3 June 20243 June 2024 Only one week left: 12 Good reasons to attend the Renewable Materials Conference (RMC) 11-13 June, Siegburg/Cologne (Germany) and online
Where next for South Africa’s bioeconomy? Eleven years on from the release of its national Bioeconomy Strategy, how has South Africa progressed in building biobased capacity?
Fresh Del Monte announces partnership to produce biofertilizers from fruit residues, launching innovative plant in Kenya Partnering with Vellsam Materias Bioactivas, the new plant marks an initial step in biofertilizer production
Urban biorefineries in the EU: from blueprint to implementation The system can help both public authorities and private entities involved in waste management anticipate future sustainability laws that reward or mandate circularity
31 May 202429 May 2024 New Market Analysis: Bio-based and Biodegradable Plastics Industries in China Policy framework, market trends, technologies and outlook for PLA, PA, PHA and PBAT
29 May 202426 June 2024 The Power of Social Innovation: Bridging Technology and Humanity A current initiative aiming to drive social innovation is the EU funded research project 3-CO which's key objective is to support sustainable consumption and improve consumer behaviour through smart digital solutions
Circe Bioscience licenses technology to decarbonize industry with microbes developed at Wyss Institute at Harvard University Novel gas fermentation approach enables engineered microbes to eat greenhouse gases and produce valuable products for multiple uses
MTU to lead €9 million CBE JU Farm-based Grass Biorefinery Demonstration Initiative Munster Technological University will lead a new first-of-its-kind decentralised green biorefinery demonstration initiative funded under the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)
Dow and Freepoint Eco-Systems announce supply agreement to transform plastic waste into new circular products The supply agreement for 65,000 metric tons of circular feedstock advances the Companies' shared goal to support a circular economy for plastics in North America
28 May 202428 May 2024 Join the first PEF World Congress in October 2024 The European project PEFerence is proud to support the Renewable Carbon Plastics Magazine in organising the very first PEF World Congress, which will take place in Düsseldorf (Germany) on 30 and 31 October 2024 (with Online Livestream)
NatureWorks’ Ingeo PLA Manufacturing Expansion Attracts Record Financing from Krungthai Bank PCL of Thailand One of the singular largest loans in the bank’s decades-long history supports Thailand's ambitious Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) strategy
FinalSpark Launches the First Remote Research Platform Using Human Neurons for Biocomputing Brain organoids, composed of living and learning neurons consume a million times less power than traditional digital processors
LG Chem to jointly develop bio-propylene with US-based company Gevo The companies expect to produce bio-propylene with bio-ethanol produced from carbohydrates including corn and sugarcane
27 May 202421 May 2024 CSUFT-led team creates novel flame-retardant, smoke-suppressing, and superhydrophobic transparent bamboo for future glasses In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in transparent wood products, thanks to their remarkable features like high transparency, excellent mechanical strength, and superior thermal insulation properties
New production facility for carbon fiber reinforced plastics in Gardelegen officially opened The use of recycled carbon fibers significantly reduces the CO2 footprint of these lightweight and highly durable materials
24 May 202417 May 2024 Insempra completes $20 million financing to advance the development of next-generation bio-based ingredients Series A investment round will accelerate Insempra’s market-first approach to developing superior, intrinsically sustainable ingredients for the beauty & food industries
23 May 202416 May 2024 A573 – Italian Competition Authority: investigation opened against Novamont for alleged abuse of dominant position The company's exclusivity agreements could limit the use of alternative materials to Mater-Bi in the manufacture of lightweight and very lightweight plastic carrier bags, with anti-competitive effects, both against bioplastics manufacturers and plastic bag manufacturers that use raw materials other than Mater-Bi
5 Minutes With… Professor Paul Freemont, Head of Structural & Synthetic Biology at Imperial College London "To support commercialisation of the bioeconomy we need to have relevant standards and metrics"
22 May 202415 May 2024 Peru’s Nuevo Mundo continues sustainability journey with Archroma As strategic partner of apparel brands, Nuevo Mundo will offer collections utilizing Archroma’s EarthColors®, agricultural waste based dyes, produced with zero liquid discharge and substantial resource savings
Dairen Chemical Corporation Joins The LYCRA Company and Qore® in the Development of Renewable LYCRA® Fiber Letter of intent to convert QIRA® - the next generation 1,4-butanediol (BDO) - into low-impact PTMEG for the patented bio-derived LYCRA® fiber
Hapag-Lloyd and IKEA collaborate to advance cleaner shipping For the period March 2024 to February 2025, both companies have agreed to use Hapag-Lloyd’s highest product option for biofuels “Ship Green 100”, which relies on waste- and residue-based biofuel instead of conventional marine fuel oil
Formerra and AFC Ecoplastics Forge New Path in Compostable Materials Certified compostable materials will help packaging meet growing eco-demands
21 May 202414 May 2024 The UN takes stock of the global bioeconomy A recent FAO seminar and a UN Environment bioeconomy report brought together an international panel discussing the urban bioeconomy with a strong focus on Africa and Asia
17 May 202413 May 2024 Chemovator invests in Detroit-based startup Heartland rethinking plastics using natural fiber reinforcements Supported by a team of scientists, engineers, and technologists, Heartland has developed hemp-based materials that can be used as additives within BASF's plastic compounds
Bioeconomy needs circularity We need circularity because it reduces the need for mining (and its energy use); and because it cuts the amount of products going to landfill
15 May 202413 May 2024 ANDRITZ production line for biodegradable wipes starts up at Teknomelt, Türkiye The new neXline wetlace CCP (carded-carded-pulp) line produces nonwoven roll goods for biodegradable, plastic-free wet wipes
The world’s first wooden wind turbine blades are now installed in Germany The world’s first wooden wind turbine blades are now installed in Germany – Voodin Blade Technology is on a mission to make wind energy even more sustainable
SYMBA: promoting circularity in the bio-based industrial ecosystem through AI-driven solutions The project aims to revolutionize industrial practices by promoting symbiotic relationships within bio-based ecosystems
14 May 20247 May 2024 Orange peel instead of oil The bioeconomy flagship project to develop two-component epoxy resin systems, with project partners Plastics Center SKZ, Fraunhofer IMWS and TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center has been successfully completed
13 May 202410 May 2024 nova-Session: Raising awareness for sustainable bio-based products through labelling and certification The three-hour webinar will present different options for certifying the sustainability of biomass and bio-based products and discuss future requirements in the frame of the Green Claim Directive
Functionalized Chitosan as a Biobased Flocculant for the Treatment of Complex Wastewater Flocculants cause suspended solids to agglomerate into larger flocs, which sink to the bottom or can be filtered – the water becomes clear again
The growing relevance of PLA bioplastics in China’s sustainable future PLA bioplastics offer sustainable solutions for reducing environmental impact by replacing many traditional plastics and contributing to a circular economy
10 May 20246 May 2024 Merck Introduces New Greener Solvent, Cyrene™ New bio-derived product is a safer, more sustainable alternative for Dimethylformamide and N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone solvents
Hyosung Invests $1B in building Geno-powered BDO Plants Geno to start construction at its plant in Vietnam of facilities to produce BIO BDO derived from sugarcane, commencing Q2 2026
Why does the bioeconomy need circularity? Basic raw materials can be turned into a staggering range of more substances with different applications as being sustainable alternatives to products made from petroleum or other mined substances, minerals and metals
CARBIOS celebrates the groundbreaking of its PET biorecycling plant, a world first, with its partners CARBIOS' first commercial plant will play a key role in the fight against plastic pollution, offering an industrial-scale solution for the enzymatic depolymerization of PET waste
8 May 202430 April 2024 Nordic Bioproducts Group opens its first major production facility for advanced cellulosic materials The Finnish startup has opened its state-of-the-art production facility in Lappeenranta, Finland, which is powered by the company’s proprietary AaltoCellTM Technology, and will produce at commercial-scale advanced cellulosic materials, including Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC). The factory is expected to create 40 million euros in the first full operating year
Vehicle underbodies made from natural fibers and recycled plastics The focus at the Fraunhofer WKI was directed at the development of the materials for injection molding as well as the hydrophobization of flax and hemp fibers for natural-fiber-reinforced mixed-fiber non-wovens
The many uses of carbon dioxide Putting CO2 to good use may even reduce the burden of preventing its release to the atmosphere
7 May 20247 May 2024 The World’s Largest Event for the Defossilisation of Chemicals and Materials The Renewable Materials Conference will take place from 11-13 June 2024 in Siegburg/Cologne (Germany) and online
Sweden’s largest grocery retailer cuts down on plastic by introducing PureFiber™ Horti Trays by Stora Enso ICA Sweden will shortly begin a transition of the flower tray to more environmentally friendly alternatives made of molded fiber
Central and Eastern Europe moves towards a higher-value bioeconomy Hungary reportedly intends to use its EU presidency between July and December this year to develop new bioeconomies in CEE, covering countries like Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia
Bacteria for climate-neutral chemicals of the future The team around Prof. Dr. Julia Vorholt is looking for ways to reduce the chemical industry's dependence on fossil fuels
6 May 20243 May 2024 Webinar: Formulation and Testing – Reality Check for New (Greener) Ingredients Third part of the PERFECOAT webinar series on bio-based paint and coating ingredients for young researchers
2 May 202430 April 2024 Call for Bio-based Building Blocks and Polymer Market Experts The nova-Institute is looking for market experts to join its Biopolymer Expert Group
Making furniture with paper machines – VTT and ISKU have created a novel biocomposite chair from cellulose The chair, designed by ISKU, has a sleek and modern appearance that highlights the natural texture and colour of the biocomposite material
USask researchers develop eggshell ‘bioplastic’ pellet as sustainable alternative to plastic USask-designed pellet is a “closed loop” system that absorbs key agricultural nutrient
Neste successfully concludes its first processing run with pyrolysis oil from discarded tires Currently, car and truck tires mostly end up in landfills or incineration after they have been discarded
30 April 202430 April 2024 Evonik strengthens its biosolutions offering with new Botanicals & Natural Actives business segment The Botanicals & Natural Actives segment draws on expertise built up through legacy products together with a series of recent acquisitions
29 April 202424 April 2024 Solar panel installation advances Luminy® PLA production sustainability The TotalEnergies Corbion plant in Rayong has a capacity of 1,251 kWp, is situated within the Asia Industrial Estate and the solar panels are resulting in avoiding emissions of 823 tons of CO2 per year