The Italian food company Barilla Group launched a new venture capital fund and innovation hub, called Blu1877, to support innovators in creating the future of sustainable food. “We decided to set-up Blu1877 to interact and support the effort of those that are creating the future of food. We are inspired by the joy of eating good food. Good food that support people live healthy lifestyles and leave a healthy planet to our children,” states the Blu1877 website.
SECI, the holding belonging to the Maccaferri family, launched the bioplastics project to be carried out at the San Quirico production site using the Bio-on technology. The project will be carried out by the company Sebiplast s.r.l., a controlled company of the SECI Group, in the production site where today stands the sugar factory Sadam S.p.A.
UPM Raflatac is extending its range of film face materials for the European market with a new white plant-based material that provides a sustainable alternative to fossil-based films for a wide variety of end uses. “RafBio PE White – UPM claims – performs just like standard PE film, and its excellent flexibility makes it ideal for the squeezable bottles and contoured containers that are widely used in home and personal care applications”.
Last December Tony Duncan, CEO of Circa Group, was nominated by our readers the Most Innovative Bioeconomy CEO 2017. In this long interview with Il Bioeconomista, he talks about this recognition, what is innovation, the bioeconomy and the next steps of his company.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
First of all, congratulations for the recognition as The Most Innovative Bioeconomy CEO 2017. What is innovation in the bioeconomy, from your point of view?
Thank you – it was certainly a surprise to be nominated, and the result is very much a confirmation of Circa’s approach and the efforts of the team over the past 9 plus years – staff, shareholders, researchers and partners!
Stora Enso launched bio-based lignin as renewable replacement for oil-based phenolic materials. Lignin is one of the main building blocks of a tree and makes up 20-30% of the composition of wood. Yet it has traditionally been discarded by the pulp and paper industries. However, Stora Enso has recognised the potential of this versatile raw material, which can be used in a range of applications where fossil-based materials are currently used.
The master BioCirce received yesterday at the Parliament, from the President of the Italian Republic, the Italiadecide (Italy decides) prize for teaching innovation. BioCirce is the first European Master in Bioeconomy in the Circular economy. To organise it are four Italian universities from North to South (University of Turin, University of Milan Bicocca, University of Bologna and University of Naples Federico II), with the support of three of the main Italian bioeconomy players (Novamont, GFBiochemicals and Science Park of Lodi) and the Italian leading banking Group Intesa Sanpaolo, which is the only financial global partner of the Ellen McArthur Foudation.
Great result in the Canadian bioeconomy. Enerkem Inc., a world leading waste-to-biofuels and chemicals producer headquartered in Montréal, completed a C$280 million investment round–its largest to date. In addition to new investors BlackRock and Sinobioway, existing investors also participated in this financing.
Brazilian company Braskem joined the companies Martiplast, from the domestic utilities segment, and Leroy Merlin, one of the largest store chains in the construction market, to offer to consumers 100% recycled plastic organizer boxes.
Aaron Equipment Company in conjunction with Reich Brothers and Phoenix Equipment Corporation recently acquired the BP Verenium Biofuels plant including over 40 acres of real estate and equipment located in Jennings, LA. The group plans to first offer the plant in its entirety and then piece meal to the buying public. Consisting of a full plant made up of hundreds of individual pieces of equipment and components, the liquidation marks Aaron Equipment’s expansion into the trendy biofuels equipment market after eight decades of providing new, used and reconditioned processing equipment to other industries. The sale offers a unique opportunity to save money while getting into or extending one’s reach in the sustainable fuels game.
Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, signed a strategic partnership agreement with Bee’ah to develop the UAE’s waste-to-energy (WtE) sector. This partnership will help contribute to the UAE Government’s Vision 2021 which targets, among other goals, diverting waste from landfills by 75 per cent by 2021. Waste-to-energy is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the primary treatment of waste.
