IL BIOECONOMISTA

Evonik expands its green venture capital activities into Asia

16 January 2016Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

Marco Reus. Evonik is popular as main sponsor of German Football team Borussia Dortmund

Evonik expands its green venture capital activities into Asia. The German company announced last Thursday an investment in the Chinese venture capital fund GRC SinoGreen Fund III (GRC III). The parties agreed to not disclose the amount of the investment. As a result, the company is now represented in the most important venture capital regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. GRC invests in private, green technology companies with unique strengths and substantial growth potential in Greater China. Target sectors include energy and resource efficiency, cleaner transportation, sustainability, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

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Anellotech and Suntory make 100% bio-based PET bottles a reality

15 January 2016Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

Anellotech, a U.S. sustainable technology company focused on producing cost-competitive renewable chemicals from non-food biomass, announced that the company has entered into the next phase of its strategic partnership with Suntory Holdings Limited, one of the world’s leading consumer beverage companies. Suntory’s diverse market-leading beverage brands include Orangina, Schweppes, Ribena, Lucozade and BRAND’S, as well as major alcohol brands, Yamazaki, Hibiki, Jim Beam, Courvoisier, and Château Lagrange.

The partnership, which began in 2012 under a collaboration agreement that has provided more than $15 million in funding to date, is focused on advancing the development and commercialization of cost-competitive 100 percent bio-based plastics for use in beverage bottles as part of Suntory’s commitment to sustainable business practices. Suntory, headquartered in Japan, currently uses 30 percent plant-derived materials for their Mineral Water Suntory Tennensui brands and is pursuing the development of a 100 percent bio-bottle through this partnership.

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New report: In EU5 the bioeconomy is worth €1.27 trillion and employs 7 million people

12 January 201621 January 2016Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

Sustainable Intesa Sanpaolo's Pavillion at Expo 2015 in Milan — Sustainable Intesa Sanpaolo’s Pavillion at Expo 2015 in Milan

In 2013, bioeconomy in Italy has shown a production potential amounting to 244 billion euro, equal to 7.9% of the total value of national production, employing approximately 1.5 million people. Italy – only country among EU5 still without a National strategy on bioeconomy – is in third position. Germany is first with a production worth €343 billion and France second with €295 billion. Spain is fourth (€219 billion) followed by the UK (€170 billion). In these five countries, the bioeconomy is worth €1.27 trillion and employs 7 million people.

The Intesa Sanpaolo Research Department (Intesa Sanpaolo is one of the major banking group in Europe) and Assobiotec presented their second report dedicated to bioeconomy, which, in line with the definition of the European Commission, was defined as the set of activities using renewable natural resources to produce goods and energy, generating great advantages in terms of sustainability.

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Global Bioenergies and LanzaTech strenghthen cooperation to build the world bioeconomy

11 January 2016Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

Global Bioenergies and LanzaTech announce the signature of a new collaboration agreement to broaden the feedstock flexibility of Global Bioenergies’ Isobutene process and the product-portfolio of LanzaTech’s carbon capture technology.

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Charmant USA launches awear, a new bio-based sustainable eyewear brand

9 January 2016Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

The new awear bio-based glasses. Photo: courtesy of Swear — The new awear bio-based glasses. Photo: courtesy of awear

Now we have bio-based glasses. Charmant USA has announced the launch of a new bio-based sustainable eyewear brand. The brand is awear: it is specialized in bio-made sustainable optical glasses and sunglasses.

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Virent bio-jet provides more than 50% reduction in particulate matter emissions

8 January 2016Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

wpid-virent_main_entrance-1-2.jpg.jpeg Virent was chosen to participate in the initial Rolls-Royce Laboratory Test program, and was then selected by Rolls-Royce to proceed to the more advanced Rig Testing portion of the program. Virent’s SAK fuel blend met all test requirements and the report concluded that the fuel “…offers the potential to be [a] drop-in fuel and hence achieve approval for use for the aviation industry”.

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French biotech company Global Bioenergies widens cooperation with Audi

6 January 2016Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

The chemical site of Leuna, Germany Copyright InfraLeuna GmbH / Horst Fechner — The chemical site of Leuna, Germany. Copyright InfraLeuna GmbH / Horst Fechner

Global Bioenergies, French biotech company that is developing a process to convert renewable resources into hydrocarbons through fermentation, and Audi announce the signature of a new collaboration agreement to further broaden the feedstock flexibility of Global Bioenergies’ Isobutene process.

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USDA announces: “More than 2,400 products are certified to use the BioPreferred label”

4 January 2016Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released a list of its 2015 top achievements. According to the department, these achievements demonstrate efforts to help farmers and ranchers build the American bioeconomy.

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It’s a real boom for Il Bioeconomista in 2015. Thank you and happy new year!

1 January 2016Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

happy-new-year-2016-photos Dear Readers,

thank you very much, heartily. 2015 ended with excellent results for Il Bioeconomista: over 46% more visits to our blog. It is a real boom, which shows how the bioeconomy is increasingly a phenomenon that attracts the attention of global public opinion and gratifies us as journalists, observers of a reality that we have always defined as the industrial revolution of the Third Millennium.

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In Italy the world’s first facility for the production of PHAs bioplastics from glycerol

29 December 2015Il BioeconomistaLeave a comment

Bio-on and SECI Spa, part of Gruppo Industriale Maccaferri holding, signed an agreement to build the world’s first facility for the production of PHAs bioplastic from biodiesel production co-products, namely glycerol. The two companies will work together to build a production site with a 5 thousand tons/year output, expandable to 10 thousand tons/year.

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