“In my opinion the bioeconomy is an important concept currently missing in the Green Deal, and it should be connected to the circular economy concept (a main pillar of the Green Deal).” Marc Palahí, Director at EFI (European Forest Institute), talks to Il Bioeconomista. In this exclusive interview, he talks about pandemic and Green New Deal, forests and the role of cities and regions in the development of the EU bioeconomy.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
In Ireland Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, along with Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Martin Heydon TD, launched the National Bioeconomy Forum to promote, support and advocate for the sustainable development of the bioeconomy in Ireland.
The Eni of Enrico Mattei, the great vision of Adriano Olivetti: in the industrial history of Italy we too often find ourselves, in retrospect, regretting the enormous opportunities lost due to the resistance to change by the “country system”. The intertwining of interests between politics, economics and finance has often played a key role in marginalizing and failing the most innovative industrial projects, those that could redesign the face of the Italian economy and society. Today we sadly pay the price and for this very reason it is important to rewrite the history of another great innovator, perhaps the only one who has not been hypocritically “beatified” after his death, and after the destruction of his project: Raul Gardini.
Mizuno, the famous Japanese brand specializing in technical footwear and clothing, launched a new version of its iconic “Wave Rider” shoe range, the Mizuno Wave Rider 24. This shoe features Mizuno’s new “Enerzy midsole technology” with their classical “Wave Plate” embedded in the foam. This wave plate is made with our Pebax® Rnew® polymer, a bio-based thermoplastic derived from castor beans.
Last Thursday the European Parliament gave a “go” to the Com Agri Report prepared by MEP Petri Sarvamaa on the “European Forest Strategy – the way forward”. This plenary vote sent a positive signal for forest owners and managers and the 4 million workers involved in the forestry value chains.
Avoury®, the new brand launched by Melitta Single Portions, is working with SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio of solutions and services to create its pioneering new premium organic tea capsules, made from certified circular polypropylene (PP) that uses feedstock made from used plastic. The launch represented an innovative use of recycled, transparent plastic tea capsules in the industry, representing an exciting step towards a more sustainable future with products which are easier to recycle and that help to create a circular economy for plastics.
The European Commission announced last Thursday, during the International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy which was held in Rome, the first closing at €82m of the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF), the first equity fund focused on the bioeconomy and on circularity in the EU and Horizon 2020 Associated Countries under management of the ECBF Management GmbH. The European Investment Bank (EIB), which committed to invest a total of €100m to the target size of the ECBF of €250m, raised €65m in the first closing, the rest came from private investors.
Rome is the world capital of the bioeconomy for a couple of days. The International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy (IFIB) starts today in the Eternal City and is both physical and digital because of the Covid19 restrictions.
bp and Microsoft Corp. agreed to collaborate as strategic partners to further digital transformation in energy systems and advance the net zero carbon goals of both companies. This includes a co-innovation effort focused on digital solutions, the continued use of Microsoft Azure as a cloud-based solution for bp infrastructure and bp supplying renewable energy to help Microsoft meet its 2025 renewable energy goals.
Bioeconomy worth 2.4 trillion EUR to the European economy as bio-based industries mark sizeable jump in turnover and bio-based share of chemicals reaches record high of 15%. The bio-based industries continue their ascent marking a total contribution of 750 billion EUR to the European economy in 2017, a notable increase of 50 billion EUR (+>7%) compared to 2016.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 