| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |
| sustainable economy |
How public support today can accelerate the sustainable, bio-based supply chains of tomorrow For the European Union to meet the climate and biodiversity targets set out in the European Green Deal, it needs bold action. Sustainable, renewable and circular innovations need to be brought to market quickly. The EU is delivering this kind of boldness with its public private partnerships (PPPs), the Bio-based Industries and Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertakings (BBI JU and CBE JU), which are supporting, for example, the commercialisation of CyreneTM – Circa Group’s novel, non-toxic and high performing solvent derived in two steps from waste cellulosic biomass. By Dr Sarah Hickingbottom
General Manager for New Product Development and Stakeholder Relations, Circa Group
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of Horizon 2020 with the CBE JU playing a comparable role within the Horizon Europe framework (with the UK as an Associate country). Between 2014-2020, the BBI JU funded in excess of 120 projects and between 2021-2027 and the CBE JU intends to do the same.
s detailed in CIJ’s March issue1, the EU has a multilayered approach to building renewable, sustainable supply chains. The CBE JU is one critical component of this strategy which is to effectively ‘jump-start’ the commercialisation investment engine needed to build a new generation of ‘future-proofed’ chemical plants. The assumption is that once the engine is switched on and running, the public sector can retreat and let industry drive further investment.
It’s a major, long-term undertaking driven by a circular bioeconomy vision – first conceived a decade ago with the BBI JU – focused on 2050. A vision which the EU recognises we cannot shy away from if we are to address the resource, climate and sustainability overshoots we live with today. The chemical industry plays a key role in investing in ‘green’ innovation and, whilst industry has been investing and creating change, the impact has not been large enough or fast enough.
The private arm of the CBE JU PPP, and its predecessor the BBI JU, is represented by the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) with members from industry, SMEs, clusters and universities. The €3.7 billion BBI JU was part
To catalyse bioeconomy innovation, in 2014 the BBI JU (and, in 2021, the CBE JU) set about mobilising a fragmented sector, using public money to attract private investment, cementing strong industry collaborations
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