Clariant, a focused and innovative specialty chemical company, and Anhui Guozhen Group, a Chinese green energy company, and Chemtex Chemical Engineering, a multinational engineering company, signed a license agreement on sunliquid® cellulosic ethanol technology.
Amyris, Inc., a leader in the development and production of sustainable ingredients for the Health & Wellness, Clean Beauty and Flavors & Fragrances markets, successfully shipped the first cannabinoid to its partner, LAVVAN. Amyris is also well on its way to the shipment of a second cannabinoid in the first half of 2020.
Dear Readers,
thank you so much. 2019 was a great year for Il Bioeconomista. The blog confirms itself as one of the world’s leading bioeconomy blog. And the number of readers increased by 29%.
2019 was also an important year for the bioeconomy but many things still need to be done to fully achieve a more sustainable society and economy, starting with the implementation of effective policies against climate change. From this point of view, the COP25 in Madrid cannot leave us optimistic. 2020 will be a turning point. We start from the positive assumptions that exist in the European Green New Deal.
However, such a huge vision and ambition cannot be achieved without looking at the essence of the economic model we have created, that is without fundamentally rethinking the way in which we produce and consume. A system change is needed to dematerialize our economic model and update the logic of resource efficiency to that of resource sufficiency, based on the decoupling of economic growth, or better well-being, from the use of resources and environmental impacts. The quantity-oriented and profit-oriented economy should be replaced by an economy focused on satisfying people’s needs in a sustainable way. This is not an easy task and it certainly is a process that challenges the current balance and distribution of power and interests. But it is necessary, if we take the set ambitions seriously. The bioeconomy, a circular economy based on renewable biological resources and sustainable biological solutions, can contribute to the realization of the Green Deal. It can be a catalyst for systemic change to holistically address those social, economic and environmental aspects that are not yet managed consistently today.
In the new year we will certainly always be active to support the sustainable and circular bioeconomy. Thanks for joining us.
We wish all of you a wonderful, healthy,
Happy new year!
Some pictures from 2019:
Green Plains Inc. and Novozymes signed an exclusive partnership and commercialization agreement for biological solutions in the production of high protein ingredients. The partnership will be aimed at aquaculture, pet food, as well as novel ingredients to be used in the global protein markets.
A fibre-based ice cream package designed by Stora Enso for the Finnish artisan ice cream manufacturer Vanhan Porvoon Jäätelötehdas has been awarded in the international WorldStar competition. The renewable and recyclable packaging was designed by product designer Outi Honkavaara at Stora Enso’s DesignStudio in Lahti, Finland.
Nouryon introduced a certified natural starch that can replace petrochemical-based products in a variety of personal care applications. Amaze™ Nordic Barley, derived from barley starch, addresses the fast-growing consumer demand for natural, biodegradable and clean label ingredients.
More than 630 institutional investors managing more than $37 trillion in assets urged governments to step up efforts to tackle the global climate crisis and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, in a joint statement issued at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP25).
Our readers have voted. The Blog has really seen a boom in visits. The most innovative bioeconomy CEO 2019 is Alex Michine, CEO of MetGen, the Finnish company founded in 2008 and focused on genetic engineering and synthetic biology (you can read our recent interview with him here). Alex Michine succeeds to Ken Richards (Leaf Resources), Tony Duncan (Circa Group) and Jürgen Eck, respectively most innovative CEO 2016, 2017 and 2018.
The European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) completed the public procurement process for the selection of an investment advisor to set up and manage the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF). The selected investment advisor is ECBF Management GmbH and Hauck & Aufhäuser Fund Services S.A. will act as the Alternative Investment Fund Manager.
The bioeconomy is innovation, the result of the skills and passion of researchers and managers able to create value and new high-qualified jobs. At the end of 2014 Il Bioeconomista launched a new initiative: The 10 Most Innovative Bioeconomy CEOs.
We have asked a panel of world bioeconomy experts to tell us the Chief Executive Officers that have stood out as the most innovative during the last year.
Now we ask you to choose the most innovative CEO responding to our survey (open till December 10 at 6 pm, Western European Time).
The most innovative CEO 2016 was Ken Richards (CEO of Leaf Resources)
The most innovative CEO 2017 was Tony Duncan (CEO of Circa Group)
The most innovative CEO 2018 was Jürgen Eck (CEO of BRAIN AG)
This is the result in 2019 (in alphabetical order)
Veronique de Bruijn, Photanol (Netherlands)
Marc Delcourt, Global Bioenergies (France)
Patrick R. Gruber, Gevo (USA)
Jennifer Holmgren, LanzaTech (New Zealand-USA)
Jason Kelly, Ginkgo BioWorks (USA)
Alex Michine, MetGen (Finland)
Christophe Schilling, Genomatica (USA)
Charlie Shaver, Nouryon (Netherlands)
Richard Troyer, Comet Bio (Canada)
Tom Van Aken, Avantium (Netherlands)
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