The world cannot meet climate goals without decarbonising steel-manufacturing, which adds 7.2% of total greenhouse gas emissions per year, with the fastest-growing rate of any sector.The main carbon culprits in steel are coal and coke, used for energy and as chemical inputs in the manufacturing...
The sustainability of first-generation biofuels have attracted controversy, with questions around their true emissions savings and their impacts on other environmental metrics like water pollution and water consumption.We look at recent scientific evidence on whether and how first-gen biofuels are contributing to climate mitigation and...
Like every bioeconomy sector, the industries around biobased chemicals and biomaterials depend on the living world. Certain species hold immense importance in biobased supply chains – particularly crop species that are usually destined for human food. Among the most important is corn, which makes up...
From 1 January 2024, the French government made composting mandatory for every individual, household, and business in the country. Estimates say that 82 kilos of compostable waste is thrown away per person each year and the law could significantly boost the country’s feedstock pool for...
Horticulture is an essential part of Europe’s regional food and economic security. Greenhouse cultivation grants year-round yields even where degraded soils and poor climate limits conventional farming. Expanding regional fruit and vegetable supply will also gain importance as climate change disrupts global food production. Europe’s food...
Europe has been pushing to grow its blue bioeconomy for years, including sectors that produce high value chemicals and materials processed from marine organisms. We look at the EU’s policies around this and the hurdles it faces in becoming a bigger industry that can support...
2022 was the year of vegan and renewable textiles – the biobased segment that received among the highest financing rounds of the year. This year, things have shifted somewhat, with a swing back to packaging and bioplastics. These new materials are not repackaged versions of older...