While it may not always seem like it, our world is slowly becoming more eco-conscious. People, and particularly those in younger generations, are recognizing the threats of climate change and looking for ways to contribute to a healing effort. There’s still a great deal of work to be done though, and right now, in the spring of 2020, we may be at something of a crossroads.
The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), Europe’s leading industry association putting circularity, innovation and sustainability at the heart of the European bioeconomy, has partnered with the European Committee of Regions (CoR) to develop a new partnering platform to connect the bio-based industries and European regions.
Two Canadian companies will collaborate on innovative technology to close the loop on recycling and drive a plastics circular economy. Nova Chemicals, a leading producer of chemicals and plastic resins, and Enerkem, a world-leading waste to renewable fuels and chemicals producer, have entered into a joint development agreement to explore turning non-recyclable and non-compostable municipal waste into ethylene, a basic building block of plastics.
“I am convinced that this crisis will teach us many lessons and I am sure that the day after will find us working together to kick-star again our economies and drive our recovery towards a more resilient, green and digital EU.” Philippe Mengal, Executive Director of BBI JU, talks to Il Bioeconomista. In this exclusive interview, he tells us how the European bioeconomy is reacting to the crisis of coronavirus.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
“Today we can produce PLA directly from glucose, but in the future, we will obtain it starting from organic wastes and, looking more forward, from carbon dioxide”. To say it – in this interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Danilo Porro, professor at University of Milano Bicocca and President of Galatea Biotech, one of the most innovative Italian industrial biotech start-up company. Headquartered in Milan, Galatea has developed a new process to produce PLA from glucose.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
Syngenta and Novozymes are entering the commercialization phase of the biofungicide Taegro. The two companies originally joined forces in 2012 to develop and market the product, and have now received the first wave of product approvals in Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and United Kingdom. Several other approvals are expected across the EU and Latin America during the next 12 months, which will enable multiple product launches in 2020.
“Within the bioeconomy we have a massive range of new tools and opportunities to exploit this chaotic time.” To say it – in this long exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Tony Duncan, CEO of Circa Group, the Australia-based biochemical company, which is revolutionizing the traditional chemical sector. With him we talk about his company and the bioeconomy in the COVID-19 age.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
It’s awesome! The emergency is finally over. We can go back to our life. The virus was defeated without waiting for the vaccine, because we all behaved in the best way, staying at home and respecting the physical distance. Now we can go back to meet, talk to each other and, if necessary, also to hug. We’ll always remember all the dead people and the sufferings. And also the physicians and nurses and all the people who spent themselves on others.
Royal DSM, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living, completed its acquisition of Glycom A/S, the world’s leading supplier of Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMO) for an enterprise value of €765 million.
Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, made the decision to build the world’s most modern sawmill in Rauma, Finland. The value of the investment is approximately 200 million euros. Construction will begin in the spring of 2020 and the production at the sawmill is set to begin during the third quarter of 2022. The coronavirus outbreak may have an impact on the schedules.
