deal’ to sustainably transform the Herne chemical site, the TORTE project will feed industrial waste heat from isophorone production into the district heating network. Around 1,000 homes in the Ruhr region will be supplied by the end of 2024.
Green COP, a Singapore-headquartered deep-tech start-up in sustainable fuel solutions, successfully garnered substantial funding from a curated group of angel investors, including a corporate investor, Ken Energy Pte. Ltd., positioning itself for accelerated growth and groundbreaking advancements in the sustainability landscape.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 