An exclusive interview with John Bell, Director Healthy Planet at EU Commission: “Europe needs an ambitious ‘Green Innovation Deal’”

John Bell, European Commission, at Global Bioeconomy Summit in Berlin (25 November 2015)

“Europe needs an ambitious ‘Green Innovation Deal’ to accelerate towards our 2030 goals and to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Our 2030 and 2050 goals require decarbonisation at a speed at least six times faster than anything globally achieved so far.” John Bell, Director Healthy Planet at the DG Research & Innovation of EU Commission, talks to Il Bioeconomista. In this long and exclusive interview, he talks about the EU Updated Bioeconomy Strategy one year later its presentation in Brussels. “The main task for us in the next years – he says – will be the implementation of the updated European Bioeconomy Strategy. However, to fully deploy the bioeconomy across all of Europe, we need the help and engagement of the Member States and regions”.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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An exclusive interview with Daniele Ferrari, CEO Versalis (ENI) and President CEFIC

Daniele Ferrari. Courtesy of Versalis

“The bioeconomy offers great opportunities for the European chemical industry to create new products, diversify its raw material base and reduce its dependence on non-renewable resources”. To say it – in this long exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Daniele Ferrari, CEO Versalis, the Chemical Division of Italian oil giant ENI, and President CEFIC, the European Chemical Industry Council. Ferrari talks with us about the main challenges the European chemical industry is facing, the circular bioeconomy and the next steps of Versalis in the green chemistry field.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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We don’t take this planet for granted. A new Manifesto for the circular bioeconomy: BioRev

A new movement focused on a circular bioeconomy, which brings together all people who strongly believe that a more sustainable world is possible. A movement which takes the leadership at global level to make the circular bioeconomy happen.

Manifesto

We want to launch the BioRev, a movement open to anyone who believes that the bioeconomy and the circular economy need joint forces to reconcile economy, society and the environment.

The two concepts have advanced in parallel but in order to become mainstream they need to mutually reinforce each other to be the basis of a new economic paradigm. We want to promote the spread of a new economic and social model, not only to preserve our environment and protect biodiversity, but also to reduce the social inequalities that the current model has produced. We are convinced that the circular bioeconomy is democracy.

We want to lead a movement that addresses the challenges that this millennium presents us with the awareness that there is no time to lose and that today we have all the knowledge and material conditions to generate wealth and qualified jobs without polluting the planet and compromising the health conditions of workers and citizens. Over fifty countries in the world, from north to south and from east to west, have included the circular bioeconomy in their programs of sustainable development and the fight against climate change. Yet still today there is a huge resistance from those who defend positions no longer defensible, without looking to our future and the one of new generations.

This generation, our generation, has an essential task: to reverse the trend, to create a new development within the limit of the planet that is inclusive for all, men and women, in the North and the South of the world. For this reason we launch this manifesto asking you to join the BioRev.

To join us leave a comment with your name, surname and country.

BioRev is Bioeconomy Revolution and also BIOeconomyREnewableVision

Mario Bonaccorso, Italy

Felice Amori, Italy

Tatjana Schwabe, Germany

Bernardo Silva, Brazil

Peter Flippo, Netherlands

Irene Baños Ruiz, Spain

Simão Soares, Portugal

Gianluca Carenzo, Italy

Marguerite Braudel, France

Emanuele Bompan, Italy

Domenico Centrone, Italy

Vito Carofiglio, Italy

Filippo Martinelli, Ireland

Ulrich Baumann, Germany

An interview with Dirk Carrez, BIC. “In 2050, we will live in a Circular Bio-Society”

Dirk Carrez

“The Bio-based industry grows really strong in confidence. In just a few years, it moved mountains by creating new value chains. This means new partnerships between sectors that never worked together before”. Dirk Carrez, executive director of BIC, which represents the private sector in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with the European Commission, also known as the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU), talks to Il Bioeconomista. In this long interview with us he talks about the main achievements of the bio-based industry in Europe and its new vision 2050. “Only with a renewed BBI JU will we be able to effectively work towards realising the Circular Bio-Society”, he says.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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ThinkForest Seminar: Circular bioeconomy can create a sustainable, renewable society

Esko Aho, former Prime Minister of Finland

“There would be a mainstreaming of the development of the bioeconomy over the next year, and its embedding in other policies. Bioeconomy can reach parts of society and economy that other policies can’t reach”. To say this was John Bell, Director for Bioeconomy at DG Research and Innovation, at the ThinkForest seminar which took place in Brussels last 7 November.

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