Politics

Arkema raises its decarbonization targets

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Arkema, which had already strengthened its climate plan in July 2022, is setting new, even more ambitious targets by 2030 across its whole value chain, approved by the organization Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a partnership between CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), United Nations Global Compact, WRI (World Resources Institute), and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature). The Group now aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 48.5% for Scopes 1+2 and by 54% for Scope 3 by 2030 versus 2019.

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Neste and Viva Aerobus signed a purchase agreement for one million liters of SAF

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Courtesy of Viva Aerobus

Neste and Viva Aerobus, the Mexican ultra low-cost carrier, have signed a new purchase agreement for one million liters (264,000 gallons) of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™. The sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supplied to Viva Aerobus will be blended with conventional jet fuel and used to power the airline’s flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey in Mexico.

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EFI inaugurated the BioCities Facility in Rome to catalyse a new Renaissance led by circular bioeconomy

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The BioCities Facility was inaugurated last week in Rome, taking advantage of the “ThinkForest seminar Forests and the cities of the future”, which explored the transformational role forests and nature can play in creating ‘biocities’, and some of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. The seminar took place in Rome on 20 April, as part of the official launch of EFI’s new Biocities Facility and celebrations of EFI’s 30th anniversary. 

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An exclusive interview with Nick Smith, Head of Development and Commercialisation at Circa Group

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“When we consider that nearly all of the materials and products in society today are essentially 100% based on petrochemicals and that the chemical sector is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, half of that from the fossil-based feedstock used to produce the chemicals, we see that the world is not only dependent on petroleum but also on petrochemicals. To transition to a lower carbon economy, we need renewable chemicals just as much as renewable energy.” Nick Smith, Head of Development Commercialisation at Circa Group, talks to Il Bioeconomista. In this exclusive interview, he talks about the ReSolute plant in Eastern France, the new partnerships and the next steps of the Australian company and the role of the bioeconomy to make industries more sustainable.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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An exclusive interview with Marc Palahí, Director EFI. “We need a massive Innovation plan to realise the potential of the circular bioeconomy”

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EFI Director Marc Palahí, Joensuu 21.6.2021. Photo: Johanna Kokkola
EFI Director Marc Palahí, Joensuu 21.6.2021. Photo: Johanna Kokkola

“One of the greatest advantages of the circular bioeconomy is the fact that it relies on renewable biological resources and renewable energy which we can develop, manage and process in Europe, which is not a continent rich in fossil resources or rare earth materials.” To say it – in this exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Marc Palahí, director of the European Forest Institute. He talks about circular bioeconomy, the role played by the forest-based sector, the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance founded by His Majesty King Charles III (formerly The Prince of Wales) and the next event focused on Biocities, which will take place in Rome on April 20.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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International Women’s Day: our tribute to all women who are making the bioeconomy happen

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

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. 

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One Planet Summit: Emmanuel Macron and Ali Bongo called the world for action to preserve biodiversity

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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.

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World BioEconomy Forum launched a survey on forming a global hub for the bioeconomy

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Jukka Kantola

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. 

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UN Targets 20 Million Green Jobs Through Nature-Based Solutions

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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.

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Germany is planning to withdraw from the use of crop-based biofuels

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German environment minister Steffi Lemke said on Tuesday she would soon send proposals to the cabinet for the country to withdraw from the use of crop-based biofuels to achieve reductions in greenhouse gases, International Press Agency Reuters states. “Biofuels stand for land consumption and loss of biological diversity,” Lemke said in a speech on Tuesday posted on the environment ministry’s website. “To replace only around 4% of fossil fuel use in German road transport, a land space in Germany and abroad is needed which represents about 20% of the German agricultural area. That is not future-orientated.”

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