International Women’s day. The bioeconomy revolution is led by women

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), around the world finding a job is much tougher for women than it is for men. When women are employed, they tend to work in low-quality jobs in vulnerable conditions and there is little improvement forecast in the near future. The current global labour force participation rate for women is close to 49% (for men it is 75%). The freedom to work – by choice, in conditions of dignity, safety and fairness – is integral to human welfare.

The Bioeconomy is led by women. This year, as every year, for the International Women’s Day, we dedicate a tribute to all women who are making the bioeconomy happen all around the world. With their huge competences and their infinite passion, they are the stars of the world bioeconomy. Our best and warmest wishes to all women.

This is just a partial list.

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An interview with Giulia Gregori, Strategic Planning Manager at Novamont

“The paradigm of the circular bioeconomy for Novamont means renerating territories, focusing on soil health and on the decarbonisation of the atmosphere”. To say it – in this interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Giulia Gregori, Strategic Planning and Corporate Communications Manager at Novamont, the company based in Novara, Italy, which is a leader in the world market of bioplastics. Gregori talks about the circular bioeconomy in the frame of the EU Green Deal and the circular economy action plan and talks also about Grace, the BBI JU demo project focused on hemp and miscanthus.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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Circa Group successfully completed €56 million IPO on Euronext Growth Oslo

Tony Duncan, CEO of Circa Group, at IFIB 2018 in Turin

Australian biochemicals company Circa Group AS has successfully completed a private placement of 575 Norwegian Kroner (NOK) – approximately €56 million – in a transaction led by Pareto Securities and Sparebank 1 Markets in Oslo, at a post-money market valuation of approximately NOK 2 billion (approximately €194 million). The company (ticker code: CIRCA) shares started trading on Euronext Growth Oslo at 09:00 CET yesterday (2 March 2021).

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Ford and McDonald’s joined forces to give vehicles a caffeine boost

Source: PIxabay

Ford Motor Company and McDonald’s USA joined forces to give vehicles a caffeine boost by using part of a familiar staple in the morning routine, coffee beans, in vehicle parts such as headlamp housing. Every year, millions of pounds of coffee chaff – the dried skin of the bean – naturally comes off during the roasting process. Together, Ford and McDonald’s can provide an innovative new home to a significant portion of that material. The companies found that chaff can be converted into a durable material to reinforce certain vehicle parts. By heating the chaff to high temperatures under low oxygen, mixing it with plastic and other additives and turning it into pellets, the material can be formed into various shapes.

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Braskem launched Dansko’s new line of EVA clogs made with I’m Green biopolymer

Henri Colens, Braskem Europe at IFIB 2016

Braskem, the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas and leading producer of biopolymers in the world, headquartered in Brazil, launched Dansko’s new line of EVA (Ethylene-vinyl acetate) clogs made with over 50% of Braskem’s renewable I’m green™ carbon negative EVA biopolymer.

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Metsä Fibre invested €1.6 billion to build a new bioproduct mill in Kemi, Finland

Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, made the investment decision to build a new bioproduct mill in Kemi, Finland. The value of the investment is €1.6 billion and it is the largest investment ever made by the Finnish forest industry in Finland. The construction phase will take approximately two and a half years, and the mill will be completed during the third quarter of 2023.

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British Airways is to power future flights with SAF produced by LanzaJet

British Airways is to power future flights with sustainable aviation fuel produced from sustainably sourced ethanol, as part of a new partnership with sustainable jet fuel company LanzaJet. The partnership, which reflects the importance the airline is placing on sustainability and its continued investment in sustainable aviation fuel, will see British Airways invest in LanzaJet’s first commercial scale Freedom Pines Fuels facility in Georgia, USA and acquire cleaner burning sustainable aviation fuel from the plant. It expects the fuel to be available to power a number of its flights by the end of 2022. In addition, the partnership will involve LanzaJet implementing early stage planning and design for a potential commercial facility for British Airways in the UK.

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An interview with Jukka Kantola, CEO NC Partnering

“The pandemic is still with us and it’s not over. I think it only reminds humankind to have more balance with nature. The signs of climate change are there for all to see, for instance more storms and drought. We have seen the damage just one virus has caused, there are millions of these in nature and they have been here much longer than human beings.” To say it – in this interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Jukka Kantola, CEO of NC Partnering and founder of the World Bioeconomy Forum.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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Novozymes enters the biocontrol segment of agriculture with enzyme-based technology

Source: Pixabay

Novozymes, the world leader in biological solutions headquartered in Denmark, is entering the biocontrol segment of agriculture with promising enzyme-based technology – expanding beyond its current base of microbial products and innovation. The new technology – the company claims – has broad potential to control major pests that impact the agricultural industry and are responsible for billions of dollars of damages each year. 

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Clariant signed a license agreement in China for its sunliquid technology

Source: Clariant

Clariant, a focused, sustainable and innovative specialty chemical company, signed a license agreement with Harbin Hulan Sino-Dan Jianye Bio-Energy, a Chinese green energy company for its sunliquid® cellulosic ethanol technology.

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