bioeconomy

The Chemical Industry will be more and more green and sustainable. This is the strong message that comes from Ecochem

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Congress Center Basel, Switzerland
Congress Center Basel, Switzerland

A great success. This was Ecochem, the event on sustainable chemistry and bio-based economy which was held in Basel November 19 to 21. The three-day conference saw the presence of the major players (more than 2000 attendees and approximately 200 speakers) of the global bioeconomy: the chemical industry which is investing strongly into biotechnology. But also giants of other sectors, like Nike that has begun research programs for the use of biological resources in its products, strategic consulting firm like McKinsey – which confirmed that the future of the chemical industry will be green and sustainable – young biotech companies like the German Evocatal and the Portuguese SilicoLife, and investors like Sofinnova and Capricorn Venture.

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Exclusive interview with Sebastian Søderberg, VP Novozymes: “The Bioeconomy reconciles growth, jobs and sustainability”

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Novozymes Headquarter
Novozymes Headquarter

“The biobased economy has an unprecedented ability to reconcile growth, jobs, rural development and sustainability. The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2020, biorefining could generate globally over € 225 billion Euro per year across the whole biomass value chain. Policy makers around the globe are waking up to the potential of the biobased economy progressively”. To say it in this exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista is Sebastian Søderberg, Vice President, Biomass Conversion, of Novozymes, the Danish biotech company with a strong focus on enzyme production and world leader in bioinnovation. With Søderberg we talk about bioeconomy, with a special focus on European policies to encourage the development of the sector: “A comprehensive policy – says the Danish top manager – should therefore stimulate both the demand (tax incentives, production support and feed in tariff) and supply (feedstock collection and supply-chain incentives) for biobased products as well as unlock the necessary investments for demonstration and first-of-its-kind commercial-scale plants (e.g. through the PPP on Biobased Industries)”.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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Naturex and Galactic together to develop a range of preservation systems

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Thierry Lambert, President of Naturex
Thierry Lambert, President of Naturex

There is a new French-Belgian joint research program in the bioeconomy. Naturex, the global leader in specialty plant-based natural ingredients, headquartered in Avignon, and Galactic, the world expert in lactic acid and lactates based natural ingredients, headquartered in Brussels, launched it last Friday to develop a range of preservation systems that include both anti-microbial and antioxidant protection.

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France places bioeconomy at the heart of its innovation programme supporting Deinove

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Arnaud Montebourg, French Minister of Industrial Renewal
Arnaud Montebourg, French Minister of Industrial Renewal

France invests in the bioeconomy. Ademe, the Environment and Energy Management Agency, and the General Investment Commission have chosen the industrial biotech company Deinove and the Deinochem programme to solidify one of the key sectors of government support for industrial innovation.

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Italian Minister for the Environment, Andrea Orlando: Pushing the Green and Bioeconomy to Come Out from the Crisis

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The main entrance of Ecomondo in Rimini
The main entrance of Ecomondo in Rimini

It´s bioeconomy time. Ecomondo 2013, the International exhibition dedicated to green economy which takes place in Rimini, Italy, from 6 to 9 November, dedicates big part of its busy program of scientific seminars to the bio-based economy and innovation and sustainability of the chemical industry, offering industry and trade visitors, thanks also to the expo showcase in the halls, the opportunity of combining new knowledge and contacts made with the most innovative Italian and European business, academic and institutional experiences.

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The $3 billion industrial enzyme industry now speaks German: BASF takes Verenium

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Verenium Headquarter in San Diego, California
Verenium Headquarter in San Diego, California

BASF grows in biotechnology field and closes the gap on market leaders DuPont and Novozymes in the $3 billion industrial enzyme industry. The German world’s leading chemical company yesterday announced that it has successfully completed the previously announced tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of Verenium Corporation, San Diego, California, for US$4.00 per share in cash. The tender offer expired at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (USA) on October 31, 2013. As of the expiration of the tender offer, 11,337,044 Verenium shares were validly tendered and not withdrawn in the tender offer, representing approximately 71% of Verenium’s outstanding shares, according to the depositary for the tender offer. Based on all outstanding shares and including all net financial liabilities, the enterprise value would be approximately US$62 million (approximately €48 million).

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Editorial: Italy, No Country for Young Men (and Women)

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Paraphrasing McCarthy: Italy, No Country for Young Men
Paraphrasing McCarthy: Italy, No Country for Young Men

Be optimistic. There is no alternative for the Italians if they want to continue to maintain the highest standards of living accrued after World War II. Being optimistic, despite the picture painted by Frank Bruni in his article in the New York Times last Saturday is so bleak as it is real.

Be optimistic to build a new country, open, inclusive, equitable, meritocratic and not gerontocratic. Be optimistic and roll up the sleeves. Perhaps it is true that only in the difficulties Italians know how to give the best of themselves. And that this is a difficult time there is no doubt.

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Obama Administration Boosts the Use of Bio-based Materials in Cars

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Henry Ford II World Center
Henry Ford II World Center

The US Center for Automotive Research (CAR) announced Thursday that it will be the lead agency in a $1.47 million grant under the federal “Make It In America Challenge” to boost the use of bio-based materials in cars. Partners in the effort include the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, the Macomb-St. Clair Workforce Development Board and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.

“Our project, ‘Building Capacity and Capability in the Bio-Based Materials Manufacturing Sector,’ will build and expand on this distinctive combination of assets to support job creation and attraction of domestic and foreign direct investment in the agricultural manufacturing sector, as well as greater development of a supply chain for bio-material products to support the U.S. automotive industry,” said Kim Hill, director of the Sustainability and Economic Development Strategies group and project lead at CAR.

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The Italian Forum on Bioeconomy opens today in Naples

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Approximately 250 delegates from EU, Tunisia, Russia, Turkey and Canada, 40 scientific presentations, 30 scientific posters and a round table on “The role of clusters in fostering the bioeconomy”. These are the numbers of IFIB, the Italian Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy, which opens today to the world in Naples at Castel dell’Ovo (Egg Castle). Continue reading →

Novamont’s bio-based butanediol plant will come on stream next year

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Novamont's Headquarter in Novara (Italy)
Novamont’s Headquarter in Novara (Italy)

Novamont’s bio-based butanediol (BDO) plant, established as a joint venture (Mater Biotech) with San Diego-based Genomatica, will come on stream next year. To say it was yesterday Alberto Castellanza, sales manager of the Italian company, at K 2013, the Trade Fair for Plastic materials and rubber, in Düsseldorf (Germany).

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