Society

The Chemical Industry will be more and more green and sustainable. This is the strong message that comes from Ecochem

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Congress Center Basel, Switzerland
Congress Center Basel, Switzerland

A great success. This was Ecochem, the event on sustainable chemistry and bio-based economy which was held in Basel November 19 to 21. The three-day conference saw the presence of the major players (more than 2000 attendees and approximately 200 speakers) of the global bioeconomy: the chemical industry which is investing strongly into biotechnology. But also giants of other sectors, like Nike that has begun research programs for the use of biological resources in its products, strategic consulting firm like McKinsey – which confirmed that the future of the chemical industry will be green and sustainable – young biotech companies like the German Evocatal and the Portuguese SilicoLife, and investors like Sofinnova and Capricorn Venture.

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Italian Minister for the Environment, Andrea Orlando: Pushing the Green and Bioeconomy to Come Out from the Crisis

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The main entrance of Ecomondo in Rimini
The main entrance of Ecomondo in Rimini

It´s bioeconomy time. Ecomondo 2013, the International exhibition dedicated to green economy which takes place in Rimini, Italy, from 6 to 9 November, dedicates big part of its busy program of scientific seminars to the bio-based economy and innovation and sustainability of the chemical industry, offering industry and trade visitors, thanks also to the expo showcase in the halls, the opportunity of combining new knowledge and contacts made with the most innovative Italian and European business, academic and institutional experiences.

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Editorial: Italy, No Country for Young Men (and Women)

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Paraphrasing McCarthy: Italy, No Country for Young Men
Paraphrasing McCarthy: Italy, No Country for Young Men

Be optimistic. There is no alternative for the Italians if they want to continue to maintain the highest standards of living accrued after World War II. Being optimistic, despite the picture painted by Frank Bruni in his article in the New York Times last Saturday is so bleak as it is real.

Be optimistic to build a new country, open, inclusive, equitable, meritocratic and not gerontocratic. Be optimistic and roll up the sleeves. Perhaps it is true that only in the difficulties Italians know how to give the best of themselves. And that this is a difficult time there is no doubt.

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Today starts the European biotech week: the bioeconomy is protagonist in Brussels, Turin and Naples

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Turin (Italy), panorama
Turin (Italy), panorama

Today starts the European biotech week, seven days entirely dedicated to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA.

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Italy is held hostage by the political vacuum

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Sleeping in the Italian Parliament
Sleeping in the Italian Parliament

Held hostage by the political vacuum and by a man who for twenty years puts his personal interests before the collective interest of the country. This is the tragic marshy situation in which is Italy.

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Interview with David Newman: The Italian approach in reducing the use of plastic bags

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David Newman, Secretary General of Assobioplastiche
David Newman, Secretary General of Assobioplastiche

Marine litter caused by plastic bags is threatening the oceans and causing already an ecological disaster . The European Commission is pushing for an ambitious resource efficiency agenda and is struggling to reduce landfills and enforce waste prevention across all Member States. Europe is a leader in the bioeconomy. What do all these facts have in common? More than we think. Italy demonstrated to the world that substituting traditional plastic bags with reusable and biodegradable and compostable ones can be, even at times of crisis, a solution to trigger separate collection rates, enhance waste prevention and unleash new investments in ground breaking technologies. We discussed the Italian case study and the recent reaction of UK against the Italian ban on plastic bags recently reported by several UK media with David Newman, Secretary General of Assobioplastiche, the Italian Bioplastic and Biodegradable and Compostable material Association.

Interview by Isabella Dalbelgio

(from Brussels)

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Editorial: Together for the Bioeconomy Revolution

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Rassegna Stampa EsteraDear Readers,

thank you. You are more and more every day to read Il Bioeconomista, from all over the world. And that flatters us and encourages us to move forward with our project for an online journal that has in the bioeconomy its inspiring principle. You are a signal that the world is in turmoil, that the search for a world free from fossil fuels, a post-petroleum world, is increasingly an utopia that has decided to roll up its sleeves to become reality every day. The path is still long, but the road is mapped out and we can’t go back.

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The Italian new government and the bioeconomy: everything needs to change, so everything can stay the same

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Enrico Letta and President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio NapolitanoItaly’s new government has been sworn in, ending two months of political deadlock, after politicians agreed on Saturday to form a three-party coalition, which will also include technocrats in key positions.

The impression, however, is to be faced with a handful of men and women engaged in a desperate defense of a power gained in many ways fortuitously, on the verge of sinking at any time in front of a chaos which is hard to dominate. With Silvio Berlusconi came out again as big winner and ready to pull the plug as soon as the polls will comfort him about the possibility of winning elections (even with the current electoral law, which does not guarantee the governability and for no other called by its author, Senator of Lega Nord Roberto Calderoli, like “a crap”). In short, it seems that once again in Italy, to quote from The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, “everything needs to change, so everything can stay the same”. Continue reading →

Chatham House: UK biofuel policy may need to be modified

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biodieselUK biofuel policy may need to be modified. To say it is a report published by Chatham House, a british think tank focused on “Costs and Consequences of Expanding Biofuel Use in the United Kingdom”. According to Rob Bailey, author of the report, “in its present form the RTFO (Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, editor’s note) may not be an appropriate instrument for achieving the RED (Renewable Energy Directive, editor’s note) target economically. Its volumetric target incentivizes suppliers to minimize cost per litre by supplying ethanol, thereby also minimizing the amount of energy supplied by biofuels. This runs counter to the objective of the RED to increase the share of energy from biofuels.

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La bioeconomia salverà il mondo? La missione è possibile. Al museo dei bambini di Roma

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BIOPROMLa Bioeconomia salverà il mondo? È il tema proposto dalla mostra che sarà inaugurata il 12 Aprile a Explora, il museo dei bambini di Roma.

Ricercatori ed esperti di musei e science centres europei – Austria, Estonia, Germania, Italia e Gran Bretagna – hanno collaborato al progetto, finanziato dal 7° Programma Quadro della Commissione europea.

“Mission possible” è una mostra interattiva che verrà inaugurata a Roma, prima tappa del tour europeo per far conoscere la Bioeconomia al grande pubblico.

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