OrthoLite, the global leader of sustainable, performance and comfort insoles and footwear materials solutions, and Novamont, the international leader in the development, production and eco-design of biodegradable and compostable bioplastics and biochemicals, joined forces for the creation of OrthoLite Cirql™, the world’s first circular foam material solution for footwear.
Fulcrum BioEnergy, Ltd. – the United Kingdom subsidiary of Fulcrum BioEnergy, a US-headquartered clean energy company pioneering the creation of renewable, drop-in transportation fuels from landfill waste – received a grant of approximately £16.8 million, USD $20.2 million, from the UK Department for Transport Advanced Fuels Fund. The grant, which runs through to 2025, will support development of Fulcrum NorthPoint, a residual waste to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facility which will be located at the Essar Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire in North West of England. Funds from the grant will be utilized to fund engineering activities for the plant, which is expected to have the capacity to transform about 600,000 tonnes of residual waste into approximately 100 million liters of low-carbon SAF per year when it enters operations in 2027.
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 46% (for men it is 71%, according to the International Labour Organization). The freedom to work – by choice, in conditions of dignity, safety and fairness – is integral to human welfare.
Held jointly by France and Gabon, the 6th One Planet Summit took place on 1 and 2 March 2023 in Libreville, Gabon. This Summit focused on common challenges for the three tropical forest basins of the Congo Basin, the Amazon forest and the forests of South-East Asia. The choice of Gabon to host the Summit highlights the rich heritage of African forests.
Global Bioenergies aims at producing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) through its bio-isobutene technology, and has worked these last years on the ASTM international certification procedure. The balloting process, a key step for such certification, is now scheduled.
Eni Sustainable Mobility and PBF Energy Inc. entered into definitive agreements to partner in a 50-50 joint venture, St. Bernard Renewables LLC (SBR), for the biorefinery currently under construction co-located with PBF’s Chalmette Refinery in Louisiana (US). Upon consummation of the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, Eni Sustainable Mobility will contribute capital totaling $835 million plus up to additional $50 million that is subject to the achievement of eventual project milestones and will provide expertise in biorefining operations, supply and marketing. PBF brings its strong industrial know-how in the United States and, as the contributor of the biorefinery, will continue to manage project execution and serve as the operator once construction is complete.
The World BioEconomy Forum and partners launched a survey on the formation of a global hub to serve the bioeconomy sector. The aim of the hub is to encourage dialogue relating to all important matters concerning the global bioeconomy as well as its challenges and opportunities. The survey will allow stakeholders across the globe to advise and inform as to what the topics and subjects the hub should be comprised of. The bioeconomy is set to become a major economic stream in the future, and therefore will require growing international collaboration between the various parties.
Neste and Scania are piloting a digital solution that enables easy follow-up and verification of each truck’s usage of renewable fuels. Combining data from Scania Fleet Management Portal enriched with Neste’s fuel emission data, the solution provides Scania’s fleet management customers with accurate, up-to-date data for their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reporting and sustainability communications, both companies claim. Customers can compare the climate impact of their use of Neste’s renewable fuels to fossil fuels and track their continuous progress towards climate targets.
Twenty million jobs could be created worldwide through the power of nature, which could potentially address significant societal and environmental issues such as climate change, disaster risk, and food and water insecurity, as announced during the United Nation’s Biodiversity Conference, COP15, in Montreal.
The application period for Metsä Group’s funding programme for nature restoration projects started yesterday. Funding for planned and targeted measures aiming at safeguarding biodiversity can be applied for until 30 April. Metsä Group’s nature programme is a ten-year funding scheme, launched in 2021, which finances development projects promoting biodiversity implemented outside commercial Finnish forests. To date, 16 different projects across Finland have been granted funding, amounting to €600,000. The company does not seek business profit through the projects.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 