Everything is ready in Ruka, Finland, to host the first edition of the World Bioeconomy Forum. The preparations have been progressing swiftly, and the event has gathered interest worldwide: there are speakers and participants coming from as far away as Australia, Indonesia, and India. Actors responsible for EU’s latest biostrategy update will also be present.
Anellotech achieved new milestones at its pilot plant in Texas to make renewable PET resin

US sustainable technology company Anellotech recently achieved new milestones at its TCat-8® pilot plant in Texas, thereby progressing its 100% bio-based bottle collaboration with global consumer beverage company Suntory.
The International Forum on Industrial Biotech and Bioeconomy (IFIB) goes to Turin

Turin will be the Euro-mediterranean capital of the bioeconomy for a couple of days. The International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy (IFIB) goes to the Italian historical first capital from 27 to 28 September at the Cavallerizza Reale, the Congress Center of the University of Turin.
Siemens’ technology for Bio-on’ s bioplastics production plant

Bio-on, the Italian industrial biotech company headquartered in Bologna, has chosen Siemens automation and plant control and management systems for its bioplastic production plant at Castel San Pietro Terme, near Bologna (Italy). With the goal of making the production process more efficient and eliminating errors, the hub looks set to be one of the best examples of Industry 4.0 in the green chemicals and PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates) bioplastic sector.
PCG and Leaf signed a MOU in relation to Leaf’s biorefinery project in Malaysia

Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad (PCG) and Leaf Malaysia have entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in relation to Leaf’s proposed biorefinery project in Malaysia.
Dow worked with government entities and other stakeholders to reuse municipal wastewater in its operations
The Dow Chemical Company unveiled its Blueprint for Sustainable Watershed Management to a multi-stakeholder session of The CEO Water Mandate. Part of Dow’s 2025 “Leading the Blueprint” Sustainability Goal, the blueprint is built on the Company’s collaborative watershed management practices.
Neste explores ways to introduce liquefied waste plastic as a raw material for fossil refining

Neste, the world’s leading producer of renewable diesel based in Espoo, Finland, is now exploring ways to introduce liquefied waste plastic as a future raw material for fossil refining. The aim of the development project is to proceed to industrial scale trial during 2019. The company’s target is to process annually more than one million tons of waste plastic by 2030.
AkzoNobel and Renmatix jointly develop biomass-based performance additives

AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals and Renmatix, a leader in the global plant-based technology movement, will jointly develop biomass-based performance additives that improve the properties of architectural paints and construction materials. Renmatix is one of the winners of the 2017 Imagine Chemistry challenge, a program through which AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals collaborates with startups, scale-ups, scientists and others to uncover business opportunities for sustainable chemistry.
Biochemtex and Beta Renewables are for sale

Court of Alessandria
Bankruptcy Section
Notice of initiation of a competitive procedure
pursuant to art. 163 bis L.F.
Biochemtex S.p.A. (No. 9/17), Beta Renewables S.p.A. (No. 10/17), IBP Energia S.r.l. (No. 11/17) and the Italian Bio Products S.r.l. (No. 13/17) companies belonging to the industrial group Mossi & Ghisolfi S.p.A., with registered office in Tortona (AL), Strada Ribrocca 11
given that
Canada is leading the way in the bioeconomy

Large research infrastructures, a chemical and paper industry supporting a sector that is considered strategic, clusters that are able to build extended value chains, universities at the level of excellence and a federal government and provinces with a vision and an effective action plan. These are shortly all the strengths of the bioeconomy in Canada, as I saw them last week.