The need to react to the COVID-19 crisis is a unique opportunity to transform our economy and put forward the change that our society needs to create a sustainable and desirable future. A Circular Bioeconomy Roundtable convened by HRH The Prince of Wales last week discussed how this should be done: not just by designing recovery packages, but by transformative action to trigger mission-oriented innovation, attract investments and rethink business models and markets. Leading figures from science, the investment community and industry discussed how a circular bioeconomy offers game-changing solutions and is a crucial concept to move towards a carbon-neutral, renewable and inclusive economy that prospers in harmony with nature.
Business
LanzaTech has successfully launched LanzaJet to produce sustainable aviation fuel
LanzaTech, a leading biotech company and carbon recycler headquartered in Illinois (USA), has successfully launched LanzaJet, Inc., a new company that will produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for a sector requiring climate friendly fuel options as it starts to recover from the impacts of COVID-19. With its approach to commercialization of SAF, LanzaJet is creating regional jobs while enabling global decarbonization of the aviation sector.
UPM Raflatac launched the industry’s first wood-based polyethylene label film
UPM Raflatac launched UPM Raflatac Forest Film PE™ to complement its range of sustainable film labeling solutions. The new PE film label takes UPM Raflatac forward in its quest for a smarter future beyond fossils, decreasing the use of fossil-based virgin raw materials in home and personal care labeling applications.
Beiersdorf and Evonik joined forces to develop sustainable raw materials for care products
Beiersdorf and Evonik have reached an agreement on a research partnership. Its aim is to develop sustainable raw materials for care products, using carbon dioxide (CO2) as the starting material. Beiersdorf is on the lookout for new sources of raw materials that will also reduce the company’s carbon footprint. One option here is artificial photosynthesis technology. The idea: with the aid of electricity from solar energy and bacteria, valuable raw materials are produced with water and CO2, drawing on natural photosynthesis as a model. The joint research project of Evonik and Beiersdorf is being funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in the amount of around €1 million.
One in three Finns could stop using fossil fuels in the next few years
Neste brings Neste MY Renewable Diesel™ to a significant number of new stations during April and May 2020 in Finland. With the expansion, Neste MY Renewable Diesel will be available at around 120 stations in growth centers as well as smaller towns.
New platform of bio-based industries and regions to advance EU bioeconomy
The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), Europe’s leading industry association putting circularity, innovation and sustainability at the heart of the European bioeconomy, has partnered with the European Committee of Regions (CoR) to develop a new partnering platform to connect the bio-based industries and European regions.
DSM boosts maternal and infant nutrition portfolio with new plant-based DHA oil
Royal DSM, a purpose-led, global science-based company active in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living, launched its new, high-quality life’sDHA® SF55-O200DS oil for maternal and early life nutrition solutions. Offering a higher potency, this ingredient contains a minimum of 550 mg/g natural triglyceride DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), allowing manufacturers to achieve equivalent dosages of DHA in smaller product formats and meet the latest maternal nutrition trend for convenient capsule and tablet sizes.
Enerkem and Nova Chemicals joined forces to close the loop on plastics recycling
Two Canadian companies will collaborate on innovative technology to close the loop on recycling and drive a plastics circular economy. Nova Chemicals, a leading producer of chemicals and plastic resins, and Enerkem, a world-leading waste to renewable fuels and chemicals producer, have entered into a joint development agreement to explore turning non-recyclable and non-compostable municipal waste into ethylene, a basic building block of plastics.
An exclusive interview with Philippe Mengal, Director of BBI JU. “The bio-based sector can be a key contributor to the Europe’s recovery”
“I am convinced that this crisis will teach us many lessons and I am sure that the day after will find us working together to kick-star again our economies and drive our recovery towards a more resilient, green and digital EU.” Philippe Mengal, Executive Director of BBI JU, talks to Il Bioeconomista. In this exclusive interview, he tells us how the European bioeconomy is reacting to the crisis of coronavirus.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
Neste has closed the acquisition of US-based company Mahoney Environmental
After the approval by regulatory authorities, Neste has closed the acquisition of Mahoney Environmental (Mahoney), a leading collector and recycler of used cooking oil in the United States, and its affiliated entities.
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