“The bioeconomy can and should be the path for the re-industrialization of Brazil, fostering much needed innovations and development of products and processes that will fast-track the establishment of the this new norm in a global scale”. To say this – in this exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Bernardo Silva, Executive President at Brazilian Industrial Biotechnology Association (in Portuguese ABBI – Associação Brasileira de Biotecnologia Industrial), a trade association that brings together companies and institutions developing and using microorganisms and its derivatives to deliver renewable products for industries and consumers worldwide. The founding members of ABBI are Amyris, BASF, BioChemtex, BP, Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira, Dow, DSM, DuPont, GranBio, Novozymes, Raízen and Rhodia. With Silva we talk about Brazilian bioeconomy and the country’s national strategy to support the field. “The ambition to establish a vibrant bioeconomy in Brazil, which values our comparative advantages and is able to realize the opportunities arising from this new model of development, entails a joint effort between government, business and civil society to discuss, define and practice a plan that ensures the alignment of policies in place and long-term strategies, paving the way for Brazil fulfill its role as a leader a global bio-based economy.”
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
We can now drink our espresso and support the bioeconomy and circular economy, thanks to a wholly biodegradable and compostable coffee capsule for espresso machines. Once consumed, it can be collected with the organic waste and processed industrially to become compost. This is the circular economy principle of zero waste, according to which all used products can return to being a resource, with significant environmental benefits. The project – created and used by two of the most popular Italian companies, Novamont and Lavazza – won the Ecomondo Sustainable Development Award 2015 for the category “Waste and Resources”.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 