Author: Il Bioeconomista

An exclusive interview with Gregory Jaffe (former USDA). “The Trump Administration will need to ensure the US has an enabling environment that supports the bioeconomy”

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Gregory Jaffe was Senior Advisor for Regulatory Affairs in the Office of the Secretary at USDA during the Biden Administration. He is now Founder and President of a policy consulting firm based in Washington DC, specializing in agriculture, food, environmental, and climate policy, both domestic and international.

In this exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista, he talks about the prospects for the bioeconomy in the United States under the new Trump Administration and the relations between the United States and the European Union in this new era of tariffs.

“The Trump Administration – Jaffe says – will need to ensure the United States has an enabling environment that supports biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and the bioeconomy”.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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UPM participates in the NorthDIVeRSITY project led by Luke to develop Environmental DNA

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A wooden building in the woodsAI-generated content may be incorrect.
The first mill was built along the Ala-Kelvänjoki river in 1666.The last mill is still in place, a reminder of the history of the area.

UPM is participating in the NorthDIVeRSITY project led by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), which is developing eDNA (Environmental DNA) tools for monitoring fish and forest species suitable for the Nordic nature. The project aims to find more effective methods for monitoring the effects of restoration, for example, by studying species distribution before and after restoration.

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dsm-firmenich to sell stake in Feed Enzymes Alliance to its partner Novonesis for €1.5 billion

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dsm-firmenich, the Dutch multinational company active in nutrition, health, and beauty, sold its stake in the Feed Enzymes Alliance to its equal partner Novonesis, a global leader in biosolutions, for €1.5 billion. The dsm-firmenich activities to be sold under this transaction to Novonesis represented in 2024 approximately €300 million in total annual net sales. Novonesis will continue a long-term commercial relationship with the Animal Nutrition & Health business, for the re-sale of its feed enzymes through the Animal Nutrition & Health world-class premix network.

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Futerro launches engineering for its future European biorefinery

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Futerro, a Belgian company specialised in the production of lactic acid, lactide (two platform molecules) and PLA (polylactic acid), has launched the engineering and the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) – called “Avant-Projet Détaillé” in French – for its future European biorefinery to be located at Saint-Jean-de-Folleville between Rouen and Le Havre.

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Bioeconomy on the rise: Momentum building amid global challenges

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European Parliament, Brussels

We are navigating turbulent times, yet the bioeconomy continues to gain momentum, demonstrating its resilience and relevance across the globe. In just the past month, we have seen remarkable developments from various regions – each reinforcing the growing recognition of bio-based solutions as a pathway to sustainability and economic transformation. Here are some of the latest developments shaping the future of the bioeconomy.

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Tomorrow starts in Brussels BioKET, the global event organized by B4c, the French Bioeconomy Cluster

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Square Cube in Brussels

Tomorrow starts in Brussels BioKET, the international conference organized by the French Bioeconomy Cluster, Bioeconomy for Change (B4C). BIOKET, short for BIOeconomy Key Enabling Technologies, is a global event dedicated to the processes and technologies applied to biomass. BIOKET – B4C states – was founded in 20018 to fill a niche in highlighting the Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) that are essential for transforming biomass into high value added products. 

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International Women’s day: our tribute to all women who are making the bioeconomy happen

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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.

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Repsol will invest more than €800 million in the Tarragona Ecoplanta to produce renewable methanol

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Repsol Technology Lab. Source: Repsol

Repsol’s Board of Directors gave the green light to invest in the Ecoplanta, a pioneering project in Europe to transform urban waste into renewable fuels and circular products, adding a solution for reducing CO2emissions in the transport sector, while at the same time promoting the circular economy.

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UPM Timber launches carbon storage calculator

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Source: UPM

UPM Timber has launched a carbon storage calculator on its website. With the carbon storage calculator, wood industry professionals, UPM Timber’s customers and consumers can easily calculate the amount of carbon sequestered in wood raw material and examine its climate impacts. 

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EU Commission presented a Clean Industrial Deal for competitiveness and decarbonisation

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Berlaymont, European Commission’s Headquarter in Brussels

Yesterday, the Commission presented the Clean Industrial Deal, a bold business plan to support the competitiveness and resilience of European industry. “The Deal will accelerate decarbonisation, while securing the future of manufacturing in Europe.” “Faced with high energy costs and fierce and often unfair global competition, our industries – the EU Commission stated – need urgent support. This Deal positions decarbonisation as a powerful driver of growth for European industries. This framework can drive competitiveness as it gives certainty and predictability to companies and investors that Europe remains committed to become a decarbonised economy by 2050.”

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