Celtic Renewables launched its Crowdcube funding campaign

Scottish cleantech innovators Celtic Renewables launched its Crowdcube funding campaign on the back of investor appetite to fund companies with environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.  With commissioning of Celtic Renewables’ biorefinery in Scotland – the first of its kind in the UK – on track for Spring 2021, and on the back of £30 million funding already raised; the business is poised to play a pivotal role in the UK’s transition to net-zero economy.

Mark Simmers, CEO and Martin Tangney OBE, President

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LanzaTech, Total and L’Oréal premiered the first cosmetic packaging made from industrial carbon emissions

Jennifer Holmgren at the Bioeconomy Investment Summit in Helsinki

Through their innovative partnership, LanzaTech, Total and L’Oréal premiered the world’s first sustainable packaging made from captured and recycled carbon emissions. The successful conversion process takes place in three steps: LanzaTech captures industrial carbon emissions and converts them into ethanol using a unique biological process; Total, thanks to an innovative dehydration process jointly developed with IFP Axens, converts the ethanol into ethylene before polymerizing it into polyethylene that has the same technical characteristics as its fossil counterpart; L’Oréal uses this polyethylene to produce packaging with the same quality and properties as conventional polyethylene.

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An interview with Marc Palahí, Director EFI: “The bioeconomy is an important concept currently missing in the Green Deal”

Marc Palahi at the European Bioeconomy Summit in Helsinki (2017)

“In my opinion the bioeconomy is an important concept currently missing in the Green Deal, and it should be connected to the circular economy concept (a main pillar of the Green Deal).” Marc Palahí, Director at EFI (European Forest Institute), talks to Il Bioeconomista. In this exclusive interview, he talks about pandemic and Green New Deal, forests and the role of cities and regions in the development of the EU bioeconomy.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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Sabic, Estée Lauder, Origins and Albéa joined forces in the circular economy

SABIC, a global leader in the chemicals industry, joined forces with The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), a global leader in prestige beauty, global skincare brand Origins Natural Resources Inc. and beauty packaging manufacturer Albéa for the upcoming 2021 market debut of an advanced beauty tube pack for Origins. Origins will be the first prestige beauty brand to use certified circular polyolefins from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio to launch a tube pack format of its global best-selling Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask.

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An interview with Stefano Togni, Business Development Director at Indena

Stefano Togni

“The use of renewable biological sources is a key element for Indena, when sourcing a biomass for the development and manufacturing of a botanical ingredient”. To say this – in this interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Stefano Togni, Business Development Director at Indena, Milan-based multinational leading company dedicated to the identification, development and production of high quality active principles derived from plants, for use in the pharmaceutical and health food industries. He talks with us about Indena’s main business, the company’s role in the BBI JU Demo project Grace and the sustainable development policies after the pandemic.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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Irish government launched the National Bioeconomy Forum

Lighthouse Ireland

In Ireland Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, along with Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Martin Heydon TD, launched the National Bioeconomy Forum to promote, support and advocate for the sustainable development of the bioeconomy in Ireland.

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New book: The man who invented the bioeconomy

The Eni of Enrico Mattei, the great vision of Adriano Olivetti: in the industrial history of Italy we too often find ourselves, in retrospect, regretting the enormous opportunities lost due to the resistance to change by the “country system”. The intertwining of interests between politics, economics and finance has often played a key role in marginalizing and failing the most innovative industrial projects, those that could redesign the face of the Italian economy and society. Today we sadly pay the price and for this very reason it is important to rewrite the history of another great innovator, perhaps the only one who has not been hypocritically “beatified” after his death, and after the destruction of his project: Raul Gardini.

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Mizuno launched a new bio-based version of its iconic “Wave Rider” shoe range

Mizuno, the famous Japanese brand specializing in technical footwear and clothing, launched a new version of its iconic “Wave Rider” shoe range, the Mizuno Wave Rider 24. This shoe features Mizuno’s new “Enerzy midsole technology” with their classical “Wave Plate” embedded in the foam. This wave plate is made with our Pebax® Rnew® polymer, a bio-based thermoplastic derived from castor beans.

Mizuno Wave Rider 24

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NextChem and Crédit Agricole Leasing joined forces for the circular economy


Crédit Agricole Leasing Italia confirms its commitment to promoting sustainable initiatives by supporting NextChem, the Maire Tecnimont Group company for the energy transition, in the activities of the subsidiary MyReplast Industries, a company specialised in plastic waste Upcycling. Crédit Agricole Leasing Italia financed a leasing plan to purchase innovative equipment and machinery aimed at further increasing the production performance of the entire Upcycling process.

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The European Forest Strategy takes a step forward

European Parliament, Brussels

Last Thursday the European Parliament gave a “go” to the Com Agri Report prepared by MEP Petri Sarvamaa on the “European Forest Strategy – the way forward”. This plenary vote sent a positive signal for forest owners and managers and the 4 million workers involved in the forestry value chains. 

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