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Happy New Year of economic growth and employment recovery

2 January 20143 January 2014Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

Berlaymont, European Commission's Headquarter in Brussels — Berlaymont, European Commission’s Headquarter in Brussels

Happy New Year to all. The just begun 2014 must be the year of economic growth and employment recovery. Especially for Old Europe. There are no alternatives. Meanwhile, the CEBR has told us about how it will change the economic geography of the world by 2030, reporting even unusual overtakings such as the United Kingdom, which is preparing to oust Germany from the throne of Europe. The latest research conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) ranks the world economies of “greater weight”.

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Researchers at York discover a family of enzymes for advanced biofuels

23 December 201323 December 2013Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

Crescentino Plant View: 2G biofuels biorefinery

Researchers from the Department of Chemistry at York University have discovered a family of enzymes that can degrade hard-to-digest biomass into its constituent sugars.

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BASF and Renmatix together for the production of industrial sugars based on lignocellulosic biomass

21 December 2013Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

BASF and Renmatix will jointly scale up the Renmatix Plantrose process for the production of industrial sugars based on lignocellulosic biomass. The two companies signed a non-exclusive joint development agreement. The parties have agreed to key financial terms for future commercial licenses, which BASF can exercise at its discretion. The collaboration follows BASF’s $30 million investment in Renmatix in January 2012.

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VTT’s new report: Biorefinery business is the key for the sustainable economic growth of South Australia

17 December 2013Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the biggest multitechnological applied research organisation in Northern Europe, at the request of the South Australian State Government, studied the condition of the forest sector industries in the Green Triangle region and examined the added value that may be achievable through high technology production.

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M&G Chemicals postpones Hong Kong share listing

11 December 201311 December 2013Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

The Ghisolfis. From left to right: Guido, Vittorio and Marco

Italian plastics group M&G Chemicals postponed a planned share listing on the Hong Kong bourse on Monday due to volatile market conditions, but said it was still committed to growing its business in China. The world’s third largest producer of PET resin used to make soft drink bottles and packaging had aimed to raise about $600 million through the initial public offering (IPO). M&G Chemicals, which is part of Italy’s Mossi Ghisolfi Group, had planned to use 50 percent of the proceeds from the IPO to fund the construction of a plant in China’s Anhui province.

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Global demand for bioplastics will rise 19% per year to 950,000 metric tons in 2017

10 December 2013Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

Gold Plast Collection, Materbi by Novamont

According to a new study on “World Bioplastics” published by The Freedonia Group, global demand for biobased and biodegradable plastics will rise 19 percent per year to 950,000 metric tons in 2017. The bioplastics industry, while still in the emerging growth phase, has established itself as a fixture in a number of commercial markets and applications. Robust growth in demand is expected in virtually all geographic markets, stimulated by consumer preferences for sustainable materials, the increased adoption of bioplastics by plastic processors and compounders, and new product development that expands the range of uses for bioplastics.

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New report: Advanced biofuels could grow to at least 20% of the biofuels market in Europe in 2030

3 December 2013Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

Daimler Headquarter in Stuttgart, Germany

A new report from sustainable energy consultancy E4tech, commissioned by Auto-Fuel Coalition, a group of international vehicle and fuel companies (Daimler, Honda, Volkswagen, Neste Oil, OMV and Shell), has outlined the first harmonised Auto-Fuel Biofuels Roadmap for the EU to 2030. With future energy scenarios showing liquid fuels remaining important to the long-term energy mix, biofuels and vehicle efficiency will be essential if the European transport sector is to cut greenhouse gas emissions and meet its decarbonisation targets.

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Nestlé encourages the responsible development of bioplastics

28 November 2013Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

Nestlé Headquarter in Vevey, Switzerland

Nestlé, the Swiss multinational food and beverage company, headquartered in Vevey, has announced that it will work in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and seven consumer firms to encourage the responsible development of bioplastics, derived from plant materials. Along with Nestlé, the Bioplastics Feedstock Alliance (BFA) will include key fast-moving consumer goods firms: The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, Ford, H.J. Heinz Company, Nike, P&G, and Unilever.

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Exclusive interview with Ignaas Caryn, KLM: The development of a bioeconomy holds great social and economic potential

25 November 2013Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

“I believe that for Europe the development of a bioeconomy holds great social and economic potential. Therefore I hope that Europe will take the right decisions when it comes to defining sustainable feedstock and dealing with ILUC (Indirect land use change impacts of biofuels) issues, not limiting the development of a great sustainable new industry for Europe.” To say it is Ignaas Caryn, director KLM Corporate Venturing and Biofuels. In this interview with the manager of the Dutch Airline Group we speak about bioeconomy and the future of the aviation industry.

“Sustainable aviation – says Caryn – contributing to a bioeconomy is indeed one of the key drivers behind our innovation strategy, and our corporate venturing activities form a key part in executing that strategy”.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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

23 November 2013Il Bioeconomista1 Comment

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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