More than 630 institutional investors managing more than $37 trillion in assets urged governments to step up efforts to tackle the global climate crisis and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, in a joint statement issued at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP25).
Author: Il Bioeconomista
Alex Michine, CEO of MetGen, is the Most Innovative Bioeconomy CEO 2019

Our readers have voted. The Blog has really seen a boom in visits. The most innovative bioeconomy CEO 2019 is Alex Michine, CEO of MetGen, the Finnish company founded in 2008 and focused on genetic engineering and synthetic biology (you can read our recent interview with him here). Alex Michine succeeds to Ken Richards (Leaf Resources), Tony Duncan (Circa Group) and Jürgen Eck, respectively most innovative CEO 2016, 2017 and 2018.
The EU Commission and the EIB presented the investment advisor to set up and manage the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) completed the public procurement process for the selection of an investment advisor to set up and manage the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF). The selected investment advisor is ECBF Management GmbH and Hauck & Aufhäuser Fund Services S.A. will act as the Alternative Investment Fund Manager.
The 10 Most Innovative Bioeconomy CEOs in 2019. Now choose the number 1
The bioeconomy is innovation, the result of the skills and passion of researchers and managers able to create value and new high-qualified jobs. At the end of 2014 Il Bioeconomista launched a new initiative: The 10 Most Innovative Bioeconomy CEOs.
We have asked a panel of world bioeconomy experts to tell us the Chief Executive Officers that have stood out as the most innovative during the last year.
Now we ask you to choose the most innovative CEO responding to our survey (open till December 10 at 6 pm, Western European Time).
The most innovative CEO 2016 was Ken Richards (CEO of Leaf Resources)
The most innovative CEO 2017 was Tony Duncan (CEO of Circa Group)
The most innovative CEO 2018 was Jürgen Eck (CEO of BRAIN AG)
This is the result in 2019 (in alphabetical order)
Veronique de Bruijn, Photanol (Netherlands)
Marc Delcourt, Global Bioenergies (France)
Patrick R. Gruber, Gevo (USA)
Jennifer Holmgren, LanzaTech (New Zealand-USA)
Jason Kelly, Ginkgo BioWorks (USA)
Alex Michine, MetGen (Finland)
Christophe Schilling, Genomatica (USA)
Charlie Shaver, Nouryon (Netherlands)
Richard Troyer, Comet Bio (Canada)
Tom Van Aken, Avantium (Netherlands)
An exclusive interview with Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech: “We need to take more risks and move more quickly”

“The key concern is that there is no time to wait. We must act now and while countries are starting to make changes to drive a low carbon future, more needs to be done quickly. We need to take more risks and move more quickly. We need to realize the bigger risk is not acting quickly enough”. Jennifer Holmgren talks to Il Bioeconomista. In this exclusive interview, the CEO of LanzaTech gives us her point of view regarding the climate crisis and the ‘carbonsmart’ revolution that the Illinois-based company is leading at global scale.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
Marc Palahí talks to Il Bioeconomista. An interview with the director of EFI

“Transitioning towards a circular bioeconomy is a fundamental step. But new markets, products and sustainable value chains will need to be created.” To say it – in this exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Marc Palahí, director of EFI (European Forest Institute). He talks with us after his business trip to China.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
An exclusive interview with John Bell, Director Healthy Planet at EU Commission: “Europe needs an ambitious ‘Green Innovation Deal’”

“Europe needs an ambitious ‘Green Innovation Deal’ to accelerate towards our 2030 goals and to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Our 2030 and 2050 goals require decarbonisation at a speed at least six times faster than anything globally achieved so far.” John Bell, Director Healthy Planet at the DG Research & Innovation of EU Commission, talks to Il Bioeconomista. In this long and exclusive interview, he talks about the EU Updated Bioeconomy Strategy one year later its presentation in Brussels. “The main task for us in the next years – he says – will be the implementation of the updated European Bioeconomy Strategy. However, to fully deploy the bioeconomy across all of Europe, we need the help and engagement of the Member States and regions”.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
LanzaTech Moves Forward on Sustainable Aviation Scale Up in the USA and Japan

Carbon recycling pioneer, LanzaTech, continues to make strides in scaling up its alcohol to jet (ATJ) platform. Commercialization of the ATJ process has been years in the making, starting with the partnership between LanzaTech and the U.S Energy Department’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. PNNL developed a unique catalytic process to upgrade ethanol to first commercial flight with Virgin Atlantic, sustainable aviation fuel made from captured pollution is ready for full scale demonstration and commercialization.
An exclusive interview with Alex Michine, CEO of MetGen. “Building consumer awareness is key for the expansion of the European bioeconomy”

MetGen is a Finnish company headquartered in Kaarina and founded in 2008 on the core competence of genetic engineering and synthetic biology.
Gevo signed a Fuel Sales Agreement with SAS to produce and supply sustainable aviation fuel
Gevo Inc., a leading renewable fuels and chemicals manufacturer, signed a Fuel Sales Agreement with Scandinavian Airline System (SAS) to produce and supply sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for use and distribution in low carbon fuel regions of the United States. With the finalization of this new supply contract, Gevo will supply SAF to SAS from Gevo’s expanded Luverne, Minnesota plant, which is expected to be constructed over the next several years.