Renewable Matter #3 by Edizioni Ambiente

RENEWABLE MATTER INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE ON THE BIOECONOMY AND THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY 03 | April 2015 Bimonthly Publication Edizioni Ambiente

Vandana Shiva: What Conditions for Biofuels? •• Michelangelo Pistoletto: Reconciling Artifice and Nature •• Karl Falkenberg: Bioeconomy Needs Communicating

A Treasure Trove: Fields and Forests •• Europe’s Hunt for Biomass •• Bioplastics: Europe-Asia Tête-à-Tête •• The Revolutionizing Power of EPR

Flying with Cooking Oil

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•• An Open-Pit Biorefinery •• Tyres’ One Thousand Lives •• When Design Embraces Circularity

Asbestos: A Renewable Threat •• The Other Half of Marine Wealth

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Contents

renewablematter 03|april 2015 Free bimonthly magazine www.renewablematter.eu ISSN 2385-2240 Reg. Tribunale di Milano n. 351 del 31/10/2014

Antonio Cianciullo and Roberto Coizet

The Novel Players of the Recovering Economy Seek a New Balance between Regulations and the Market

interview by Roberto Giovannini

Vandana Shiva: “No Land Just for Biofuels”

Gianni Silvestrini

All Together on the Sailing Boat

by Matteo Reale

A New Paradise between Artifice and Nature Interview with Michelangelo Pistoletto

by Joanna Dupont-Inglis

Aldo Femìa

5.5 Billion Precious Tons of Forests and Agricultural Fields

Mario Bonaccorso

Europe Desperately Seeking Biomass

Hasso von Pogrell

Bioplastics: Fostering a Sustainable and Resource Efficient Circular Economy in Europe

Marco Moro

Bioeconomy and Food Security: The Relaunch of Agriculture Is at Stake

Carlo Pesso

EPR – A Building Block of the Circular Economy

Joachim Quoden

EPR as an Economic and Environmental Instrument

Marco Gisotti

Italy: Compost is Catching up

Emanuele Bompan

Biofuels: The Aviation Industry Takes Off

Antonio Cianciullo

Sardinia: An Alliance between Farmers and Green Chemistry Is Born

Editor-in-chief Antonio Cianciullo

Contributors Emanuele Bompan, Mario Bonaccorso, Piero Caloprisco, Michael Carus, Ignaas Caryn, Massimo Centemero, Stefano Ciafani, Roberto Coizet, Giovanni Corbetta, Paolo Corvo, Joanna Dupont Inglis, Karl Falkenberg, Aldo Femia, Roberto Giovannini, Marco Gisotti, Federico Grati, Marko Janhunen, Giorgio Lonardi, Paola Mariani, Maurizio Montalti, Ilaria Nardello, Christian Patermann, Federico Pedrocchi, Carlo Pesso, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Maurizio Quaranta, Joachim Quoden, Silvia Rapacioli, Matteo Reale, Roberto Rizzo, Vandana Shiva, Gianni Silvestrini, Roberto Verga, Hasso Von Pogrell, Giuliana Zoppis

Think Tank

Editorial Director Marco Moro

Acknowledgments Florence Aeschelmann, Federica Mastroianni, Margherita Cugini, Tiziana Monterisi Editorial Coordinator Paola Cristina Fraschini Editing Paola Cristina Fraschini, Diego Tavazzi Design & Art Direction Mauro Panzeri (GrafCo3), Milano Layout Michela Lazzaroni Translations Laura Coppo, Laura Fano, Franco Lombini, Elisabetta Luchetti, Mario Tadiello

External Relations Manager (International) Carlo Pesso External Relations Managers (Italy) Anna Re, Matteo Reale, Federico Manca Press and Media Relations Silverback www.silverback.it info@silverback.it Contact redazione@materiarinnovabile.it Edizioni Ambiente Via Natale Battaglia 10 20127 Milano, Italia t. +39 02 45487277 f. +39 02 45487333 Advertising marketing@materiarinnovabile.it Annual subscription, 6 paper issues Subscribe on-line at www.materiarinnovabile.it/modulo-abbonamento

Policy

Executive Coordinator Anna Re

Draught from Berlaymont European Bioeconomy: Communicate, Communicate and Communicate Interview with Karl Falkenberg

Giorgio Lonardi

Problem Solved: Tyres Soon to Become a Versatile Resource

Distributed Generation Finally Hits the Bioplastics Production

Roberto Rizzo

The Po Valley: An Open Air Biorefinery

Maurizio Quaranta

Biomaterials Come out on Top

Emanuele Bompan

Circular Design: Matter Exits No Man’s land

Stefano Ciafani

Bioeconomy and Environment A Recurring Health Menace

Ilaria Nardello

The Blue Yonder Marine Biomass: An Unconventional Wealth

Federico Pedrocchi

Innovation Pills Straw Yellow Gold

Columns

Case Histories

Roberto Rizzo

I N D U S T R I E

G R A F I C H E

Printed by Geca Industrie Grafiche using mineral oil free vegetable-based inks. Geca production system does not produce exhaust and every waste of our manufacture is introduced into a process of collection and recycling. www.gecaonline.it

Printed on Crush ecological papers by Favini, made using process residues from organic products to replace up to 15% of virgin pulp: cover Crush Mais 250 gsm, text Crush Mais 120 gsm. www.favini.com

Cover Michelangelo Pistoletto, Cluttering the Third Paradise by Saverio Teruzzi Albano Laziale, 2013 (photo by Pierluigi Di Pietro)

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renewablematter 03. 2015

Editorial

R M The Novel Players

of the Recovering Economy Seek a New Balance between Regulations and the Market

by Antonio Cianciullo and Roberto Coizet*

*Edizioni Ambiente Chairman

The energy sector is in the spotlight. Earnings are increasingly generated by services rather than by electricity. Business strategies are moving from oligopoly to a flexible-grid-based supply chain fed by millions of micro-producers of renewable energy. The power hierarchy is shifting from hardware, i.e. from being based on a few major production plants, into a soft power supported by innovation and marketing. Although the topic is unlikely to crop up in day-to-day conversation, the ongoing energy transition is commonplace. From an economic and ecological point of view, another, equally important transition is underway. However, unlike that which concerns energy, it hardly draws as much attention from media. The second major transition is about the recovery of matter. The last issue of Renewable Matter discussed the numbers at stake: every year, 50 to 60 billion tons of rock, stones, sand and gravel are mined and a further 45 billion tons of fossil fuels are extracted, whilst another 27 billion tons of biomass are moved about to produce energy. These huge quantities have mammoth environmental impacts. In addition, the increasingly irregular fluctuations of the quantities extracted (raw material commodity prices have been declining for decades and have started to rise irregularly only recently) show that these impacts are no longer manageable through the old parameters of the linear economy that are based on endless expansion of both mining grounds and landfills. The market has registered the anomaly and perceived that something

is wrong, but has not yet developed the instruments that can solve the problem. A new point of view is needed, one based on the etymology of the word resources (from resurgere, to rise again). That is why it is necessary to move towards a greater circularity of matter and energy. Such an approach implies a new map of economic, environmental and spiritual benefits. This means that new players need to emerge. Innovative businesses and economically viable enterprises that are able to meet these novel requirements. Renewable Matter intends kick-starting a debate and track the players of this new economy in order to identify their needs and understand how best the new collective interests may defy the oligopolistic interests forged during the 20th century. A few questions are begging for answers. For instance, which market rules and opportunities support the development of the circular economy? Should public or private initiatives prevail? What kind of balance may be achieved between a free market and a “managed” market (i.e. one that is devoted to favour agents that are valued as being “virtuous”)? Let us try to briefly identify some possible answers. For example, the circular economy pursues simultaneously both public interests (i.e. it is a smart strategy to increase collective welfare while minimising impacts on ecosystems) and private interests (i.e. adopted mostly by companies, although there are plenty of nonprofit organizations venturing in this field). This means that there must be an economic

benefit, an advantage for both individuals and communities, in circulating and recirculating flows of matter through production cycles. In the case waste flows, economic advantage kicks in at a precise moment: when the monetary value of collected materials is higher than the costs of recovery. At that very moment, the costs incurred during the collection, selection and recovery phases suddenly become business opportunities. We are currently witnessing a historic change: for many types of waste (commercial and industrial waste in particular) the economic benefit threshold has been crossed, collecting them is a profitable business and money can be made by selling them; for other fractions (especially urban waste) the target has not been achieved yet but we are getting closer. In this panorama, discussing operating models becomes paramount. What solutions can bring about the best environmental and economic results? In the last 20 years, national waste management systems have been created, the so-called compliance schemes: organizations that deal with companies’ recovery and recycling duties according to the “manufacturer’s responsibility” principle. As per EU regulations (but this principle is already spreading at global level) manufacturers are responsible for the waste they generate but for their convenience they can recruit the help of an accredited organization – a compliance scheme – that will collect the required quantities providing fully traceable information at a cost. This is a formula already

applied to several types of waste: packaging, electric and electronic waste, tyres, mineral and vegetable oils and batteries. This means that several dozens of millions of tons of recyclable material are managed and reintroduced into production cycles. Compliance schemes play a very special role because they establish a new balance between regulations and the market, between associations of companies and local governments, between free competition and managed market, between common goods and private interests. This balance is constantly evolving and compliance schemes play a crucial role in this innovation process: they are organizations that gradually lead society towards new solutions that can slowly become integrated into the market and economically viable. This is why our magazine wishes to start a direct discussion with the main international compliance schemes in order to create, based on the idea offered in this article, a useful proposal for the general public and companies. We must refine this model: what are the most effective tools in different socioeconomic environments? Some models look stronger and bound to last, others more suitable for transition periods. All systems react, more or less promptly, to public interest and environmental sustainability requirements and since they are essentially made up of companies, they must be economically viable for each player in the chain. The most effective models can be exported to countries lacking them, thus further extending the scope of the circular economy.

renewablematter 03. 2015

Think Tank

Vandana Shiva: “No Land Just for Biofuels” interview by Roberto Giovannini

The Navdanya leader points out that there is a difference between agro-industrial monocultures cultivated for replacing fossil fuels and local production of fuels from biomass. The first model must be condemned because it incentivizes waste while the second offers a chance of reusing products that could otherwise become waste.

Vandana Shiva is an Indian scientist, philosopher and environmentalist. Founder of research organizations and of the Navdanya Movement for the conservation of biodiversity and the protection of local communities and their resources, women in particular, she is one of the most prestigious and loudest voices on the most controversial issues of globalization.

There is no such thing as a “good” biofuel deriving from a crop cultivated for energy. According to Vandana Shiva, a physicist and founder of the Navdanya (nine crops) Movement, all biofuels that take land from the food production or, even worse, that derive from grains or other crops intended for human consumption, must be condemned because they reintroduce a model based on subsidies, energy waste and an evil agro-industrial logic. The Indian scientist explains that this must not be confused with local reusing and recycling of agricultural by-products to produce energy and from which biofuel cannot be obtained. She tells Renewable Matter that “on the contrary, these practices are extremely useful and necessary and they must be promoted and spread if we want people to go back to the countryside and work the land and being able to achieve lasting food security”.

Roberto Giovannini is a journalist dealing with economy, society, energy, the environment, the green economy and technology.

It was said that the 2008-2009 food crisis, besides a series of climatic and meteorological circumstances, was also due to the subtraction of land to food production in favour of biofuels. What has changed since then? Is there greater awareness? “First of all we must make it clear that all biofuels, that is liquid fuels deriving from biomass, are the same. A distinction must be made between agro-industrial monocultures intended for the production of fuel to run cars or in general to replace fossil fuels and the local and widespread production of fuels from biomass, a characteristic of the Third World. What happened a few years back was

a combination of factors: first, the subtraction of land for food production to cultivate wheat to produce ethanol and soya, palm trees and rape to obtain biodiesel. Second, the speculative wave, which followed the 2008 financial and housing market collapse, launched an attack on land and raw materials. Last, the fact that the subtraction of land for food production in favour of biofuel could not exist if not heavily subsidized in the USA and in Europe. Unfortunately, these three factors are still contributing to this phenomenon. They have been neither reduced nor eliminated.” In Europe, they have started to think to reuse marginal lands that in the past, many years ago, were used by farmers, but that are now no longer profitable and are more or less abandoned. In some cases, there are investors who are interested in industrial crops to produce biofuel. What is your take on that? “Land is ‘abandoned’ simply because agriculture has been deliberately made unprofitable through subsidizing mechanisms and by shifting profitability to the production of animal feeds and biofuels rather than crops intended for human consumption. If we take a look at the entire food production system, this land and its production are not useless or in surplus, but it is considered so because farming families have been put in a position where they can no longer cultivate the land. This is outrageous, especially for Italy and all Southern European countries.” What are the reasons that make this phenomenon even worse for Mediterranean countries? “We know that in Europe, the economic downturn hit particularly hard Southern European countries. In Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal the worst problem is youth unemployment, but nobody has considered giving land to young people, thus creating both employment and food at the same time. Yet, this would be the obvious thing to do: creating

renewablematter 03. 2015

Do some people really think that the current system based on fossil fuels and high energy consumption can be maintained simply by shifting the pressure from fossil fuels to biomass? It is impossible.

both jobs and food security – with local, organic and healthy produce – rather than deliberately ravaging agriculture through subsidies. I have no qualms about calling it ‘European-style land grabbing’.” So, there is no difference between a field of jatropha in Mozambique and a field of shrubs cultivated for the production of biofuel in Europe. “From a land, a soil point of view, it is exactly the same thing, so to speak, and it is the same thing from a human and society perspective. Of course, poverty is much worse in Mozambique, but there is a new type of poverty in Europe, and it is definitely of a cruel kind.” However, for many it looks like the right choice, even from a climate change point of view, leaving fossil fuel buried and shifting towards biofuels... “Do some people really think that the current system based on fossil fuels and high energy consumption can be maintained simply by shifting the pressure from fossil fuels to biomass? It is impossible: it would require subtracting every single piece of land to food production. The reality is that we waste too much energy and we are convinced that energy consumption is an indicator of progress for our society and our economy. We must adopt a radical change of the energy model based on powering down, relying on renewables that do not put our planet under pressure. We must also understand that there is already a food crisis even in Europe.”

We should abandon the so-called free market logic that in reality offers freedom only to big corporations while holding farmers and consumers captive.

Apparently it would not seem so... “But this is the case: Europe imports GMO soy from Argentina, Brazil and the USA to feed its animals. As I said before, instead, you should use land to create employment and food security.” At the beginning, we talked about “good” biofuels. In Italy, more and more commercial farms use discarded agricultural biomass to generate heat, energy or biofuels. Are these practices also questionable or negative? “Absolutely not. Quite the opposite, they are good, necessary and effective both in Low-Tech countries and in the most advanced ones. In reality, it is something that has been used for

centuries: local reuse of agricultural waste to generate energy in a closed-loop system. I am against using large-scale, monoculture systems to generate liquid biofuels for the industrial sector and based on public subsidies necessary to make them economically viable. This hurts the land, the soil, the agricultural economy because it maintains a system that should be abandoned in favour of another based on renewables and recycling.” You know Italy and its agricultural landscape very well. We are aware that many small farmers struggle to make ends meet despite European and national subsidies available. What can we do to reverse this trend and attract people back to agriculture? “Once again, I would make a marked distinction between subsidies – that in reality do not go to farmers, only a tiny fraction, but to agribusiness – and the rather nominal meagre support enjoyed by small commercial farms. Let us take milk as an example. For small farmers, production costs are greater than revenues from sale on the market, but thanks to subsidies, the situation is exactly the opposite for big producers. A mechanism that weakens the former and benefits the latter. Instead, we should ban subsidies to agribusiness and help small famers. We should abandon the so-called free market logic that in reality offers freedom only to big corporations while holding farmers and consumers captive. A more direct and effective relationship between those who grow food and those who consume it is also needed. In Italy, the ‘Km 0 Movement’ has been hampered by EU regulations. For example, attempts to serve food produced locally in school canteens have been hampered by Brussels because this would go against trade liberalisation. In other words, the liberalisation logic clashes directly with the need of people to produce and consume food locally. Land cannot be just a raw material that can be grabbed scot-free, especially when it is one of the most secure and profitable ones. We must tackle the problem of land access with courage, above all for the young. This will also be discussed in the Manifest that the Navdanya Movement will present at the EXPO in Milan.”

Think Tank

ALL TOGETHER

on the Sailing Boat by Gianni Silvestrini

1. A. J. Hunt (edited), Element Recovery and Sustainability, RSC Green Chemistry Series, Cambridge, 2013. 2. T. Bastein et al., Opportunities for a Circular Economy in The Netherlands, TNO, 2013. 3. tinyurl.com/ps5agsu.

On December 22th 2005, Ellen MacArthur wrote down in her logbook: “I’ve got a real problem. I’ve gone off muesli bars and, unfortunately, I based my diet on eating a lot of them. Worse than that, I’ve gone off porridge as well”. In a nonstop voyage around the world, being able to manage limited resources at one’s disposal is of paramount importance. On a boat, in the middle of the ocean, getting hold of muesli bars is highly unlikely. And what if porridge or bars are not the problem? To survive the solitude of the ocean, she understood the importance of managing scarce resources such as food, water and equipment. Ellen MacArthur – a 28 year old English sailor – in 2005 beat the record of single-handed circumnavigation of the globe in only 71 days. In the following years, she did not give up her passion for boats, but she decided to transfer the philosophy she developed while sailing to the production world. So, she created an eponymous Foundation with the aim of “speeding up the transition towards a circular economy.” Indeed, the economy must deal with finite resources. If the prevailing model of linear

Gianni Silvestrini

This article draws on and expands on some of the contents of the book Due Gradi (“Two Degrees”) by Gianni Silvestrini, Edizioni Ambiente, 2015.

Gianni Silvestrini is Chairman of Gbc Italia, Scientific Director of the Kyoto Club and of QualEnergia magazine, Chairman of Exalto. Since 1978, he is an energy researcher at Cnr and at Politecnico di Milano, where he has also coordinated the Ridef Master’s post gruaduate course.

development – where the throwaway rationale rules unchallenged – is not brought into dispute, over the next decades the availability of several elements such as gold, silver, indium, iridium and tungsten is bound to dwindle.1 The focus on the positive effects of a circular economy has led to in-depth analyses on various scales. An interesting study on the prospects of the circular economy at a national level has been conducted in Holland.2 After analysing 17 groups of electronic and mechanical products, it has been estimated that against a turnover of €16.5 billion a year, the current level of “circularity” already enables earnings in the region of €3.3 billion (equalling 20%). More maintenance, reuse and recycling would increase the income by €0.5 billion. This would certainly entail a cutback in the sale of new products, with no domestic effects in the case of Holland, since they are imported. Actually, the advantage linked to the diminished imports is estimated at €0.4 billion, bringing the benefits to €0.9 billion a year, in addition to the creation of 10,000 new jobs (figure 1). By spreading the advantages of the circular economy to the whole Dutch production sector, a growth of €7.3 billion a year, amounting to 1.4% of GDP, has been estimated, with 54,000 more jobs. How long would it take to start such transition? About fifteen years, but with half of the benefits concentrated in the first three-year period. And this is a path that Holland is already facilitating. In 2013, Rabobank, for example, funded “circular” operations of Dutch companies with €740 million, aiming at increasing considerably its support in the next few years.3 Such analysis applied to a small country sheds light on the great potential linked to the propagation of such philosophy. At global level, the scope of action is obvious: in 2010, 65 billion tons of raw materials entered the production cycle and a mere 20% were reutilized. Redesigning production modes

Ellen MacArthur, a 28 year old sailor who in 2005 broke the record of solo circumnavigation of the world in just 71 days

Figure 1 | Growth in value in the electrical and mechanical material sectors, by increasing repairing, reuse and recycling through the adoption of a circular approach compared to the current situation in Holland

Recycling 4.5

+15%

4.0 Reuse of components

Millions of euro

3.5

+36%

3.0 2.5

Reuse of products

2.0

+31%

and enhanced recovery of materials could boost such percentage to 50%.4 The development of the potential of a circular economy would enable to revert the current trend and to redirect it towards a better and lower use of matter and energy.5 In actual facts there are virtuous examples of reuse and recovery of materials, in particular in countries with little raw materials: so, for example, Japan recycles 98% of metals.6 And several countries, along with the improvement of energy efficiency, are reducing the intensity of their use of materials. The United Kingdom is a case in point. In 2000, the English economy absorbed 520 million tons of raw materials, recovering and reusing only 50 million. Ten years later, following an economic

1.5 1.0

Repairing +28%

0.5 0 Current situation

After implementing measures to increase circularity

Source: “Opportunities for a circular economy in the Netherlands”, TNO 2013.

4. Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Towards The Circular Economy. Opportunities for The Consumer Goods Sector, v. 2, 2013. 5. World Economic Forum, Towards The Circular Economy: Accelerating The Scale-Up Across Global Supply Chains, January 2014. 6. L. Hao et al., “Analyses of Japanese Circular Economy Mode and its Inspiration Significance for China”, Advances in Asian Social Science, v. 3, n. 4, 2012.

Ellen MacArthur ©OMEGA Ltd

renewablematter 03. 2015

Think Tank 8. See footnote n. 3. 9. European Environmental Agency, The European Environment – State and Outlook 2015, February 2015.

7. J. Morgan, P. Mitchell, Employment and the circular economy, Green Alliance and WRAP, January 2015.

growth of 20%, the use of raw materials dropped to 420 million tons and, more importantly, the amount of recycling more than doubled, amounting to 115 million tons, thanks to a host of activities offering employment to 130,000 people (figure 2).7 So, albeit unevenly, a more efficient use of resources is occurring. However, such trend could definitely be accelerated, since the benefits and the employment opportunities deriving from it are substantial.

10. Mc Kinsey Global Institute, “Resource Revolution: Meeting the world’s energy, materials, food, and water needs”, November 2011.

With regard to the United Kingdom, provided effective policies encouraging the circular economy are in place, there would be an increase of half a million jobs by 2030.8 Obviously a growth in the recovery, reuse and recycling fields means a reduction of jobs in the traditional sectors. It is therefore important to consider net employment growth, which in the United Kingdom has been estimated at 100,000 jobs by the end of the next decade. So, a smart policy, identifying ambitious objectives, removing obstacles and facilitating the transformation of the economy not only enables a more rational use of resources but it offers a positive balance-sheet as far as employment is concerned. At European level, the picture is almost identical. The figures of the raw materials used in 2012, taking into consideration also those linked to the production of imported and exported products (Raw Material Consumption, RMC), are slightly lower compared to 2000, with 16% of GDP growth (figure 3).9 At global level, the rise of productivity of resources by 2030 associated with the adoption of “circular” policies would allow to reduce dramatically the demand for minerals, energy, water and land (in some sectors by 30%), thus contributing to defuse tensions and prices instability.10 It is therefore surprising, both because of the good results and following the evidence provided by the studies conducted by the Commission itself, that Europe has slowed down on the policy package and objectives regarding the circular economies. At the end of February,

Figure 2 | Evolution of the use and recovery of resources in the economy of the UK between 2000 and 2010 (millions of tons) 520

Source: J. Morgan, P. Mitchell, Employment and the circular economy, Green Alliance and WRAP, January 2015.

420

210

160 115 50

2000

2010

Extracted or imported resources

2000

2010

Non recycled resources

2000

2010

Recycled resources

renewablematter 03. 2015 Figure 3 | Consumption of materials in Europe and corrected value including imports and exports (RAM) between 2000 and 2012

Source: The European Environment – State and Outlook 2015, European Environmental Agency, February 2015.

10,000

Million tonnes

8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000

Raw material consumption

Domestic consumption of raw materials

Total import of raw material equivalent

Extra EU-27 imports

Total export of raw material equivalent

Extra EU-27 exports

11. tinyurl.com/o7hkd4p.

12. tinyurl.com/p62uq9k.

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

such measures have indeed been set aside: a ghastly sign, lessened by the promise of resuming the debate on the subject in the future in a “more ambitious” manner. However, such uncertainty will not slow down the effort by those in the industrial sector more scrupulous and interested in “circularity” and the designing of products that can be disassembled, rebuilt and recycled. Just to speed up these processes, the MacArthur Foundation forged an alliance with the World Economic Forum, with the aim of involving important industrial groups covering 5-10% of the world market of plastics, paper, electronics and home appliances, within Project

Mainstream.11 These sectors offer good scope for action. 93% of polyethylene terephthalate (Pet) used in packaging is still produced from virgin materials. The target is to reduce by 10% the unrecovered share, thus creating a value of $4 billion a year. The improvement of paper recovery in those countries where such activity is still weak would enable a valorisation of $10 billion a year. But the electronic material and home appliances sector could benefit enormously. At the end of their cycle, they are valued at $390 billion a year. In such area, the implementation of concerted measures and policies could lead to a valorisation of $52 billion a year. As it can be gathered, these are ambitious programs which could be accelerated with the adoption of appropriate regulations, as it happened in France, where in March a law against planned obsolescence was put in place.12 But in order for them to be effective we need to raise the bar. And Europe must regain its leading role.

©Shutterstock

Over the next decades the availability of several elements such as gold, silver, indium, iridium and tungsten is bound to dwindle.

Think Tank

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Venus of the Rags, 1967 Photo: Paolo Pellion

A New Paradise between Artifice and Nature Intervew with Michelangelo Pistoletto

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Caracalla, Contemporary Paradise, 2012, Baths of Caracalla, Rome - Photo: Pierluigi Di Pietro

Michelangelo Pistoletto is not only one of the top contemporary artists, but also a leading exponent of the reflection on the relationship between nature and culture and the reinterpretation of artificial materials towards a sustainable transformation of society. As a leading figure, he went through the Conceptual Art and the movement of

Impoverished Art in the 60’s offering a critical interpretation of contemporary society. One of his most famous masterpieces, Venus of the Rags (1967), reproduces a copy of Venus Callipyge, National Archaeological Museum, facing a heap of rags with her back turned to the public.

by Matteo Reale

renewablematter 03. 2015 For several years, Matteo Reale has dealt with sustainable development; he is also one of the founders of The Italian Climate Network, the Italian branch of the international movement 350.org. He deals with contemporary art, collaborating with some of the leading figures of the Italian panorama.

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Année 1 – Le Paradis sur Terre, 2013, Louvre Museum, Paris. Courtesy of Galleria Continua Photo: Aureliene Molle

The Third Paradise, Wrapping Paper, freebie with “Lettura”, Corriere della Sera, 22nd December 2013

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Drawing the Third Paradise on a Mirror, 2010 Photo: J. E. S

The Third Paradise in St. Francis’ Wood, 2010 Photo: Courtesy of Fai

“Third Paradise means moving towards a new level of planetary society, essential to guarantee humankind’s survival.”

The Third Paradise Manifesto by Michelangelo Pistoletto available at www.terzoparadiso.org/ testi/terzo_paradiso.pdf

In 2012, at Venice Architecture Biennale, Pistoletto exhibited his work Recycled Italy, made entirely with the waste produced for the Biennale’s installations. The same year he promoted Rebirth-Day, the first universal day dedicated to rebirth, which inspired over one hundred events the world over on 21st December. In 2013, the Louvre in Paris hosted his personal exhibition Année 1 – Le Paradis sur Terre and the same year in Tokyo he was awarded the Praemium Imperiale for painting. In May 2015, Milan will exhibit in Piazza del Duomo, to coincide with Expo 2015, a new work by Pistoletto, showing an eight-metre high bitten and reintegrated apple in the middle of the “Third Paradise”, a new infinity symbol, materialized on the ground by straw bales forming a session, to communicate the possible harmony between nature and artifice. According to the author (The Third Paradise Manifesto, 2003-2015), “The project of the Third Paradise involves leading artifice, that is science, technology, art, culture and politics to restore life to earth together with the commitment to re-establish common principles and ethical behaviour since the real success of this objective depends on them. Third Paradise means moving towards a new level of planetary society, essential to guarantee humankind’s survival”. How did you feel the need to imagine a new “earthly paradise”? Why must our civilization introduce a new myth and aim at a cultural palingenesis? “This need has gradually found his way into my artistic research since the 50’s, when I began to paint my first portraits and self-portraits. At some point, from a canvass I created the first “mirror pictures” (a mirror-finished stainless steel sheet on which an image obtained through a silkscreen of a photographic image was added, editor’s note). From these, which I defined world self-portraits, I started to recreate the image of how much I took from the surrounding environment, thus addressing, from a social and no longer from an individual point of view, the questions I was asking myself.” The initiatives by Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto (Pistoletto Foundation) and your recent cultural activity imply a new relation between art and the environment. Do such transformation processes set in motion new artistic activities of the Third Paradise into the social and entrepreneurial fabric? “The Cittadellarte project started at the end of the 90’s in Biella, a small environment. Ciddadellarte means citadel, as in a small fortified and protected area but also as a city, a bigger environment, open to the world. Art culture acts as a link between the local and the global. We work directly on the local environment, as we did with Let Eat Bi. – The Third Paradise in Biella. It is a project which combines Biella’s resources

The Third Paradise – Cultivating the City, 2014 SuperOrtoPiù, Milan - Photo: Lorenzo Daverio

The Third Paradise, 2014, The European Council Building, Brussels - Photo: Nicola Setari

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renewablematter 03. 2015 Rebirth-day, 2012, Zisa Zona Arti Contemporanee, Palermo Photo: Domenico Aronica

“The apple has been reconstructed because the bite that man took on the primordial fruit, a symbol of the aggression on nature and of today’s artificial world, has led us astray.”

and activities, linked to the love for the land and for the social and natural landscape with the objective to promote solidarity and social inclusion (with special attention to cultivated and neglected or derelict land such as vegetable gardens, orchards, forests, social, solidarity, urban, collective and community fields as well as passionate horticulturalists, editor’s note).” Over the last few years, some of your most significant artistic projects have featured renewable elements such as rice straw, used as a construction material, or wool (Woollen – The Reintegrated Apple, 2007). What are their functions? “All my work starts from the symbolic value of the artistic experience. The work Wollen – The Reintegrated Apple has this function: it has been rejoined because the bite man took on the primordial fruit, a symbol of the aggression on nature and of today’s artificial world, has lead us astray. The underlying idea of Reintegrated Apple is that of regeneration. To go back to the title of Expo 2015, we have to nourish the body but also the mind of the planet and the function of art is to reconstruct a fabric of new symbols. The Reintegrated Apple of Collezione Fondazione Zegna is made of wool, a regenerating material par excellence. It is a sheep’s dress, which is processed without forcing nature. In this way, man uses his artificial ability to create a totally new dress, in harmony with nature. This underpins the notion of the three circles making up the Third Paradise, which I defined “trinamics”, the dynamics of number three, which brings back and melts together different elements to produce a new one, that did not exist before, able to strike a balance between the two opposites. This is a method we should adopt in every process: first we should look for the idea diametrically opposed to ours and then build a third completely new one.

Michelangelo Pistoletto, The Third Paradise, 2013, Galleria Continua, San Giminiano

The Third Paradise for the Sustainability Manifesto of Italian Fashion, 2012, Piazza Duomo, Milan Photo: Studio Biasion

Rebirth-day 2012, Louvre Museum, Paris Photo: Louvre Museum

“We have to nourish the body but also the mind of the planet and the function of art is to reconstruct a fabric of new symbols.”

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Third Paradise – The Reintegrated Apple (Rendering), 2015, Palazzo Duomo, Milan

Think Tank

In this way we go beyond recycling, we create something with a political, economic and social value.” So what is the meaning of the Apple installation in Milan occurring at the same time as Expo2015? “We have to go back to the land. The bitten apple in the Garden of Eden has today transformed into one totally devoured by the artificial world. Nature has disappeared. It is no longer just a religious symbol, if we think that Apple’s iconic symbol is a bitten apple. As the work that will be displayed in Milan intends to communicate, nature must be mended. It must be reintegrated.”

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Columns Draught from Berlaymont

European Bioeconomy: Communicate, Communicate and Communicate An interview with Karl Falkenberg, Director General DG Environment, European Commmission, by Joanna Dupont-Inglis Joanna Dupont-Inglis specialized in Environmental Sciences at University of Sussex and to that of Nantes. In February 2009 she joined EuropaBio, the European Association of bio-industries, and from from April 2011 she has directed the industrial biotechnology field.

With the Commission countdown underway and the EU circular economy preparing for take-off, Director General of DG Environment, Karl Falkenberg, talks to Joanna Dupont-Inglis about Europe’s stellar, sustainable future If you were to introduce the circular economy to a 10 year old child how would you capture their imagination on such an expansive subject? “I would try to explain it as if we are on a spaceship flying through the universe with a population predicted to expand from 7-9 billion in the next 35 years where, currently, not much more than 1 billion enjoy a decent standard of living. I would say that in the next 20 years we are going to multiply the number of people enjoying our kind of life by 4 to 5 billion. If, in the future, everyone lives their lives consuming in the way that we currently do, this spaceship is going to run out of resources. So if we want to make secure the future of the spacecraft and its crew, we need to think very hard about how to become more resource-efficient. Being resource efficient means greater reliance on natural resources. But equally, we need to be aware of our natural capital, which means we need to understand that the amount of clean air, water, soils and minerals on this planet are limited. Our current linear production method of digging out raw materials, making a product and then dumping it in landfill at the end of its life is going to kill the planet. So we need to try and keep materials within a loop and that

is why we call this model the circular economy.” What do you see as the biggest challenges for Europe in making the transition from a linear to a circular economy at a time where economic uncertainty, rather than the environment, is top of the list of concerns, for many? “It’s very strange because there is ample evidence that the green tech sector has, in fact, carried the EU through the present crisis. The main sectors that have continued to create jobs and growth during the recent crisis are what we would call the ‘green’ sectors of our economy. We do need to become a lot better at communicating this, though. I remember, for example, the shock expressed by a journalist whom I told that we are exporting more clean and green technology and goods than cars! We need people to grasp this fact and, in many ways, we need people to take the green economy out of the ‘environmental corner’. We have a lot of understanding in industry that the circular economy is European competitive DNA. As far as the green economy is concerned, we are competitive at a global level and the demand for green economy is growing. This means engineering but it also means governance and creating the right frameworks. The worldwide interest is clear and many countries are visiting us, here in Europe, to see how we are doing things. So I really think that we only have one problem, namely that of communication and of making our message understood.” It’s been said that the circular economy strategy should be based on a policy for economic growth with appropriate economic measures and instruments. Do you see encouraging elements

Karl Falkenberg - Photo: polytalk2014.blogspot.it

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in place that are going to help this become a reality? “We are working very closely with our colleagues in DG Growth (formerly known as DG Industry) and with a number of other DGs, who all see the opportunity ahead of us. But, as always, this implies structural change and a transition period. When we moved from travelling by horse and cart to cars and lorries, there was a lot of resistance to this transition as well and we see similar attitudes at present. I have seen many industries who have clearly begun investing in a new, sustainable industrial future but, on the other hand, I still see others that hope for many more years of status quo in order to continue reaping the benefits of the industrial investments of the past. In a time of ongoing global economic crisis that is a particularly strong reflex. What I hope is that regulators at European and national level will ensure that whilst taking into account these realities, we need to put frameworks in place that favour and reward the innovative forces of our society and not the laggards.” As you know, the bioeconomy and biobased industries are proactively working and investing in the development of an EU renewables-based future, as evidenced by the €3.7 billion biobased industries Joint Undertaking launched last year and this year by the launch of the European Bioeconomy Alliance. What role do you

see for bioeconomy within the circular economy? “I think it is going to be a very important role. There is great innovation and great promise in it. In many ways, by definition, the bioeconomy is renewable because we are working with raw materials which grow back year after year. The challenge will be to ‘size’ it correctly. In the past we have exaggerated on the renewable economy. Overfishing is one example of this. Fish stocks will recover and they will continue to offer us food solutions for the future but only if we don’t overfish. The bioeconomy, for me, in many ways faces the same challenges. We can use our forestry resources and other bioresources in many new and innovative ways but we need to make sure that it remains sustainable. This means harvesting within the regeneration capacity and getting those balances right is the real challenge. So, there is a need to approach the whole thing from a sustainable point of view.” In addition to market stimulation measures, such as green and innovative public procurement, what other measures could be put in place to enable biobased and other industries to lead the way towards a successful EU circular economy? “We still need to attract investment and what investors need is stability and a predictable environment. We need to convince investors that they will have an acceptable period of time,

The main sectors that have continued to create jobs and growth during the recent crisis are what we would call the “green” sectors of our economy.

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Industry, member states and regions, would be prepared to invest, provided that they knew a predictable, supportive, long term framework was in place.

There are some basic principles that we should all adhere to. More importantly, we should not extract more than nature can regenerate.

covered by supportive and favourable framework conditions, in order to recoup their investments and to create new markets. We need to put these supports in place because we, as a society, think that the circular economy is something that we should be supported and used more and more. Wherever I go in the European Union, from Finland to Austria, to Germany, Spain and beyond, these are the kind of demands that I hear. Industries, member states and regions, would be prepared to invest, provided that they knew a predictable, supportive, long term framework was in place. However, at the moment there is a lack of clarity on many fundamental issues across the member states on a number of critical issues like ILUC (Indirect Land Use Change) and what ‘sustainable’ management of resources actually means. If we want to take advantage of one of our core strengths as a Union, the single market, we need resolution and agreement on these issues. There are some instruments already in place to help more sustainable products reach the markets, but in the circular economy at the moment our targets are too short-term. Many important investments made in the circular economy today will not pay off until 2020 but more likely by 2030 or 2040. The support measures that we offer need to reflect this and we need to be ready to reassure EU and International leaders in sustainability that our framework will nurture those who invest here.” Do you see the Juncker 315 billion investment package and the European Investment Bank’s Innovfin initiative playing a role here? “I am convinced that we need all forms of finance but we certainly need to tap into private capital. The Juncker model of private financing supporting public financing is the model that I see everywhere, from the US to developing countries. There is simply too little public money available these days. That means we need to use our public money wisely to have a multiplier effect to boost the amounts that we can work with.” Can an EU circular economy encourage a regional approach towards sustainable production and use? “I don’t think that we should set our sights on a one-size-fits all approach. On the other hand there are some basic principles that we should all adhere to. More importantly, we should not extract more than nature can regenerate. Then we can leave it to the individual regions to come up with a translation of their own renewable, circular economy whilst respecting that principle. If we use more than we can

regenerate, we are running into environmental debt and, as I mentioned, I do think we need a common understanding on what is sustainable to prevent fragmentation of our single market. But, in the member states, I do see an understanding of these concerns and a concerted approach to deal with them responsibly, taking into consideration regional differences and specialities.” The public consultation of the circular economy will begin in June, and we have The Conference of Parties on Climate Change, COP 21, in Paris, on the horizon. How do you see the circular economy taking into consideration the grand challenge of climate change, particularly in view of the threat posed by climate change towards our environment and biodiversity? “I am convinced that work on the circular economy proposal is taking climate change into consideration in a great many ways. Our colleagues in DG Climate are working closely together with us on the circular economy proposal with a strong focus on using secondary rather than primary materials as much as possible with materials such as aluminium or glass. But we believe that strong ecosystems and healthy biodiversity are still the best adaptation policy that anyone has against the threat of climate change. We are well aware of the interconnectivity between mitigating climate change and developing a circular economy and, importantly, we are no longer working in silos. We are working together to look above and beyond, proposing holistic approaches to the challenges that we face across all relevant policy sectors.” What should biobased industries do, beyond contributing to the Commission’s consultation in June, in order to contribute towards and be supported by the development of a circular economy? “Three things. Communicate, communicate and communicate. A lot of people still have very basic questions, eg. ‘What does bioeconomy mean? How can we ensure sufficient supplies of food? How do can we create a sustainable framework?’. It will also be important to understand how end of life works. What can and should be recycled and what should not. In some circles, anyone who produces a fuel is not considered to be a recycling industry and perhaps we need a slightly better discussion around that. We need materials in our economy but we also need energy. Of course, recovering material should be a priority but we also need to understand that the worst option is to continue to dump

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waste into landfill a) because its pollution and b) because there can, and very often are, substantive societal costs. It may take 30-40 years for these impacts to be felt but it will usually happen in the end, whether it’s through emissions in the air, leaks in the soil or water. We need to be realistic about how well we will be able to produce good quality recyclates. For some materials it will be easier than others and therefore appropriate separation and collection systems will need to be put in place. If we cannot have a high quality secondary material we will not be able to use it and we need to avoid the knee-jerk reaction that energy recovery is always bad. We have a hierarchy and we made it knowingly. Landfill is the worst option, energy recovery is better, recycling material is better still, but avoidance is the best form of dealing with waste.

We now know how biobased industries are able to work with new fibres, for example some of those found in agricultural and forestry residues, and it’s very exciting, innovative and high tech. They can and will play an important part in the transition towards an EU circular economy.” You have been Director General for DG Environment for over 6 years now, prior to which you played a key role for the EU in issues as diverse as trade and the reunification of Germany. What is it that still makes you excited to get to work in the morning? “I am a total believer in Europe. Europe is my family and making sure that this growing family is working together rather than fighting is a good enough motivation for me.”

Landfill is the worst option, energy recovery is better, recycling material is better still, but avoidance is the best form of dealing with waste.

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5.5 Billion Precious Tons of Forests and Agricultural Fields by Aldo Femia

Aldo Femia is Senior Researcher at the National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT). An expert in satellite accounts, and in particular environmental accounts in physical terms, he has also worked at the Wuppertal Institut Für Klima Umwelt Energie and at OECD.

The “war for biomass” – Mario Bonaccorso warned us in an article that appeared in the last issue of Renewable Matter – is not a too unrealistic scenario. The first signs are already visible in some trade policies adopted by companies and governments. Rivalries for the different potential uses of biomass are produced by and exacerbate other wars, first of all the one for water, which is already an open conflict in many parts of the world. According to estimates by Water Footprint Network, for each ton of vegetables an average 300 cubic metres of water (300,000 litres) are needed; 1,000 for fruit; 1,600 for cereals; 4,000 for pulses. It is even worse for derivatives: 1,000 litres of bioethanol made from corn need 2.9 million litres of water; a ton of butter needs 5.5 million litres; a ton of beef steaks needs 15.5 million litres. Then there is war for land, or land grabbing, which according to Oxfam has doubled since 2008. According to FAO, at least 55% of all arable land is used for agriculture and livestock. In this context of global scarcity of biomass and its factors of production, it is necessary to answer the question posed in the above mentioned article: are agricultural residues

and the enormous quantity of waste produced in our economy sufficient to feed the bioeconomy and avoid that the new demand for biomass exacerbate conflicts? Here we will try and provide not the answer itself – which would require an analysis of the economic trends and the technological prospects beyond the reach of this article – but rather some quantitative elements necessary to answer that question. At global level, according to data by www.materialflows.net, human beings “manage” about 27 billion tons a year of primary, cultivated or natural biomass. We are talking about 22% of global mineral extraction and – according to estimates by Haberl et al. for the year 2000 – about a quarter of all products that photosynthesis generates on earth. This data gives us an idea of the total flux that we need to focus on and which comprises food, biomaterials (traditional and new) and biofuels. In the short term, expanding this total figure is possible only by intensifying or extending agricultural activities, two prospects that give rise to many problems and end up colliding with several of the planetary boundaries already known to this journal’s readers. Agricultural and forestry activities, through which human

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beings appropriate biomass, as well as the ways in which they stimulate its growth, generate huge pressure on areas where the planetary boundaries have already been surpassed, such as loss of biodiversity, interference with natural nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, and climate change. The most interesting prospect, one where bioeconomy and sustainability can go hand in hand, is the “multiple” use of biomass. The majority of residues generated by extraction, transformation and final use of primary biomass are suitable for successive uses and transformations. These reuses do not increase the general figure, however they lengthen the economic life of matter, postponing the moment when materials go back to nature, or optimizing the way they do that. Behind the 27 billion tons figure there is a complex scenario. 20% of these biomasses (5.5 billion tons, 0.7 in Europe) constitute

a non tradable sub-product coming mainly from cultivation of products fit for human food (over 80%). Other cultivations and forestry activities generate, per unit of main product, a significantly inferior quantity of residues. These residues however are far from useless, even though they are not tradable. If left in the soil, they give back to the land what had been taken, and they are useful to produce new biomass. The same happens if organic matter is given back to the soil after composting. These ways of disposal, which allow for a limited use of artificial fertilizers and add value (although implicitly) to waste, are definitely part of the bioeconomy. Where burnbeating (burning on site) is carried out – a process which in the long term impoverishes the soil depriving it of organic mass – or where the biomass is gathered without being somehow recovered, the bioeconomy can certainly play an important role, both in terms of sharing best practices of soil restitution, and in other more explicit ways

The most interesting prospect, one where bioeconomy and sustainability can go hand in hand, is the “multiple” use of biomass.

Biomass displaced by human activities at global level in 2011, by groups of countries and by type 12 Source: www.materialflows.net

Used biomasses

Billions of tons

Auxiliary flows of unused biomass

8 6 4 2 0

OECD

Non-OECD, high income

Non-OECD, medium-high income

Non-OECD, medium-low income

Non-OECD, low income

Fit for human consumption

For animal feeding

Wood and other (industrial plants, tobacco, etc.)

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Like most European countries, Italy is a net importer of natural resources.

Of the 22 billion tons used – 2.7 billion in Europe – eight are suitable for human feeding, 11 are used to feed animals; 2.5 billion tons of wood and products are taken from forests – either virgin or not. Only a part of the latter flow is acquired by humans through using the extremely precious stocks of natural biomass (demolition of virgin forests and excessive fishing). The remaining part comes almost exclusively from new biomass that is generated annually. Together with the burning of stubble, wood burning releases a million tons of carbon into the atmosphere. As far as the eight billion tons of food suitable for human beings, we need to take into account the “costs” (in terms of matter subtraction) of transformation and food waste. According to FAO, only the latter transforms at least a third of biomass suitable for human feeding into residues. Taking into account also what is left from transformation and consumption – even though it is not considered waste (non-edible food parts) – we can estimate that about four billion tons of biomass could be further reused as waste, after industrial transformation and/or consumption. In this case,

the bioeconomy can prove useful in recovering this precious matter and using it to increase soil fertility, generate industrial processes and energy networks. The remaining eight billion tons suitable for human feeding, once ingested and digested, follow the same path as the 11 billion tons destined for animals; they partly become emissions released into the atmosphere (part of the carbon and hydrogen contained in food is merged with breathed oxygen by animal metabolism and transformed into methane by enteric fermentation), and partly excrements. It would be useful to have available estimates expressed in terms of dry matter or with standardized humidity, while only the fodder (most of the 11 billion tons destined for animals) is quantified by normalizing its water content to 15%. As for the dry ingested matter, the carbon contained in emissions can be estimated at around one billion tons and at least four fifths of it comes back as excrements. We are talking about at least eight billion tons of dry matter. Again, this can be sent back to the soil and/or used to produce biogas. The Italian Context Italy – with its annual water footprint of 130,000 million cubic metres, 61% of which is outside its borders; with its ecological footprint equivalent to 3.8 times its biocapacity, and several companies buying land overseas (often to produce biofuels) – shares with most of the rich world a strong incentive to properly manage the biomass at its disposal. Like most European countries, Italy is a net importer of natural materials. For renewable resources, unlike non-renewable ones, there is a potential trade-off between internal extraction and imports: in 2013 biomass constituted 27.8% of internal extraction of used materials and 13.4% of flows from abroad. The latter covered about 27% of the need for biomass in the productive system and among consumers in the country.

Internal extraction, imports and exports of used biomass, Italy, 1991-2013 Source: ISTAT.

180 160

Internal extraction

140 120 100 80

Imports

60 40 Exports

20 0 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

According to FAO, food waste turns into residues at least a third of biomass suitable for human feeding.

of valuing waste, such as the production of new materials and fuel. Unfortunately, there aren’t statistics available on the incidence of the various modes of disposal of agricultural waste at the global level, nor is it possible to formulate reliable estimates.

Millions of tons

Policy Balance of biomass used in Italy (origin and destination), 1997 and 2010, millions of tons Input

Output

Input Auxiliary imports

1997

Forestry products Forage and agricultural residues

2010

Products of cultivation and fishing Imports

200

150

100

150

200

Output Exports

Flows from abroad have been increasing, while internal extraction has been constantly decreasing for at least twenty years: the substitution effect is evident. Internal extraction tends to diminish for all types of used biomass: those destined to zootecnics in 2013 amounted to 46.5 Mt, those that could be destined for human feeding amounted to 56.5 Mt, resources taken from forests amounted to 5.5 Mt. To internal extraction we need to add imported biomass: these are agricultural products that could potentially be used by agribusiness and its products. Biomass produced and processed in Italy is then increasingly exported: 40 Mt in 2013. The role that Italy has been acquiring is evident: a transformer of biomass, less and less a primary producer. This brings with it a reduction in agricultural residues, an important element for the energy industry. It would be interesting to follow the several supply chains of biomass, to observe the residues as soon as they emerge and analyze the way in which they are used or wasted. While we leave this exercise for a later date, here we try and formulate a general framework and follow some quantitatively and qualitatively important flows, among them those that take matter from plants back to the soil. Putting together data by ISTAT and ISPRA, it is possible to define, albeit with many approximations, a general picture of transformation of biomass used in our country, counting both fodder and manure as dry matter. By comparing 1997 and 2010 it appears clear that, in addition to an increase in total flows of external trade (imports from 24 to 31%, exports from 13 to 18%), zootecnics is having a more marginal role. However, the dry matter contained in manure – a precious fertilizer – produced in Italy, still amounts to at least 30 million tons. The residues from agriculture and forestry produced in Italy, according to very careful estimates that do not take into account many cultivations and are expressed in terms of dry matter and obtained from information published by ISPRA, amount to about 18 million tons. A third of these materials are already used in several ways. According to a more complete yet less accurate

estimate, available on www.materialflows.net, expressed in tel quel weight, the production of agricultural residues amount to 76 million tons. ISPRA is also telling us that separate collection of wet fraction in 2012, equivalent to 4.8 million tons, represented 40% of recycling in Italy (with a ratio of 13:1 between per capita gathered quantities in the most virtuous region – Emilia Romagna – and the last on the list – Calabria). Of these residues, the green part which is collected separately – 1.8 tons – is already part of the estimates of the agricultural residues mentioned above. On the other hand, the remaining 5 Mt (wet fraction of urban solid waste) mainly come from final consumption by families and service companies. In 2011, 3.5 Mt of organic waste were treated. Another 0.5 Mt were used in anaerobic digestion. According to a study by SDA Bocconi, the amount of collected material could almost double, by extending separate collection of wet fraction to all Italian municipalities (in 2014 it was done by 4,200 municipalities). This would also eliminate 7.7 Mt of CO2 emissions, and would generate a thousand jobs and 12 million euros in added production. What the business school researchers conclude is that the organic supply chain shows that circular economy can work. And if they say so...

Bibliography •• H. Haberl et al., 2007, “Quantifying and mapping the human appropriation of net primary production in earth’s terrestrial ecosystems”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, v. 104, n. 31, 12,942-12,947; doi: 10.1073/ pnas.0704243104 •• ISPRA, Rapporto rifiuti urbani 2013; www.isprambiente.gov.it/ it/pubblicazioni/rapporti/ rapporto-rifiuti-urbaniedizione-2013

•• ISTAT, Sommario delle Statistiche Storiche; seriestoriche.istat.it •• R. Martino, A. Montermini, “Quando si possono bruciare i residui colturali in campo”, www. fitosanitario.re.it/ files/2913/9704/9885/ Articolo_39_2013.pdf •• M. M. Mekonnen, A. Y. Hoekstra, 2011, “The green, blue and grey water footprint of crops and derived crop products”, Hydrol.

Organic residues from food industries Final consumption Investments Manure Greenhouse gas emissions Source: author’s elaboration on ISTAT and ISPRA data.

Earth Syst. Sci., 15(5): 1577-1600; doi:10.5194/ hess-15-1577-2011 •• SDA Bocconi, Analisi della filiera del compostaggio, June 2014; www.slideshare.net/ MilanoRecycleCity/ analisi-della-filiera-delcompostaggio •• P.M. Vitousek et al., 1986, “Human appropriation of the products of photosynthesis”, BioScience, v. 36, n. 6, p. 368-373

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In the Netherlands, they are examining the possibility of producing chemicals from raw materials derived from sugar beets

Europe Desperately Seeking Biomass by Mario Bonaccorso

Mario Bonaccorso is a finance and economic journalist. He works for Assobiotec, the Italian Association for the development of biotechnology.

Adequate volumes of biomass, a reliable supply chain and free trade are the three pillars for the development of the bioeconomy, according to a report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published last February and entirely devoted to the European Union (EU Bio-Based Economy and Its Inputs). The relationship is simple: if the supply of biomass is limited, the price of raw materials will rise, thus affecting the sector’s viability. For this reason – as the Americans claim – although being able to convert biomass where it is produced would be beneficial, logistical hubs able to guarantee sufficient availability of raw materials from alternative sources, the presence of other processing industries and easy access to end markets are paramount. Obviously, Washington is interested in the opening of the European market to imports of biomass from the other side of the Atlantic. The availability of biomass is the bioeconomy’s lifeblood. Being able to predict flows becomes strategic for government and the industrial

sector. Lately there has been a proliferation of analyses attempting to estimate how supply and demand will be modified over the years. According to a study by the University of Wageningen (The Netherlands), if by 2020 20% of chemical products and oil-based products were replaced by bioproducts, 34 MMT (million metric tons) of biomass would be necessary. By 2030, 30% would need at least 50 MMT. To give you an idea of what we are talking about, today the biomass used in the European Union is about 1 MMT. The nova-Institute (Germany), in Bio-based Polymers in the World estimates that the production of polymers in the Union is bound to grow from the current 320,000 MT to about 1.2 MMT in 2020, thanks to the driving force of starch mixtures, PET and PLA. The Plant PET Technology Collaborative (PTC), signed in October 2012 by Coca-Cola, Heinz, Ford, Nike and Procter & Gamble with an aim to reach as soon as possible the target of 100% biobased PET for their products, is also a step in the right direction. But the growing demand of biomass in Europe will scarcely be able to be met by local

Policy

The EU depends on biomass imports. In 2014, it imported 3.8 MMT of wood pellets from the USA

supply. So, imports rule, which undermine environmental sustainability. In this regard, Versalis plan to reconvert Gela’s refinery in Sicily by using palm oil from Malaysia gave rise to a heated debate. The issues of biomass include logistical problems, which countries such as Belgium and Holland intend to solve thanks to their ports of Ghent and Rotterdam, situated in the vicinity of an industrial area with a strong agricultural and chemical propensity. The chemical industry in the Netherlands, pushed by the abolition of sugar quotas scheduled for 2017 by the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), planned a €1 billion investment in infrastructure and services for the conversion of sugar beet in biobased chemical products. AkzoNobel joined forces with SuikerUnie, Rabobank, an agency for investment and development in North Holland, Groningen Province and its sea ports to study the possibility to produce chemicals from raw materials derived from sugar beet. At Deloitte, a feasibility study on the commercial production of various kinds of biochemicals in the chemical cluster in Delfzijl is being carried out. The results of the Deloitte’s analysis will be available before summer 2015. As for biofuels, today the European Union relies heavily on biomass imports, mainly from the United States. Indeed, in 2014, 3.8 MMT of wood pellets have come from across the pond (worth $730 million) and about 170,000 tons of used oils and fats ($150 million). Considering the targets set for biofuels and renewable energy and the objectives to replace oil-based chemical products and materials, it is very likely that the Union will have to rely even more on biomass imports from third-party countries. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency, a Dutch government agency, estimates that 90% of 3.5 MMT of pellets necessary for the country will have to be imported from abroad, mainly from countries outside Europe. So, the agency has started a programme – Biologik NL – to establish

which logistics structure would be most suitable to ship such biomass form the producing countries to Dutch manufacturers. However, according to the US analysis, the availability of biomass in Europe is threatened by restrictive sustainability needs that are unable to acknowledge sustainability practices in other countries. Corn imports for the production of bioethanol is limited by sustainability requirements set by the EU directive on renewable energy. Such directive – claims the US Department of Agriculture – is also limiting the imports of soybean seeds for the production of biodiesel. If such approach is also applied to biomass – the US Department of Agriculture says – Europe could undermine the supply of pellets from North America. So, it is increasingly obvious that the final game of the European bioeconomy and its sustainability will be played in Brussels. But it is also obvious that the ability of the single member states to influence European policies and to define which model to adopt is directly proportional to their ability to have a strategic national plan. In this respect, while countries of Northern Europe have all adopted a strategy and rely on team work (first of all Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany), Southern Europe – with Italy in the lead – is still miserably dormant.

The final game of the European Bioeconomy and its sustainability will be played in Brussels.

Biomass’ future need forecast Required biomass 50 MMT

Required biomass 34 MMT

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1 MMT

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renewablematter 03. 2015 Interview

There is a Substantial Untapped Resource of Unused Cellulosic Wastes and Residues Sustainably Available in Europe

©UPM

Interview with Marko Janhunen, Vice President UPM Biorefining

As the frontrunner of the new forest industry, UPM – the Finnish pulp and paper giant, whose sales totalled 9.9 billion euro in 2014 – leads the integration of bio and forest industries into a new, sustainable and innovation-driven future. Fibre- and biomass-based businesses, recyclable raw materials and products are cornerstones of UPM’s business. Biofuels are a topical example of UPM’s innovation work, with the renewable diesel biorefinery in Lappeenranta. Other new businesses include biocomposites, which are already being marketed to customers, as well as biochemicals and biofibrils, which are currently in the development phase. With Marko Janhunen, Vice President Stakeholder Relations at UPM Biorefining, we talk about the bioeconomy and the related future of the pulp and paper industry. What is the vision that drives a pulp and paper giant like UPM to invest in the use of biological resources to produce bioproducts? UPM has been active in the forest industry for over one hundred years. We have always believed that products made from renewable raw materials have fantastic environmental credentials. UPM has a turnover of approximately 10 billion euro. Almost all of our products, such as paper, pulp, timber, plywood, and labels are based on wood. We are also a major producer of biomass based renewable energy. Sustainable forest management and ensuring sustainability with various chain of custody systems and certificates is the corner stone of our operations. We recognize that key global drivers such as climate change and resources scarcity will create new opportunities for renewable raw materials. This is why we have invested in advanced biofuels which come from non-food chain raw materials, have high GHG saving and are of high quality. We are investigating all the time new opportunities and technologies to develop biofuels, biochemicals and biocomposites. UPM has created Biofore term to describe new

forestry industry. But what is exactly your Biofore Strategy? Biofore highlights our heritage as forest industry company and combines that with new innovations, opportunities and even new sectors. Today we are increasingly developing our innovations in collaboration with the petrochemical and chemical sectors from different countries. Advanced biofuels is currently our spearhead project. In addition, UPM is investing a lot in developing new wood-based products, such as biochemical and biocomposites. At what stage is the wood-based liquid biofuel developed by UPM? We are operational. UPM’s Lappeenranta Biorefinery started up in January this year. We started developing the wood-based biofuels platform in 2006 and made the investment decision in 2012. In Lappeenranta we produce 100,000 tons or approximately 120 million litres of renewable diesel per year. This corresponds with average yearly consumption of 100,000 cars. We are therefore not talking about demo-size. This is really a Commercial Scale plant which was just awarded as the Commercial Scale Plant of the Year in WMB Bio Business Awards 2015. In the last seven months, the barrel of oil has lost more than half of its value. If last summer prices exceeded $110, now approaching 40. Is this changing the investment choices of UPM in bioproducts? It would be too short-sighted to consider investments from the point of current oil price. While oil price has come down, the price of vegetable oils, which is also relevant to us, has not. And while oil is cheap at the moment, we see energy security and energy independence growing strongly in importance. We believe that there are important economic, social and environmental drivers promoting advanced biofuels at the moment and in long term. The availability of biomass is crucial to the development of the bioeconomy. Do you agree with nova-Institut in Cologne, according to which there is an improper allocation of biomass available in Europe to promote biofuels instead of biochemicals? I believe we have raw materials and opportunities in both sectors. According to a recent ICCT report – “Wasted” – there is a substantial untapped resource of unused cellulosic wastes and residues sustainably

©UPM

Policy

available in Europe. That could substitute up to 16% of European road transport fuel by 2030 while delivering greenhouse gas savings of 60% or more. I see for example UPM’s Lappeenranta Biorefinery as a stepping stone in to using our own pulp making residue but also various other sustainable raw materials, and also eventually moving in the direction of biochemicals. This is already the case in most second generation ethanol plants. If you consider our Lappeenranta investment, we have developed innovations that enable us to increase the added-value of crude tall oil which is a residue from our own pulp production. We produce renewable diesel that reduces GHG emissions by up to 80% compared with fossil diesel. Similar innovations are possible at large forest industry integrates, and other industries. Bioeconomy development requires big, bold steps. Our Lappeenranta biorefinery is a good example combining forest and bio industry. We need to create framework considerations for sizeable investments.

What’s the role of bioeconomy for the future of a reality such as UPM? And for the sustainability of the industry? Bioeconomy is a great opportunity for European industry. If you look for example at advanced biofuels, we use domestic raw materials, we operate in rural areas, we utilize European technologies, and we reduce our energy dependency on outside EU oil reserves. That is a great story.

According to McKinsey by 2020 global demand for biobased products could grow to 250 billion euros. How can European industry be ready to face this challenge? Europe is still today leader in renewable energy development. The Energy Union communication by the European Commission states that the EU wants to keep that position. I am certain that the industry is ready. The question is do we have such regulatory long-term visibility that enables investments? At the moment we do not. Politicians would need to propose post 2020 policy the soonest possible in order to enable investments to move forward.

European bioeconomy stakeholders complain of a lack of regulatory stability in Europe and move investments to other countries. From your point of view, what should the EU do to create a more favorable environment for industrial investments in the bioeconomy? The most important thing, looking from advanced biofuels sector point of view, is to propose EU policy on reduction of emissions in the transport sector and the dedicated role of advanced biofuels in this context. An example would be a binding target for advanced biofuels in Renewable Energy Directive, and continuation of such advanced biofuels mandate post 2020.

The UPM biorefinery in Lappeenranta acts as a springboard for using pulp waste as well as other raw materials to produce biochemicals

From your point of view, will it be possible for the industry to meet sustainability goals and yet be competitive? In this business sustainability is imbedded into everything. In advanced biofuels sector, the foundations of the industry are in the need to reduce GHG emissions in the transport sector sustainably. With technological development, increased usage of innovative and sustainable feedstock, and increased number of plants operating the competitiveness of the sector will be improved. Bioeconomy is a great opportunity for European industry.

renewablematter 03. 2015 Interview

The Biofuel Challenge

Sustainability is regarded an all-embracing concept – ecological, economic and social.

Sustainability and innovation. These are strategic pillars of the business strategy of Clariant, one of the world’s leading specialty chemical companies. With its Group Biotechnology based in Germany, Clariant has developed the sunliquid® process for the sustainable production of cellulosic ethanol and biochemicals from agricultural residues. Process and feedstock specific enzymes, which are produced during the process, hydrolyze residues such as straw, bagasse, or corn stover. The following fermentation of all sugars to ethanol combined with an energy saving separation technology result in a competitive and sustainable process. In this interview with Paolo Corvo, Head of Business Development, Biofuels & Derivatives, we talk about the vision that drives a chemical giant to invest in the use of biological resources, the availability of biomass to produce biochemicals, the impact of the volatility of oil price on the bioeconomy and more generally the future of the chemical industry. Mr Corvo, what is the vision that drives a chemical giant like Clariant to invest in the use of biological resources to produce (bio)chemicals? As one of the world’s leading specialty chemical companies, Clariant contributes to value creation with innovative and sustainable solutions for customers from many industries. Sustainability and innovation are strategic pillars of Clariant’s business strategy: We need to look for innovations to increase energy and process efficiency as well as foster the substitution of fossil resources with renewable ones to remain competitive in the long term. Along with this comes an increased demand for more sustainability from the market side. An increasing share of raw materials we use is renewable, so Clariant is well on track. In our research efforts sustainability is closely linked to innovation. Industrial biotechnology has been recognized as a key enabling technology to address the challenges we are facing today. Clariant’s Group Biotechnology revolves entirely around industrial

biotechnology. Focus is the development of processes and products from renewable resources. It has set itself the goal of efficient and sparing use of natural resources. Sustainability is regarded an all-embracing concept – ecological, economic and social. A good example is our sunliquid® technology platform. Our process technology uses agricultural residues such as wheat straw or bagasse to produce biobased chemicals or cellulosic ethanol that can be used as an advanced biofuel, with highest greenhouse gas savings and no land-use competition. What is the innovative power of the sunliquid® platform and at what stage is the second-generation technology developed by Clariant? The sunliquid® platform uses innovative biotechnological processes to access the sugars bound in cellulose and hemicellulose for the production of advanced biofuels and biobased chemicals. Highly optimized feedstock and process specific enzymes break down the stable polymer structure and convert it into fermentable sugars in high yields. These enzymes are being produced process integrated from the cellulosic material itself, which results in lowest enzyme costs as it eliminates additional formulation and transportation. This combination solves the challenges of enzyme supply and cost and makes plant operators independent from external suppliers. In the next step, an optimized fermentation organism simultaneously converts C5 and C6 sugars into cellulosic ethanol, increasing ethanol output by approximately 50%. Energy efficient ethanol separation and thorough energy integration have succeeded in an entirely energy self-sufficient process: all energy demand can be generated from the non-fermentable side streams mainly lignin. No fossil-based energy sources are used. Thus making the sunliquid® process almost carbon neutral with greenhouse gas savings of about 95%. In July 2012, Clariant brought a sunliquid® demonstration plant online in Straubing, Germany, confirming that the technology works

©Clariant

Interview with Paolo Corvo, Head of Business Development, Biofuels & Derivatives at Clariant

Policy on an industrial scale and on various feedstocks within established and well characterized equipment. A unique approach in the industry, significantly reducing the up-scaling risk involved in implementing this innovative technology. Today, Clariant has transitioned from technology development into commercialization of its entirely integrated sunliquid® process and developed a technological blueprint for commercial scale plants at competitive production costs for its customers worldwide. The modular design offers a flexibility that makes it easy to adapt the sunliquid® process to meet specific project, feedstock and site specific requirements geared to the customer’s needs. And flexibility of the technology goes even further: sunliquid® allows for conversion of agricultural residues into a range of chemicals for different industries and applications. You have recently finished a fleet test in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz and Haltermann with a second generation sunliquid®20 fuel. What were the results? The fleet test shows that cellulosic ethanol is not merely a dream of the future but can be applied in today’s fleet so that drivers could already benefit from its superior performance and sustainability. The test results have far exceeded our expectations. First of all, the test vehicles, which are all Mercedes-Benz series vehicles that were not modified for this test in any way, have demonstrated highest performance of fuel and engines. We have found that due to its first-class combustion properties, sunliquid®20 – a premium-grade gasoline containing 20% cellulosic ethanol – improves engine efficiency, so that its 4% lesser energy content, as compared to E10, is more than compensated for. Moreover, particle emissions are reduced by 50% compared to the EU reference fuel EU5. In comparison to fossil fuels, sunliquid® cellulosic ethanol saves around 95% greenhouse gas emissions, without being in competition with food- and feed production. For drivers this means: superior sustainability combined with highest technical performance. Without compromising range and driving comfort or making any adjustments to the gas station infrastructure in Europe, consumers could already fill their tanks with this eco-friendly fuel. In the last seven months, the barrel of oil has lost more than half of its value. How does this impact your activities? Currently we see a more volatile oil price than we did the last years, but we believe that in the mid to long-term, oil prices will revert their current trend. With an ever growing population and increased industrialization in developing countries, the population’s need for food, energy, fuels, chemicals and materials will continue to grow. The challenge we are facing is to fulfill these needs with a limited amount of resources while at the same time preserving our environment and increasing quality of life. Tackling these challenges has led to an overall understanding that renewable resources

will have to play an ever increasing role in our daily lives and many governments have set ambitious targets to foster the development and implementation of innovative technologies to make these resources accessible for use. For example the renewable energy directive and the fuel quality directive that mandate an increase in the use of biofuels is actually creating additional interest from mineral oil companies and mandated parties which are looking at advanced biofuels as a valid additive to their core product. Also the demand for biobased chemicals is not exclusively driven by the oil price – the demand of customers for more sustainable solutions and new, innovative properties is generating an increasing market pull. In the end, we will need a stable and secure supply of energy, chemicals and materials that will live up to the demand of a rising population. To achieve this, we will use all resources in the most efficient way. Thus, the biobased industry will play a substantial role in providing sustainable solutions and business plans that are based on leading competitive technologies such as sunliquid® will deliver the expected return on investment. What kind of biomass do you use to produce your bio-products? The sunliquid® process is entirely based on lignocellulosic resources, such as agricultural residues. These resources do not compete with food and feed crops, but are created in vast quantities worldwide as a by-product of current agricultural practices, as in the case of straw from cereal production. A large fraction of it is currently unused thus available for the conversion into advanced biofuels and chemicals. Through our proprietary feedstock and process specific enzymes, we are able to adjust our sunliquid® process to the most varied types of feedstock within a short time, including cereal straw, corn stover, bagasse, or energy crops such as miscanthus and switchgrass. We have successfully proven performance of our processes on wheat-straw, corn stover and bagasse at our demonstration plant in Staubing showing excellent results. A number of other lignocellulosic feedstock has shown good performance at pilot and lab scale. Do you agree with nova-Institute in Cologne, according to which there is an improper allocation of biomass available in Europe to promote biofuels instead of biochemicals? We do not see the contradiction between the business sectors. In a biorefinery, as in current oil based refineries, the number of products that can be produced varies from energy and biofuels to biobased chemicals and even specialties. Looking at our sunliquid® technology for instance, we created a technology platform that is able

Without compromising range and driving comfort or making any adjustments to the gas station infrastructure in Europe, consumers could already fill their tanks with this eco-friendly fuel.

renewablematter 03. 2015

The agricultural residues of these raw materials can be used to produce biochemicals: 1. Japanese silver grass 2. Cornstalk 3. Rice 4. Wheat 5. Sugar cane

to supply both, fuels and chemicals: cellulosic ethanol as well as biobased bulk chemicals such as organic acids or specialties, e.g. enzymes from agricultural residues as a feedstock, while at the same time supplying needed energy from its non-fermentable byproducts. We believe that fuels and chemicals go hand in hand and the development of one supports the other. Sunliquid® is an excellent example showcasing the huge potential of biobased processes and the biobased economy. However, we do see a conflict in the use of biomasses for highly subsidized electricity production. First, it’s technically highly inefficient to simply burn sugars in the form of cellulose to produce electricity, which can also be produced from wind and solar, wasting sugars as a natural resource for high energy density liquid fuels and chemicals. Second, exceedingly high feed in tariffs in the electricity market may critically distort the market economically, essentially slowing down transition to renewables. According to McKinsey by 2020 global demand for biobased products could grow to 250 billion euros. How can European industry be ready to face this challenge? The US, Asia and the European Union are leading producers of agricultural by-products, such as straw from rice, corn and cereal crops. In addition, Europe is traditionally strong in innovation, with a good backbone of research and development infrastructure. The challenge is to bring these innovations to the market and here Europe’s industry must involve all stakeholders and ask for a stable and supportive policy framework for sustainable biobased products.

We do already have the feedstock base here, in Europe: surplus straw offers an ideal feedstock for the manufacture of cellulosic ethanol and other biobased chemicals, presenting no competition to the production of food or animal feed. Nor is any additional land use required to produce biobased products on these types of feedstock, as they are automatically created as a by-product during existing production of rice, maize and cereals. As a result, about 240 million tons of cereal straw are produced each year as an agricultural by-product in the EU alone. Only a small part of this is currently utilized. Several long term studies have shown that up to 60% could be taken of the field and are thus available for further uses. Using the sunliquid® process, 27 million tons of cellulosic ethanol could be produced from this volume of straw, which is equivalent to the energy content of almost 18 million tons of fossil-based petrol. Hence around 25% of the predicted EU demand for gasoline in 2020 could be replaced by cellulosic ethanol, solely out of surplus material. A study conducted by Bloomberg New Energy Finance includes other types of residue and various scenarios in its calculations and forecasts gasoline substitution potential of up to 62%. By combining advanced conversion technology and renewable resources, reallocating pasture for arable land and activating fallow farmland, it would seem possible to replace fossil fuel with cellulosic ethanol in the medium to long term. This suggests that cellulosic chemicals and biofuels can play a key role along Europe’s path towards sustainable and climate-friendly economy and contribute to the rapid growth of biobased products. What’s the role of bioeconomy for the future of a reality such as Clariant? And for the sustainability of the chemical industry? The use of industrial biotechnology for the production of chemicals is already well established

Policy in the pharmaceutical industry and is now moving down the value chain toward bulk chemicals. For other industries a strong driver is the need to replace fossil resources and over time move to renewable materials. There is an increasing recognition that we have limited resources of fossil-based feedstock which creates a new wave of biotechnology and processes that are being developed which are based on sugar platforms. At the same time these processes and their technologies will have to become extremely efficient, sustainable and eco-friendly. Biotechnology will eventually take on a major role in supporting the production of cleaner materials and energy. As mentioned before sustainability is a key element of Clariant’s overall business strategy and it is closely linked with innovation. For the creation of sustainable innovation three aspects are essential: the anticipation of future needs, building up on sound sustainability evidence based on verified criteria and finally the creation of solutions in close cooperation with key stakeholders. That will then of course increase the number of solutions that we offer in the field of “bioeconomy”.

optimized enzymes, simultaneous conversion of cellulose and hemicellulose into ethanol and an energy-efficient process design, it has been possible to overcome technological challenges and sufficiently reduce production costs in order to arrive at a commercially viable basis. European bioeconomy stakeholders complain of a lack of regulatory stability in Europe and move investments to other countries. From your point of view, what should the EU do to create a more favorable environment for industrial investments in the bioeconomy? As we have seen in the fuels business, government support can help market entry and establishment of a new technology until it has reached competitiveness after a few years. A high increase in production will be driven by the combination of the biofuel policy, customer demand, the reduction of production costs, and the increase in oil prices. To ensure the transition from a fossil economy to a bioeconomy we need to bridge the gap between research and market. Besides support for the implementation of innovative and sustainable production processes and reference plants to demonstrate competitiveness, we need a stable and investment friendly political framework. E.g. in the field of biofuels we expect from policy makers a clear commitment to biofuels of the second generation. We are specifically referring to a binding sub-mandate for advanced biofuels under European legislation and a consequent implementation of the European Commission’s proposal for avoiding indirect land-use change (iLUC) by the support of biofuels made from lignocellulosic biomass and its differentiation from biofuels made from food. In addition the current admissible blending cap of ethanol is at 10% and the way for an E20 specification still has to be cleared. The fuel quality directive has to be adapted and the technical implementation within the European standard setting body has to be promoted. Long-term planning reliability and investor’s security is essential to bring innovative technology onto the market and make the transition to a more biobased and sustainable economy in Europe.

It will be possible for the chemical industry to meet sustainability goals and yet be competitive? Increasing demand, national security, depleting resources as well as global warming and the extensive climate and energy goals by governments can only be met if we also look for solutions in the field of biotechnology. A real change requires sophisticated biotechnological processes such as sunliquid® with corresponding production capacities. These have yet to be built, which is why new innovative or advanced biobased products like cellulosic ethanol are still more expensive than conventional production methods during its launch phase. First of its kind technologies always have the challenge to compete with long established industries. We already see a number of green chemicals entering the market. A strong learning curve is expected for new technologies, as we have seen in the past for others and highly competitive technologies will succeed in the market. The sunliquid® process developed by Clariant meets all the requirements of a technically and economically efficient, innovative process for converting agricultural residues into climate-friendly biofuels and biochemicals. Using process-integrated enzyme production,

©Clariant Foto Rîtzer

The availability of biomass is the bioeconomy’s lifeblood.

In July 2012, Clariant opened a new sunliquid® demonstration plant in Straubing, Germany, which verified the technology’s viability on an industrial scale

renewablematter 03. 2015

BIOPLASTICS:

Fostering a Sustainable and Resource Efficient Circular Economy in Europe by Hasso von Pogrell

Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director of European Bioplastics, the European association representing the interests of the industry along the entire bioplastics value chain.

Today, there is a bioplastic alternative to almost every conventional plastic and corresponding application. Bioplastics – plastics that are biobased, biodegradable, or both – have the same properties as conventional plastics and offer additional advantages, such as a reduced carbon footprint or additional waste management options such as compostability. Bioplastics are an essential part of the bioeconomy and a fast-growing, innovative industry that has the potential to decouple economic growth from resource depletion and environmental impact. Yet, an integrated European political and economic framework is needed to unlock the potential of a full-scale market introduction of bioplastics in Europe. Dynamic Growth Potential Currently, bioplastics still only represent well under 1% of the about 300 million tonnes of plastic produced annually. But as demand is rising and with more sophisticated materials, applications, and products emerging, the market is already growing by about 20 to 100% per year. According to the latest market data compiled by European Bioplastics, global production capacity of bioplastics is predicted to quadruple in the medium term – from around 1.6 million tonnes in 2013 to approximately 6.7 million tonnes by 2018. While Asia is predicted to further expand its role as major bioplastics production hub, accounting

for about 75% of bioplastics by 2018, Europe – at the forefront of research and development – will be left with a mere 8% of production capacities. Asia and the USA are already investing strongly in measures “closer to market introduction” to promote faster market development. In the EU, however, legislators just recently withdrew the long-awaited “Circular Economy Package”, including a proposal to review EU waste targets, which are urgently needed to tap into the immense potentials for resource efficiency, economic growth, and job creation. In order to make the vision of a competitive, dynamic and sustainable economy a reality in Europe, the EU will need to introduce a bolder and more forward-looking policy package that allows for the budding bioplastics industry to strike roots and flourish as one of the key pillars of a sustainable circular economy. The new Circular Economy Package therefore is of utmost importance to the success of bioplastics and the European bioeconomy as a whole. Helping to Reach the EU 2020 Targets Using biomass that is sustainably sourced and regrows on an annual basis is a major environmental benefit of biobased plastic products. Biobased plastics have the unique advantage over conventional plastics to reduce the dependency on limited fossil resources and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or even be carbon neutral. Consequently, biobased plastics

Policy

enhanced and ensured through the emergence of reliable and independent sustainability certification schemes such as ISCC, RSB, or BonSucro.

can help the EU to meet its 2020 targets of greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Moreover, bioplastics can make a considerable contribution to increased resource efficiency through a closed resource cycle and use cascades, especially if biobased materials and products are being either reused or recycled and eventually used for energy recovery (i.e. renewable energy).

Increasing Waste Management Efficiency – Making Waste a Valuable Resource Bioplastics are suitable for a broad range of end-of-life options, including reuse, mechanical or organic recycling, and energy recovery. The overwhelming part of the bioplastic volume produced today can easily be recycled alongside their conventional counterparts where separate recycling streams for certain plastic/bioplastic types exist

The feedstock currently used for the production of bioplastics relies on only about 0.01% of the global agricultural area. Sustainable sourcing of the renewable feedstock and good agricultural practices and technologies are continuously

Source: ©European Bioplastics 2015.

According to the latest market data compiled by European Bioplastics, global production capacity of bioplastics is predicted to quadruple in the medium term.

Closed life cycle of bioplastics Reuse

Moreover, bioplastics can make a considerable contribution to increased resource efficiency through a closed resource cycle and use cascades.

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renewablematter 03. 2015

(e.g. biobased PE in the PE-stream or biobased PET in the PET stream). This way, bioplastics contribute to higher recycling quotas in the EU and the implementation of the circular economy.

A level playing field for all bio-industries regarding feedstock availability is crucial to developing a viable and sustainable bioeconomy.

Furthermore, using biodegradable and compostable plastic products such as (biowaste) bags, food packaging and cutlery, strengthens industrial composting (organic recycling) as a waste management option and helps to increase waste management efficiency. Compostability is a clear benefit when plastic items are mixed with biowaste. The use of compostable plastics makes the mixed waste suitable for organic recycling. It enables the shift from recovery to recycling, which ranks higher on the EU waste hierarchy. Additionally, separate biowaste collection diverts organic waste form recycling streams or from landfills and increases the volumes of valuable compost. In order to tap into the potential of bioplastics for increased waste management efficiency, it is vital that EU waste targets are set at a realistic level, taking into consideration the collection infrastructures and recycling capacities of the various member states. Furthermore, an efficient separate waste collection is needed to help increase mechanic and organic recycling targets and to support the phasing out of landfill in the European Union. Translating Potential into Legislation The recently amended “Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive” confirmed

the EU’s strong commitment to resource efficiency by obliging Member States to reduce the consumption of conventional single use plastic carrier bags and paving the way for compostable shopping bags. Yet, to realise the full market potential of bioplastics, additional legislative measures are needed that reflect the aforementioned advantages and potentials of bioplastics, in particular the proposed Circular Economy Package. European Bioplastics (EUBP) recommends the following amendments, which, while easy to implement, would have a decisive effect on resource efficiency in Europe. According to the Waste Framework Directive (WFD), for example, EU Member States may take measures to encourage the design of products

Policy

in order to reduce their impact on the environment and minimise waste generation. We recommend to state specifically that those measures should encourage the development, production and marketing of products that are made from responsibly sourced renewable raw materials, in addition to the other characteristics outlined in the WFD. Another meaningful new element to the WFD would be to ask Member States to consider the impact on the wider bioeconomy when introducing legislative or economic instruments. A level playing field for all bio-industries regarding feedstock availability is crucial to developing a viable and sustainable bioeconomy. In line with the Resource Efficiency Roadmap and its policy milestone that by 2020 waste in the EU should be treated as a valuable resource, EUBP furthermore recommends to make a separate biowaste collection mandatory as of 2020 – and to amend the WFD accordingly. This will not only minimise contamination of waste materials but also drive the phasing out of landfill in Europe. The bioplastics industry offers solutions to the global challenges of climate change and increased resource consumption by providing the means for a shift to renewable resources and resource efficiency. In order to realize the full potential of bioplastics in Europe, an integrated political and economic framework is urgently needed. European Bioplastics (EUBP) represents the interests of around 70 member companies throughout the European Union. With members from the entire value chain, EUBP serves as both contact platform and catalyst for advancing

and highlighting the objectives of the growing bioplastics industry vis-à-vis EU institutions in working towards an integrated policy and economic framework that supports the use of renewable raw materials. On November 5-6 2015, EUBP will host the 10th annual European Bioplastics Conference, Europe’s leading bioplastics event, in Berlin. The conference will discuss current political and economic issues and explore the latest trends and innovations in bioplastics. Complemented by a large product exhibition and plenty of networking opportunities, and attended by over 350 delegates from across Europe and further afield, the European Bioplastics Conference is a must-attend for established as well as aspiring players in the bioeconomy.

For more information, please visit en.europeanbioplastics.org

renewablematter 03. 2015

Bioeconomy and Food Security: The Relaunch of Agriculture Is at Stake by Marco Moro

Marco Moro is editor in chief at Edizioni Ambiente.

On 17th January 2015, the 7th Agriculture Ministers’ Summit was held in Berlin, the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture 2015 (GFFA). The risks associated with the competition in the use of biological resources are still ranking first amongst the concerns of the 62 people in charge of the national agriculture policies that have taken part in the debate. What is this concern all about? And how are the policies of the main leading powers regarding the bioeconomy taking shape?

has now reached its physical limit. This was the scenario addressed in Berlin during the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture, GFFA, by the Ministers of Agriculture of 62 countries. Such scenario includes almost all the key issues placing agriculture at the centre of the debate on ethical, social, economic and environmental problems, with its obvious geopolitical implications – suffice to think of the land grabbing phenomenon – whose scope and geographical distribution are still scarcely documented. Before analysing the outcome of the meeting, the kind of make-up of the participating

A growing demand for food, raw materials and energy, following land consumption that went beyond the security threshold,

International Bioeconomy Policy Source: Bioökonomierat. Greenland Norway

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Mauritius Australia

Brazil Uruguay Argentina

Mozambique South Africa New Zealand

Policy For an update on the subject: video interview with Lester Brown “Crop yields can’t be increased anymore: world hunger imminent”, tinyurl.com/lwas8ud

Global Forum for Food and Agriculture 2015 final communiqué, The Growing Demand For Food, Raw Materials and Energy: Opportunities for Agriculture, Challenges for Food Security: tinyurl.com/omsv4t4

The Future We Want, tinyurl.com/czenz9g

Millennium Development Goals: 2014 Progress Chart, tinyurl.com/mn9nzqd

nations is worth mentioning, as well; Europe is overrepresented, with countries that have little say on the international scene and, by contrast, with major absentees being Brazil, Canada, the United States or some Southeast Asian countries. But the relevance of the issues on the agenda is unquestionable. Food security is mentioned at the beginning of the final declaration as the main objective to pursue according to The Future We Want declaration signed at the end of the Rio+20 summit. Food security means fighting starvation and malnutrition, thus opposing poverty. Needless to say that the scope of these global emergencies is extremely vast, despite the progress made since 1990 with regard to the reduction of the number of people who have not got enough food (almost an exception amongst the Millennium Development Goals that incidentally are drawing to a close). While for the agricultural and food industry the GFFA’s final declaration gave a curt response, stating that only a resilient agricultural and food system – diversified and sustainable – can in the end guarantee the right of human beings not only to an adequate nutrition level, but also to the ability of providing for themselves, the main focus was expressed when they stated that agriculture was not only “food & feed”, as it was never the case during all those centuries when mankind’s entire material culture was based on bioresources. Indeed, the development of the bioeconomy is singled out as a necessary goal to replace

nonrenewable resources whose extraction and use are increasingly unsustainable and instrumental in expanding rural areas’ wellbeing and economy, in particular for the most vulnerable shares of the population. To achieve such goal, three main challenges need addressing: •• use of the opportunity deriving from the growth of the bioeconomy; •• guaranteed sustainability and production as well as the use of renewable raw materials; •• guaranteed supremacy of food. The horizon is that of a sustainable bioeconomy (a term that has gained a broader meaning than the very definition of agricultural activity), characterized by a number of diversified value chains able to play an essential role in determining mankind’s wellbeing by guaranteeing adequate food availability, contributing to the mitigation and adaptation processes against climate change and managing natural resources in a sustainable way. In plain English, it is about a vision that reinstates agriculture (but it should be borne in mind that the notion of bioeconomy also includes the renewable resources of the seas and oceans) as a crucial sector within the great global sectors, whose implementation

renewablematter 03. 2015

For further information on Charter of Milan please consult: tinyurl.com/ndergsl Bioökonomierat Study, Synopsis and Analysis of Strategies in the G7: tinyurl.com/nk7lx8v

must go through a convergence of objectives and strategies amongst economic, social and environmental sustainability. Of course, the issue is how to achieve it. In this regard, the recommendations contained in the document are a reminder that when it comes to agricultural resources there is a discourse that “eats up” all the others, namely that of starvation, of food scarcity and deprivation. This is partly a paradox because as things stand there is not an authoritative source supporting the fact that the current production capacity of the agriculture and food system is incapable of feeding the population of our planet and that the real problems may be called something else: poverty, accessibility and distribution, dumping, protectionism... Such tendency often leads to envelop the bioeconomy question in a number of precautions, mitigations and explanations. But the opportunities potentially offered by the development of an economy increasingly based on renewable resources clearly emerge. The value chains, made through the bioeconomy generate new jobs while consolidating existing employment, create added income and allow access to promising markets. This involves all economies, ranging from the most advanced to the emerging or the developing ones. In particular, it is worth noting how in countries with little fossil resources but endowed with vast forest or agricultural assets, the development of a biobased industry can represent an opportunity to increase the added value of the agricultural production. Promotion of integrated systems combining resource production for food and non-food sectors, so as to diversify income sources while strengthening resilience, development

of sustainable markets for bio-based products, enhance research particularly in the possible synergy or trade off effects between the production of renewable resources for food and non-food sectors, response to socioeconomic problems, including those of small owners and young farmers. All this through the adoption of solutions and strategies adapted to various local conditions. This is also another significant step that indirectly questions the land grabbing activity and more generally the dynamics of global markets of forest and agricultural products. Besides the local aspect characterizing the bioeconomy’s models, the other important pillar they stand on is their sustainability. This must be guaranteed through the dissemination of suitable production practices, aimed at a sustainable management of resources and greater protection against the risks of climate change, by transferring technologies and implementing voluntary standards and certifications, providing there is a consensus. And last but not least, by raising awareness of consumers with regard to bio-based sustainable products. A reminder of “food supremacy” is mentioned again at the end of the document, with a series of predictable recommendations reiterating the above-mentioned concepts, referring to what will be discussed at Expo 2015. How the Charter of Milan – the document which should be ratified by the participating countries at the end of the event, will pay attention to the prospects highlighted by the GFFA – remains to be seen. Meanwhile, another recent study conducted by Bioökonomierat in Berlin (the Bioeconomy Council of the German Federal Government)

©FAO

Policy G7 countries’ bioeconomy policies: main areas of funding

Great Britain •• Bioenergy •• Agri-science and-technology

Canada •• R&D on renewable resources and biobased materials •• Bioenergy

Germany •• R&D on food security •• Sustainable agriculture •• Healthy nutrition •• Industrial processes •• Bioenergy

Source: Elaboration of Bioökonomierat data, January 2015.

EU •• Research & Innovation (Horizon 2020) •• Public-Private-Partnerships

United States •• Life Sciences (Biomedicine) •• Agriculture (multiple areas)

France •• Bioenergy •• Green chemicals •• Clusters •• Circular economy

Is a specific bioeconomy policy in place?

Japan •• Research & innovation •• Circular economy •• Regional development

Italy •• Participation in EU programmes

Yes No

analyses the viability of the vision proposed in the GFFA’s final declaration, where the strategies for the bioeconomy in the G7 is analysed.

Its potential ranges from bulk chemicals to innovative materials such as polymers or bio-based fibers, applicable to products with a highly sustainable life cycle.

Besides confirming the consolidation of a vision where agriculture does not only entail food, feed or biofuel – where the idea of the cascade use of renewable resources has reached wide consensus – the situation is a mix of top-down and bottom-up strategies. It is not a homogeneous picture, not least because of the endowment of bioresources of the various nations. The US and Canada, two bioresources super powers adopt different strategies that – it is quite safe to say – stem from the political orientation of the two federal countries. While within the European Union there are significant differences (there are those who direct their efforts to innovation of their own industrial sector and those concentrating on network building, trying to coordinate their policies with other countries), countries with scarce raw materials such as Japan feel the need to devise a national strategy in this regard. In general, considering the bioeconomy no longer as a promising research sector, but rather as an important component of strategies for innovation and industrial development with substantial elements of growth and sustainability, has gained consensus. The identity of what the bioeconomy is now and will be in the future is therefore emerging: a key element of an economy looking more and more closely at a sustainable use of resources.

Moreover, the development of bio-based products acknowledges the growing demand for natural, healthy and sustainable products. By way of conclusion, the Bioökonomierat Study states that so far it has not been possible to ascertain if adopting a strong top-down coordinated effort is more productive than leaving the single industrial sectors to act on their initiative. Undoubtedly, the resources on which these new sectors base their development limit the technological advantage of the industrialized countries over emerging ones, richer in bio-based resources. Gaps are closing and a new global economic geography is being outlined. Countries rich in raw materials such as Malaysia, Brazil, China, India, South Africa and Russia can become suppliers of end products. Once again they state, “the bioeconomy is acting as a strategy for growth or for industrial regeneration.” And what about Italy? Italy is amongst those who rely totally on the ability of companies to renovate. There is significant resistance from those sectors who regard the development of an advanced bio-based economy as a kind of threat. But, of course, this aspect is omitted in the Bioökonomierat Study.

The identity of what the bioeconomy is now and will be in the future is therefore emerging: a key element of an economy looking more and more closely at a sustainable use of resources.

renewablematter 03. 2015

Focus EPR

EPR – A Building Block of the Circular Economy by Carlo Pesso

Carlo Pesso, Study Center Edizioni Ambiente.

Producers incorporate the costs of collection, sorting and recycling, and disposal into the price of their products. Thus, consumers end-up sharing the costs according to the quantity and quality of their consumption. Hence the term: extended producer responsibility (EPR).

It all started in August 1986 when Germany adopted the “Waste Avoidance and Waste Management Act”, Abfallgesetz, that gave the federal government the power to regulate the flow of packages and products so that they could undergo “environmentally friendly” reprocessing. At first, the government adopted a voluntary approach. By the time Klaus Töpfer, a member of Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s Christian Democrat’s party took office as German Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety on May 7, 1987, the voluntary approach proved to be a failure. In Germany, reaching such a conclusion is a serious business. When Töpfer stepped in – an economist by training – he was determined to apply the polluter pays principle, i.e. the principle that requires that the costs of pollution be borne by those who cause it. The principle would soon lead to the concept of shared or extended producer responsibility that has now spread right across the planet. He achieved this on June 12, 1991 when the German Packaging Ordinance went into effect. What exactly did he achieve? Economists define any activity whose effects do not entirely benefit or whose consequences do not entirely fall upon their promoter, as being “externalities”. Instead, they end-up affecting society and the environment at large. Some of these effects are positive: by driving an electric vehicle, you are diminishing urban pollution. Perhaps you are running on solar electricity, thus, you are also avoiding CO2 production. The benefits of your investment are reaped by society at large (positive externalities). However, when playing at the “spot the externality” game, negative externalities appear to be much more common than positive ones. Take packaging for instance: the visual polluting effects of discarded packaging are among the most blatant, and that is only the tip of the iceberg. Then there is the other half of the picture. The costs incurred for recovering discarded packaging generally fall upon the community

at territorial level. In the case of packaging, they fall upon local municipalities, which then relay them indistinctly to citizens. Consequently, it becomes very difficult to establish a straightforward link between the amounts of wastes produced, the costs incurred to recover them, and the citizens who pay the bill. There are no incentives to reduce the amounts of waste produced. This stays true until all the participants along the consumption chain (producers, distributors and consumers) take responsibility for what they are contributing to. This is where and when Klaus Töpfer achieved the first huge step towards the circular economy: on the basis of his ground-breaking legislation producers retain responsibility for their packages after consumers have discarded them. In practice, producers incorporate the costs of collection, sorting and recycling, and disposal into the price of their products. Thus, consumers end-up sharing the costs according to the quantity and quality of their consumption. Hence the term: extended producer responsibility (EPR). How this happens is described is some detail in Joachim Quodens’s article “EPR as an Economic and Environmental Instrument”. Today, close to 400 schemes operate across the world and about 70% of them initiated after 2001 when the OECD published a Guidance Manual for Governments on Extended Producer Responsibility. Progressively, extended producer responsibility schemes embraced a wider spectrum of products, including: electric and electronic wastes, lead-acid batteries, tires, used oil, paint, chemicals, large appliances, fluorescent light bulbs and pharmaceutical products. Similarly, the number and scope of the schemes widely vary among countries: for instance, France operates a unique scheme for packaging whilst the United Kingdom operates 29 different organisations. Although it is beyond our scope to go into detail, it is interesting to note that schemes may be voluntary or not, that responsibility for waste management may sometimes be organisational or financial, or both. Furthermore, schemes differ by distributing responsibility according to national organisational structures for waste recovery

©Shutterstock

Policy

and may even reflect specific territorial conditions (as in the case of smaller islands or seasonal tourist destinations). 25 years down the road, EPR schemes have proved to be highly successful in seeding the notion of circular economy and achieving impressive recycling rates while starting, in some cases, from scratch. This is particularly important when considering that the total volume of material resources exploited worldwide reached nearly 60 billion metric tonnes (Gt) in 2007 (see J. Clark, “Elemental Sustainability”, Renewable Matter, 2, 2015). Furthermore, they have contributed a number of direct benefits by reducing public spending in waste management by curbing overall waste management costs, triggering extensive innovation in recycling technology and supporting the integration environmental concerns in product design (design for the environment). Not to mention the fallout effects: new employment opportunities, material supply diversification, material innovation and, most importantly, the diffusion of a different “cultural” approach. The latter is particularly impressive: today the vast majority of consumers are aware that they are responsible for the waste they produce and, more importantly, that they can

take immediate and effective action to minimise waste and favour material recovery. Of course, such developments have also raised a number of questions that still need to be resolved. Most of these were identified at the recent OECD “Global Forum on Environment: Promoting Sustainable Materials Management through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)” held in Tokyo, Japan on 17-19 June 2014.1 The Paris-based organisation is now examining how to continue foster “Design for the environment” and how to deal with responsibility for waste packaging generated through internet based international trade, among other pending questions. This is why Renewable Matter magazine will continue to keep track of progress made on extended producer responsibility as a building block of the circular economy.

1. Issues Paper, The State of Play on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Opportunities and Challenges, “Global Forum on Environment: Promoting Sustainable Materials Management through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)”, 17-19 June 2014, Tokyo, Japan available at tinyurl.com/m7562pb

renewablematter 03. 2015

Focus EPR

EPR as an Economic and Environmental Instrument by Joachim Quoden

Joachim Quoden, Managing Director of EXPRA, works in various capacities since 22 years in the field of EPR for packaging.

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), EPR is “an environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle”.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) can be a strong policy principle in resource management if applied in the appropriate manner. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), EPR is “an environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle”. This means that companies issuing products on the market are obliged to collect, sort and recycle them, as well as their packaging, once they reached the end of their life cycle. Additionally, these companies should equally consider the product and packaging end-of-life treatment during the design phase. Over the years, EPR has been applied within the European Union and various countries to different waste streams, including packaging waste at municipal level. This has undoubtedly led to a better environmental performance of packaging given, for instance, increased waste recycling results. Shifting responsibility for packaging waste from taxpayers to producers, and ultimately to consumers, achieves the internalisation of waste management costs into the final price of the product. Within an EPR scheme, the responsibility of the producer can be tangible, financial and/or informational. The OECD considers the internalisation of external environmental costs as a fundamental aspect in environmental policy design and more specifically of EPR. In the EU, these principles have formally been included into the Waste Framework Directive. Although producers have an important responsibility under EPR, all the actors of the packaging chain from producer to recycler (namely material producers, packaging producers, fillers and importers, retailers, consumer, local authorities, waste management companies, recyclers and not to forget the legislator) have their allocated responsibility. EPR can be implemented in many different ways. In the European Union alone, 25 Member States have implemented their own respective EPR

packaging schemes. In some of these countries, the scheme has achieved great success particularly when clear legislation has been implemented, coupled with genuine cooperation between governments, local authorities, producers and waste management organisations alike. EPR has not shown the same results where there is a lack of explicit allocation of the responsibilities and obligations of all the actors involved. Relevance of a Strong Legal Framework One of the major tasks of legislators in the waste management realm is therefore to clearly define and allocate roles and responsibilities. The various actors involved in the system have diverging interests, but work closely together to ensure a well-functioning EPR system. Notably, legislators need to verify that the roles of the different actors do not overlap nor generate conflicts of interest. Another key issue is the allocation of adequate resources to effectively fulfil the objectives laid down for an EPR scheme. The legal framework should thus define the public service mission of an EPR organisation, and foresee regular third-party auditing as well as reviews of the EPR organisation by the competent authorities. Data transparency with regard to the volumes reported by the EPR organisation is crucial. The national legislator should moreover set out clear and strict criteria for the accreditation/license of the EPR organisation. A comprehensive legal framework needs to be accompanied by a strong enforcement policy. In their auditing role, public authorities should ensure a qualitative implementation of EPR, i.e. by using meaningful enforcement procedures to close loopholes and track free-riders. The legislator should also create mechanisms to enforce EPR, and enhance fair competition among the obliged companies. This could be achieved, for instance, through the nomination of an authority responsible for monitoring and enforcement. Moreover, depending on the national frameworks, other accompanying economic

Policy instruments, such as Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) systems on residual household waste, can work as an incentive for the inhabitants to improve their sorting habits. On the other hand, regulations or measures, such as packaging taxes and deposit schemes, are counter-productive as these impede the execution of the EPR. Operational Aspects of an EPR Scheme Companies which have been made responsible under EPR legislation have to ensure that products and their packaging are appropriately dealt with once they become waste. Hence, they should set up EPR compliance schemes to finance, organise and coordinate the collection, sorting and recycling of packaging waste. In order to shift their individual responsibility into a collective one, they should give a mandate to an industry-owned EPR organisation responsible for the take-back obligations of the obliged companies. This mandate should be issued by the competent authorities in the form of an accreditation/license. This is the best guarantee to ensure the lowest cost to society and the obliged companies, as well as the highest sustainable, environmental and legal compliance. Indeed, by financing

the EPR compliance scheme and actively being involved in the EPR organisation itself, the obliged companies can coordinate and control the operational expenses for the recovery of packaging, thus ensuring that expenses are kept to the required minimum. Moreover, the obliged companies can agree to dedicate funding to necessary long term projects such as educational campaigns. EPR systems need to ensure that the consumer interests are served and that greater objectives such as education and communication are pursued. This is especially important in the case of household packaging. Furthermore, funding can be devoted to increase the long-term performance of the EPR compliance scheme. Pre-conditions for a Successful EPR Scheme A close partnership between municipalities/local authorities and the industry-owned EPR organisation, based on mutual trust, is a condition sine qua non for the success as well as the economic and environmental sustainability of the EPR compliance scheme. Municipalities/local authorities have key roles to play, some of which are based

renewablematter 03. 2015 on the product/waste flow itself. For example, when the flow concerns household packaging for high-volume or fast moving consumer goods, municipalities play an important role in the set-up and management of door-to-door collections and/or collection point centres. In this respect, municipalities/local authorities and the EPR organisation have to agree on the most appropriate collection system, taking into account local particularities and complying with both national and European requirements.

One of the major tasks of legislators in the waste management realm is therefore to clearly define and allocate roles and responsibilities.

The municipalities/local authorities and the EPR organisation should also actively co-operate in local public communication and awareness programmes, data gathering and monitoring, the control of the waste management operators, and the tendering for collection services. Waste management and recycling companies are the operational heart of each waste management system. They do the work and deliver the results. Their efficiency and innovation will positively impact the economic and environmental performance of the EPR system. In this respect,

to enable optimal performance, it is crucial to provide them with sustainable funding and appropriate incentives. It must however be said that, when running an EPR system within an open market approach, waste operators and investors might have the natural inclination to maximise profit and grow market share. That is, to strive for the highest price per tonne of collected, sorted and recycled material. By doing so, they might develop an interest in increasing the amount of packaging put on the market. This would be entirely contrary to the legal objectives of the waste hierarchy, and certainly conflict with the public interest. Therefore, waste operators should not interfere in the coordination of the EPR organisation, and the latter should not act as a collector, nor sorter nor recycler itself. Each actor has a distinct role to play in order to fully respect competition and antitrust laws. Financial Responsibility of an EPR Scheme An industry-owned EPR compliance scheme should operate on a non-profit basis. This legal status ensures compliance with competition legislation especially since several companies from both within the same business but also outside the sector work together. Compliance schemes collect the necessary financial contribution from their members to finance the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste included in their system. This funding usually represents a substantial part of the cost calculation for a packaged product of an obliged company and therefore affects its competitive position relative to other obliged companies. Therefore, the calculation and the collection of these fees has to be fair and transparent. Moreover, in line with the objectives of EPR, the fees have to take into account the environmental effects of a particular packaging. The fees that members of the compliance scheme, namely obliged industries, have to pay, should be differentiated according to the costs of the specific packaging materials within the system. This fee structure reflects the “true costs” principle, which means that it is based on the costs pertaining to a specific packaging given its collection, sorting and recovery. The recognition of EPR procedures will ensure a lack of discrimination between domestic companies and importers while also guaranteeing that major companies and SMEs are on an equal footing. One among the several objectives of EPR is to shift responsibility for disgarded packaging materials from taxpayers to producers and, finally,

Policy to the consumer of packaged goods. Therefore, obliged industry, and their compliance schemes are given the task to organise (usually in close cooperation with municipalities) the separate collection of packaging waste to achieve a set of recycling and recovery targets. Clearly, the costs that any obliged industry has to bear on one end, have to be fixed in line with the costs that municipalities and taxpayers have to pay on the other end. Within this process, the basic principle according to which “each stakeholder can only be responsible for costs which he can influence” has to be followed. Obliged industries should cover the packaging collection and treatment costs within the dedicated collection system which aims to fulfil objectives set by their goverment. Usually these costs should be determined based on call for tender procedures reflecting the optimum needs for the respective district to fulfil the objectives set by the government. If municipalities decide to organise in-house collection (and sorting), the cost coverage should be based on nationally agreed reference costs for an optimal system. Furthermore, any revenues from selling the collected and sorted packaging waste should be taken into account when and if the selling is not done by the compliance scheme. Obliged industry can also cover communication costs borne by the inhabitants that are necessary to fulfil the objectives set by the government. This should be done while taking into account the municipalities’ responsibility to inform their inhabitants about how to treat and sort their municipal waste. However, litter prevention initiatives and clean-up activities do not fall under the (cost coverage) responsibility of obliged industry; the (mis-) behaviour of litter is an act by certain inhabitants, and has to be avoided by educational campaigns on the one hand and enforcement acts on the other. As for packaging wastes arising within municipalities, the compliance schemes – usually in close cooperation with municipalities – have to establish and maintain the necessary infrastructure for the collection and sorting of packaging waste. A reasonable level of household waste collection cannot be achieved when consumers/citizens do not have easy access to infrastructure enabling them to sort waste on a daily basis. All EXPRA members, who focus on separate household waste collection as a principal contributor of packaging waste recovery, experience this. Moreover, they have to ensure that the collected packaging waste will be treated in the right way, even and especially in times where the sorted packaging waste has a negative

EXPRA: Extended producer responsibility alliance Founded in 2013, is the alliance for packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems which are owned by obliged industry and work on a not-for-profit basis. EXPRA acts as the authoritative voice and common policy platform representing the interests of all its member packaging recovery and recycling organisations founded and run by or on behalf of obliged industry. For additional information, please visit www.expra.eu.

value such that recyclers have to be paid to recycle the packaging waste. This leads to the conclusion that compliance schemes have to have a solid financial basis. Governments have to therefore establish a strict authorisation process for compliance schemes ensuring that only reliable organisations with secure finances receive the license to operate as compliance schemes. The stability of the system in the event of a scheme ceasing to operate, for whatever reason, can be ensured by fixing a minimum financial guarantee so as to enable continued operations for at least 6 months. Transparency of the compliance scheme ownership avoids unknown conflicts of interest. As such, the compliance scheme should be asked to establish a “Chinese wall” between compliance business and waste management business. Transparency over the kind of packaging contracted by the compliance scheme, and the kind of packaging that will be collected by said scheme has to be ensured. Yearly reports by the compliance scheme need to explain how the objectives set by the respective governments have been fulfilled which should in turn be audited by an independent, competent third party. Finally, sanctions should be applied in the case of non-fulfilment of the conditions, ranging from fines to the withdrawal of the license. Implementing EPR is a very complex process. Nevertheless, it delivers excellent results to the complex design and treatment of (used) products like packaging when used in the right way, which justify all the efforts that have to be spent when applying this principle.

The principle according to which “all parties concerned must be responsible only of the costs that they can influence” must be applied.

The implementation of an EPR system is a complex process, but if used correctly, it can deliver excellent results.

renewablematter 03. 2015

ITALY: Compost is Catching up by Marco Gisotti

The increase in the wet fraction of recycling has been exemplary: a 10% annual increase in 10 years. However, very few treatment plants have been built. This risks being the story of a missed opportunity Marco Gisotti is a journalist and adviser. He heads Green Factor, an environmental communication and studies agency.

Collection of the organic fraction continues to grow in Italy. This gives us a profile of excellence compared to the rest of Europe, and in some cases such as Milan, even compared to the rest of the world. However, more could be done. Much waste is still not transformed into compost or biogas: the circle that the principles and the related advantages of a circular economy require is not completed. Why? This is due to political delays but also to obstacles put in place by committees who do not want yet another plant on their territory. Now that the European Union seems to have found the right path – after the faux pas of the Junker Commission in recent months – and Italy has provided a new incentive to the market of organic waste through the “Sblocca Italia”, change is looking more likely. In order to understand the the bigger picture, we need to go back to the numbers of this incredible growth of organic collection in Italy. In the last decade, the average annual increase has been of about 10%: today, organic waste is the main component of all urban waste collected in Italy. According to the most recent data by CIC, the Italian Composting and Biogas Association, in 2013 it reached 42% of the total, compared to 37% in the previous year. In practice, these percentages amount to 5.2 million tons of organic waste (wet and green) out of a total of 12.5 million tons of differentiated urban waste (of this, 3 million tons are made up of paper and 1.6 of glass). This is an important result not only in quantitative terms but also as a model to export. “If we look at the European data on ‘biowaste’ – explains Massimo Centemero, Director of CIC – we are in third or fourth place. However, this is a distorted picture, as it is necessary to disaggregate the different flows

Policy

Composting plants operating in Italy in 2013 Total in the North 21 58

950,708

82,555 17

338,996

742,490

2 13,150

534,078

29,925

321,673

Total in Italy

453,550

147,500

CIC quality brand plants

742,490

Authorized plants’ capacity (in tons per year)

697,542

Total in the South

87,000

7 1 17

Total operating plants

148,650

1 14,400

Total in the Centre

1,508,740

146

662,913

Source: CIC elaboration of ISPRA and CIC data.

342,025

240

5 1

130,500 52

7 1

14 1,481,550

277,150

of green and wet. In Germany, for example, the collection is done door-to-door and considers the two fractions as one. The German wet fraction is indeed very little, while in Italy we have separated the flows, one is for the green and one for the wet fraction.” “Another example? Let’s analyze the dry fraction” Centemero continues. “In the Italian dry fraction we have an organic residue inferior to 15%, in Germany this percentage is 30%. Italian per capita collection reaches 80 to 100 kilograms a year in this section, much higher than the German one.” The national average data for per capita organic waste is 86 kilograms, with highs of 108 kilograms in the North, and levels of 77 in the Centre and 62 in the South. However, the general picture in the South is not at all negative: if we consider only the population effectively served by recycling systems, the average values of recovered organic waste amount to 110-130 kilograms per person. Does this mean then that all Italians are virtuous? There are certainly differences but they relate more to the plants than to the citizens’ response. Let’s analyze the trend of the composting plants: “Growth in organic waste recycling is closely linked to the development of recovery plants” states the latest CIC report presented last November. “In the space of 20 years (the first organic waste collection systems date back to 1993) an industrial system dedicated to the transformation of organic waste has been developed and consolidated. In 2013, this system comprises of 240 composting plants,

14 370,300

6,345,105

130 of them being industrially significant. The number of anaerobic digestion plants also continues to increase. In the three-year period 2011/2013 it grew by 60% with a total of 43 operational plants.” “Today we have about 4.6 million tons of treated wet fraction but we could easily get to six or seven million in a short time. If the institutions really applied sanctions we could reach this objective in one year. We need more plants, especially in the South, but not only there. All regions have new plants in the pipeline, but how many are still on paper?” In numerical terms, we read in the report that analyzes the ISPRA data, 61% of plants are located in the regions of Northern Italy, which started recycling the organic fraction of urban waste long ago, while the remaining plants are equally distributed in the Centre (18%) and the South (21%). The operational capacity is distributed as follows: 23% of authorized amounts of waste are in the South, 24% in the Centre and the remaining 53% in the North. The model envisaged by Centemero and CIC is a mixed partnership where the publicly owned plants are then managed by a private company. “There are cities like Rome – states the Director of CIC – where at least two plants with a capacity of 100-150,000 tons have been needed for a long time, but nothing is happening.” Obviously something went wrong. But what? “In Italy we have had proper technologies and examples of excellence for over 20 years. We only need

In the last decade, the average annual increase has been of about 10%: today, organic waste is the main component of all urban waste collected in our country.

“Today we have about 4.6 million tons of treated wet fraction but we could easily get to six or seven million in a short time. If the institutions really applied sanctions we could reach this objective in one year”.

renewablematter 03. 2015

ETRA biotreatment plant in Camposampiero, Padua

to look at them and use them as models. Politics is certainly a problem, as well as the many appeals by local committees.” To have an idea of what Italy is losing by waiting for a more efficient policy, let’s analyze the data gathered by the Observatory Costs of Not Doing, a body integrated by Trenitalia, ACEA, ENEL, Gruppo Hera, Assolombarda, FederUtility and Terna. According to the observatory, if composting infrastructures are not built, this would cost collectively about 3.3 billion euros for the period 2009-2014. Article 35 of the “Sblocca Italia” could be an important turning point. While the first clause relates to incinerators – a very divisive issue – the second clause specifically deals with the organic fraction of urban waste, following the direction that CIC was wishing for. But what is happening at the European level? Will Italy be able to demonstrate that its

model is a winner, especially after the Juncker Commission put a halt on the package in favour of a circular economy? This is a valid question because – after provisions were presented to restructure the whole waste sector so as to drastically reduce landfills, bring the amount of recycling/reuse to 70% and cut by a third the production of food waste in the next ten years – the Commission has practically stopped all the work that had been done. The package also included 100,000 jobs which Europe desperately needed. This drastic and unpredicted change of direction by the Juncker Commission has come as a wet blanket, generating mobilization by the organizations active on environmental issues, including the ECN – the European Compost Network – of which CIC is a member. “Since then the situation has improved”, explains Centemero. “Junker’s stoppage turned

Closing the circle: vehicles fuelled with biomethane derived from “wet fraction”

Technology and necessity have made recovering biogas from organic waste possible and opportune. If wet fraction collection was widespread over the whole territory, explains the CIC report, we could obtain about 8-9 million tons of kitchen waste. If these residues were then transformed into biogas we would be able to obtain over 450 million cubic metres. In addition to the future possibility

of accessing incentives, today, if all the wet fraction of recycling were to be transformed into biomethane through anaerobic digestion plants, we could fuel 80% of the vehicles used for waste collection. In those parts of Italy where organic collection is or could be particularly high, such as Campania and Sardinia, we could even fuel 100% of the vehicles.

Policy Milan: ranking first worldwide

The case of Milan has even surprised the Director General of the DG Environment of the EU Commission. In Milan, between 2012 and 2013, separate collection of the organic fraction has been extended to all the city’s households. Since June 2013, 1.3 million people regularly separate kitchen waste. As a consequence, Milan has achieved the world record as the city with the highest number of residents served by wet fraction collection, even surpassing San Francisco with its 830,000 inhabitants. In Milan, the collection system gathers about 90 chilograms of annual per capita collected waste, managing to recover almost 120,000 tons a year. According to CIC analyses, the average quality of the organic fraction is roughly 4-5% impure.

out to be purely strategic, probably dictated by the fact that those were very complex and binding regulations, therefore difficult to become effective in many countries. We were reassured that the Commission wants to proceed towards the circular economy, however it is necessary to give the member States time to adjust”.

Last March the Commissioner for the Environment Karmenu Vella publicly declared that “the Commission has decided to reflect carefully on how to reach the objective of a circular economy in the most efficient way and in total compatibility with the political agenda on employment and growth. A constant improvement in waste management remains a priority to be achieved through policies of incentives and support to waste reduction, separation and high quality collection. We will maintain recycling policies according to the EU objectives”. As further evidence that the Commission is really committed to these objectives, at the beginning of February it wrote to the European Compost Network: “The Commission – the letter states – is fully aware of the importance of the environmental and economic challenges linked to the circular economy and will deal with this matter in the most ambitious and efficient way”. The letter was signed by Karl Falkenberg, Director General of the DG Environment of the EU Commission, the same Karl Falkenberg who recently admitted how amazed he was with what had been achieved in Italy and Milan in particular, which in 2013 even surpassed San Francisco in terms of collection of the organic fraction. This is another proof that the Italian model is a winner and therefore, should be exported.

The national average data for per capita organic waste is 86 kilograms, with highs of 108 kilograms in the North, and levels of 77 in the Centre and 62 in the South.

Per capita organic waste (wet and green) collection by region in 2013 Wet 100

Source: CIC elaboration of ISPRA data.

Green

60 40 20

North West

North East

Centre

South

Islands

Italy

Sardinia

Sicily

Calabria

Basilicata

Apulia

Campania

Molise

Abruzzi

Latium

Umbria

Marches

Tuscany

Emilia Romagna

Veneto

Friuli Venezia Giulia

Trentino-Alto Adige

Lombardy

Liguria

Piedmont

0 Aosta Valley

kg pro capita / y

renewablematter 03. 2015

Biofuels: The Aviation Industry TAKES OFF

KLM Group

by Emanuele Bompan from Detroit

The aviation industry is over the moon because it is really looking forward to cutting emissions and going green. However, to avoid competing with food crops, stricter regulations are needed. Thanks to jathopha oil, used cooking oil, algae and agricultural waste and residues it is possible to cut CO2 emissions by 35 million tons. Emanuele Bompan, journalist and urban geographer, has dealt with environmental journalism since 2008.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in 2014 air transport produced 715 million tons of CO2 (689 in 2012), about 2% of climate-change gases. Not a negligible share. Therefore, faced with increasing pressure to reduce emissions, airlines are battening down the hatches. So much so, that IATA has set the objective of zero emission increase by 2020 and a reduction of 50% (compared to 2005 emissions) by 2050. Although changes in routes and take-off and landing procedures can help cutting fuel consumption,

as well as more efficient engines, the main reduction should come from using less polluting fuels. Especially biofuels, in particular next generation ones. Examples are plentiful. As early as 2008, Virgin used biofuel (20% blend) derived from coconut and babassu oils to power a Boeing 747 from London to Amsterdam. Today, many airlines use biofuels obtained from algae, used cooking oil, jatropha and camelina oils. According to IATA, by 2020, 4% of fuels will be second-generation biofuels obtained from agricultural waste and residues and other non-food crops. Sustainable Aviation Fuels – Fuelling the Future, a study carried out by E4Tech, reveals that, by 2030, it should be possible to produce more than 13 million tons of sustainable aviation fuels, a cut equivalent to 35 million tons of CO2 not released in the atmosphere. We hope to achieve 18% reduction. Will this truly be the case? According to biofuels-business supporters, the aviation industry has only just started exploring this market. Jessica Kowal, head of aerospace colossus Boeing’s sustainability programme,

Case Histories Material from which biofuels can be obtained: 1. Coconut 2. Silviculture waste 3. Cooking oil 4. Algae 5. Tobacco 4 5

explains, “Our sector must face two important issues”. “So far, the supply has not been able to meet the aviation industry demand and costs are still too high, we must level them with those of kerosene.” At present, the price of biofuels is about US$ 1 per litre. According to interviewees, there is not enough financial support (incentives, ad hoc R&D funding), crucial for the development of this sector. “There are not substantial steps forward. It is always the same issue: the chicken or the egg”, Saija Stenbacka declares, Finnair’s VP Quality, Safety and Environmental Management, Finland’s national carrier and the first airline to have tested biofuel-powered flying from Helsinki to New York during the UN Climate Summit in September 2014. “We need infrastructure enabling us to create a sustainable biofuel industry. But without investments there is no infrastructure.” And at the same time, without concrete and tested infrastructure, few companies want to venture into substantial investments. “There are too many risks involved”, Stenbacka continues. “It is not easy to convince investors.” According to Boeing, “An ‘all of the above’ strategy is needed” Kowal adds, “able to develop different types of fuels form a vast range of sources. We believe that green diesel is a short-term interesting alternative and this is why we are trying to get its approval for use in commercial aviation industry.” A fuel that mainly exploits not only harmful palm oil but also animal fats, spent oils, oils obtained from algae and various types of organic waste. In Italy, ENI has converted an old oil refinery into the first green refinery for this very purpose, producing green diesel. But at the moment, using palm oil does not represent a very eco-friendly solution and this is the reason why airlines are more interested in next generation biofuels. Meanwhile, in Europe, to promote the sustainable development of this sector, on 24th February, the Committee on the Environment voted against the production of biofuels “harmful for food crops or other important resources such as water”. If this directive were definitively approved,

it would modify the controversial Fuel Quality Directive, reducing to less than 6% the mix of biofuels in the transport sector. Conversely, according to the players in this sector, there is a need for regulations that promote investments. “The technology is more than ready and keeps advancing very rapidly”, Antonio De Palmas, Chairman of Boeing Italy, explains. “What we need is a government commitment so that the existing policies and regulations, especially in Europe, are rewritten to promote the only source of renewable energy available to the aviation industry.” Although this is still a fledgling sector, there are quite a few companies investing in R&D. Here are some examples. South African Airways (SAA) announced a partnership for large-scale production of a high-energy content type of tobacco for biofuel. Together with Boeing, SAA and its biochemistry partners, SkyNRG and Sunchem SA, started the Project Solaris, experimenting on 123 hectares in the Limpopo Province. American Southwest Airlines signed an agreement with Red Rock Biofuels to use biofuel obtained from silviculture waste, thus “significantly reducing large-scale fires in the Western United States”. The agreement requires the delivery of 10 million litres of fuel by 2016. Brazil seems interested in leading the way. At the Brazilian Joint Research Center São José dos Campos Technology Park, two giants of the aviation industry, Boeing and Embraer, are coordinating their all-around research on feedstock production, economic analysis of technological innovation, economic viability studies and processing technology innovation. It is difficult not to notice the links with powerful South American agribusinesses. According to a think-tank such as Transport & Environment (see box), the sector sees advanced biofuels as a panacea for its emissions. A new war for biomasses is lurking.

By 2030, it should be possible to produce more than 13 million tons of sustainable aviation fuels, a cut equivalent to 35 million tons of CO2 not released in the atmosphere.

renewablematter 03. 2015 Interview

“Biofuel Pitfalls”

Inteview with Piero Caloprisco, head of biofuels for Transport & Environment

Since its creation, Transport & Environment has been interested in pollution and sustainability in the transport sector. It is an important link in the network of associations and monitors biofuel use. Let us take stock of the situation with policy analyst Pietro Caloprisco.

©T&E

What has been happening with biofuels in the aviation sector in Europe? So far it has been a matter of single airlines collaborating with some producers and testing innovative biofuels. It is still a product mixed with conventional fuels though. Currently it only reaches 50% purity.

For in-depth information on the Cresentino Plant in Vercelli, please visit tinyurl.com/mx8vzal

What is the weight of biofuels in the total aviation industry fuel consumption? Since 2011, there have been about 1,500 biofuelpowered flights: a negligible number considering that globally every day there are 100,000 flights. Lots of words and not enough deeds: in some cases it is tantamount to green washing, in other cases, airlines, such as British Airways, are making investments that could have interesting effects. However, if the sector wants to achieve its voluntary target (50% of its emissions by 2050) aviation biofuels must become much more widespread in the sector (figure 1). Can they reduce emissions also by improving engine efficiency and by changing routes? But according to the aviation industry, biofuel will play the most important role. And this where we start

Figure 1 | Emissions reduction map No action

CO2 Emissions

Technologies Interventions Infrastructure Biofuels + other technologies

-50% by 2050 Schematic

2005

2010

2020

2030

2040

to worry because first generation biofuels available on the market have a sustainability problem. The aviation industry affirms that it would like to give a wide berth to biofuels that compete with food crops. In reality though, we must see whether it will keep its promises: excluding first generation biofuel, the only type currently available at least in Europe, means relying exclusively on advanced biofuels. But some companies are moving in this direction. For example in Italy, Biochemtex was the first company in the world to produce biofuel from agricultural residues. Can politics help? Yes, by unlocking investments. In that case, we will start to see more plants producing advanced biofuels from agricultural residues, waste or wood residues. Nevertheless, it will take many years to create a sector big enough to produce quantities that can make a difference. I think it is a little bit premature to envisage scenarios based on biofuels. What target could be achieved? Taking into consideration the advanced biofuel potential, we have discovered that in Europe we could at best meet 13% of land transportation energy needs. It is not that bad, is it? It would not be that bad, but the study assumes that all the biomass that we produce from agricultural and silviculture residues and waste is completely used to produce biofuel for land transportation. Therefore, it does not take into consideration that other sectors might be interested in such biomass. This could cause possible competition amongst industries aiming at decarbonisation. Well, could 13% be a realistic target? In aviation, managing to achieve 5% of biofuel use will already be a great result. It is difficult to give an exact estimate. So, is this a false start? Our scenario is only based on Europe. Globally there are other areas with great potentials. However, the environmental impact could be high, especially in South America and in Indonesia.

2050

Business as usual emissions

Known technology, operations and infrastructure

Gross emissions trajectory

Biofuels and additional technology

Carbon-neutral growth 2020

Economic measures

Info www.transportenvironment.org

Case Histories Producing biofuels from palm oil. Exactly, with consequent deforestation. This is not an invitation to be skeptical but to be careful because it is difficult to stop emissions. At global level, the sector has a growth of 4.5% per year and, in theory, this should lead to a 250% rise in emissions by 2050. A final consideration: Costs. Prices are exaggerated. Biofuel is 2 or 4 times more expensive than normal kerosene (we are talking about first generation biofuel, the least expensive). Who will foot the bill? Do they want more subsidies for using biofuels? A way of securing investments could be having a very high carbon pricing for the aviation industry. But advanced fuels are the most expensive: we fear that it could resort to traditional biofuels, produced who knows where and without any regulation.

Interview

KLM: “We fly with cooking oil” Interview with Ignaas Caryn, Head of KLM Biofuel Programme

Klm-AirFrance has been one of the first European airlines to use biofuels for its aircrafts. Renewable Matter met Ignaas Caryn, Head of its biofuel programme.

For further information, please watch these videos: “How cooking oil could power your plane”, tinyurl.com/leyz74d and “Biofuel because...” tinyurl.com/qecrkro

Info www.klm.com

You are a leader in this sector, what biofuels do you use? KLM employs a type of fuel refined from used cooking oil. This is a sustainable alternative to guarantee a substantial reduction of Co2 emissions without using extra agricultural land. KLM uses only second-generation feedstock in order not to jeopardize biodiversity or food availability. This is an essential prerequisite for our airline. To make sure that we buy sustainable biofuels we follow the advice of SkyNRG (our provider) Sustainability Board advice that includes WWF Netherlands, Utrecht University Copernicus Institute and the Solidaridad Association. We make sure that the process is certified by Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), an organization that guarantees the highest standards in working conditions and environmental protection in the biofuel production chain. What emission reduction will you achieve thanks to biofuels by 2020? Our target is to reduce our total emissions by 20% by 2020 thanks also to low-fuel consumption engines and lighter and more efficient aeroplanes, such as the new B787, joining our fleet in October this year. Companies producing biofuels for the aviation industry are on the increase. Where do you get yours and what problems do you encounter with supplies? Our supplier is SkyNRG (skynrg.com), a Dutch

company created by KLM in collaboration with the oil company Argos (North Sea Petroleum) and Spring Associates. SkyNRG is currently the global leader in the production of sustainable kerosene. It supplies more than 15 airlines all over the world. Logistics is the main problem: supplies are limited and must be carried and pumped into tanks separately from kerosene. On which routes do you use biofuels? We started with a single route, Amsterdam-Paris. In June 2012, we powered the longest route for a flight powered with biofuels, Amsterdam-Rio de Janeiro. From March 2013, we have had weekly flights: every Thursday from Amsterdam Schiphol to NYC John F. Kennedy Airport with a Boeing 777-200. In May 2014, we added some flights to Aruba and Bonaire operated by Airbus 330-200. Do passengers know that their flight is powered by biofuels? Yes, the captain tells them. We also have articles on our on-board magazine and signboards at boarding gates. What role can the International Air Transport Association (IATA) play? We fear that in the aviation industry there is not enough determination to reduce emissions through global and regional measures. Moreover, to achieve the target there must be a balancing mechanism in place, so that there is not competition damaging those trying to reduce emissions.

renewablematter 03. 2015

Sardinia: An Alliance between Farmers and Green Chemistry Is Born An agreement between Coldiretti (Italy’s National Farmers Federation) and Novamont has been signed. Abandoned marginal lands will be recovered for the production of thistle. Seeds and biomass of this low-impact crop will feed the first locally-integrated biorefinery, thus boosting employment. The project has already started by Antonio Cianciullo

“The spread of technologies respectful of local communities and the environment is the way forward that will guarantee a sustainable development able to get us out of this crisis.”

It is a deal between agriculture and chemistry, local and global markets, environmental and production interests. An agreement, not a compromise, because the challenge of Matrìca, the joint venture between Versalis (ENI group) and Novamont (a bioplastics market leader) reverses the perspective of most post-war industrialization (more jobs, less environmental and landscape protection) by fostering an opposing line of reasoning:

identifying a supply chain that takes into consideration the ecosystem, a rationale where – like in nature – each party benefits from interaction. In economic terms, this is called a win-win approach.

Case Histories Silybum marianum, Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé, Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885, Gera, Germany

In Porto Torres, this idea has turned into the establishment of the first biorefinery fully integrated into the local community through the involvement of farmers, universities and research centres: an alliance that is contributing to strengthen local competitive and innovative abilities, while maximizing its growth potential on various fronts, with benefits for the primary (agriculture and farming), secondary (agricultural machinery, supply, downstream processing) and tertiary (collaboration with local universities and research centres) sectors. The Metrìca project involves the use of plant-based resources as raw materials for the biorefinery, including thistle, a hardy low-input plant growing also in marginal and not irrigated lands. It is a low-impact crop, not removing water resources or fertile lands that could be used for agriculture. Moreover, it is very versatile: a source of protein for animal feed and, thanks to the biorefinery, it produces oil, cellulose and lignin.

Matrìca looks to the future and to the ability of the new Italian chemistry to penetrate global markets with high added-value products, while still dealing with the past, with a view to reconverting and land regeneration.

The cooperation has been reinforced by the agreement amongst Coldiretti (National Farmers Federation), Consorzi agrari d’Italia (Italian agricultural consortia) and Novamont, which was beneficial for all those involved in the supply chain. Producers are guaranteed a fixed price of the thistle seeds and biomass for the first three years (with price adjustment mechanisms starting from the fourth year onwards). This model enables both farmers a long-term planning of their investment and Matrìca to offer chemical intermediates at fixed prices in the long term, so that they are not bound to those price fluctuations that have been so peculiar to the petrochemical-related industries over the last 40 years. In addition, there is a commitment to achieving goals benefitting the whole local environment: recovery of abandoned lands, development of new agro-industrial supply chains able to guarantee incomes in marginal areas as well, protection of biodiversity and landscape, optimization of product quality and use of renewable raw materials with a low impact on the environment. “Such collaboration offers a new income opportunity for farmers working more difficult lands with the introduction of a crop to reduce reliance from abroad of plant protein for animal

renewablematter 03. 2015 use, while obtaining innovative products with a low impact on the environment, confirming the great creative potential of Italy”, commented Roberto Moncalvo, chairman of Coldiretti. “The spread of environmentally-friendly technologies is the way forward that will guarantee sustainable development able to get us out of this crisis.” As pointed out above, the new supply chain is based on a plant growing in arid lands, not suitable for traditional crops. The artichoke thistle (Cynara cardunculus L. var. Altilis) is used for its seeds, producing an oil similar to sunflower, and its biomass for cellulose and hemicellulose. From its oil extraction, a high protein flour is obtained, a good replacement to feed milk-producing animals. The transformation generates plant residue which can feed the whole industrial process, thus making it selfsufficient. This is not something to hand over to the future. Three plants are already operational. The first transforms vegetable oils into chemical biomonomers and biointermediates (such as azelaic and pelargonic acids). The second produces extensor oils for the tyre market and plasticizer oils as possible replacements for phthalates. The third is devoted to Italy’s challenge is to get out of the current economic crisis using its many virtuous cases of circular economy already at hand, promoting a new production and consumption model marked by resource efficiency, ecosystem resilience and human wellbeing.

the production of specialties for various renewable applications. The total investment also envisaged a Research Centre (started in 2012) with test lab and 7 pilot plants over a surface of 3,500 square meters. The first effects of this initiative are already measurable. For example, Matrilox trademark has already made its way on the market, identifying a new family of bioproducts for various market segments: bioplastics, biolubricants, home and personal care products, phitosanitary products and additives for the rubber and plastic industry. The trademark offers a series of guarantees: it is derived from plants (“renewable feedstocks not competing with food crops, they are compatible with the local environment and are grown on marginal lands without impacting on the food chain nor depleting other resources”); European integrated

From Lubricants to Cosmetics: Thistle’s Thousand Uses Azelaic Acid It looks like a white crystalline solid and it is used in polymerisation processes, in the production of lubricants and in medicated cosmetics (i.e.: for the treatment of acne). It is one of the basic ingredients of bioplastics. Pelargonic Acid Used in the cosmetic industry, in the production of biolubricants, in food whitening and flavouring. It is also a total-spectrum natural herbicide and as such it is used in phytosanitary products. Glycerine This odourless and colourless liquid is characterized by a high degree of purity. It is used in cosmetics (i.e.: in soaps, essential oils and creams), in the pharmaceutical sector and in the production of antifreeze fluids. C5-C9 Acid Mix It can be used in the synthesis of esters, enabling to obtain bases for extremely high-performance lubricants, fundamental for the aviation industry. Saturated Fat Acid Mix A wax-like mix, solid at room temperature. It can be used in the production of detergents, cosmetic products, candles, and as a rubber vulcanization accelerator.

Biorefinery, Porto Torres

Case Histories

supply chain (a local systemic and circular model, easily transferrable to other EU member states); sustainable production processes (it does not use ozone for the oxidative breakdown of vegetable oil and the production follows a safe process with low environmental impact). Matrìca looks to the future and the ability of the new Italian chemical sector to penetrate global markets with high added-value products, while dealing with the past, with a view to land reconverting and regeneration: “A case of capitalism incorporating the environmental limit in its accumulation process, making it the driving force of a new cycle” as Aldo Bonomi wrote in his recent book. A cycle based on a multiplicity of uses. Biofuels for agriculture, for the automotive and the naval-aviation industries as well as for the production of industrial hydraulic and special fluids. They can be created “ad hoc” and, being biodegradable, they can be used in situations where micro-spillages can occur in delicate natural environments. Polymer plasticizers are a non-toxic and eco-sustainable alternative to traditional plasticizers, phthalates, which have been the object of many research studies for their environmental and health impacts. Bioextensor oils for tyres that will replace fossil ones: they offer a better rolling resistance,

thus contributing to reduce fuel consumption and offering a better grip in wet conditions. “Matrìca has built the first plants of their kind in the world, starting from a proprietary technology, developed with Novamont, using low-impact renewable raw materials to manufacture high added-value bioproducts able to transform environmental problems into sustainable development opportunities. These plants build bridges amongst many sectors, catalysing integrated technologies with increasing degrees of innovation. The opportunity lies in transforming such initiative in shared projects of landscape regeneration, maximizing the level of integration and spin-offs” says Catia Bastioli, Novamont CEO. “Italy’s challenge is to get out of the current economic crisis using its many virtuous cases of circular economy already at hand, promoting a new production and consumption model marked by resource efficiency, ecosystem resilience and human wellbeing. 2015, the year of the EXPO, the Green Act and the UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris, is the right time to launch this challenge based on the wise and proactive valorisation of local resources.”

Info www.matrica.it

renewablematter 03. 2015

Problem Solved: Tyres Soon to Become a Versatile Resource

by Giorgio Lonardi

Ecopneus is working hard to overcome all the bureaucratic obstacles that make recycling more difficult than incineration. Today less than a third of gathered end-of-life tyres (ELTs) are recovered as matter and two thirds are recovered as energy, but by 2020 these percentages need to be reversed

Giorgio Lonardi is a financial and economic journalist.

Ecopneus has come a long way in less than three years. It is a not-for-profit consortium business made up of producers and tyre importers that guarantees collection, recovery and tracking of end-of-life tyres (ELTs). It started its activities in September 2011; in 2013 – the last period for which official data is available – Ecopneus already recovered 247,000 tons of ELTs, the equivalent of 70% of the national market

Case Histories

of end-of-life tyres. “We could do even better,” states Giovanni Corbetta, Director General of Ecopneus, “for example a growth in the percentage of ELTs destined to matter recovery in relation to those destined to energy recovery would be an important step. It is the European Union that is requesting this, convinced as it is that prolonging the productive use of materials by re-using them, would strengthen UE competitiveness at the global level. Unfortunately, in Italy we have to face a series of bureaucratic, normative and cultural obstacles that contribute to hinder the growth of the market for recovered tyres”.

Juncker has announced that by the end of the year a new and more ambitious directive will be presented: unofficial declarations suggest that the new text contains challenging objectives, such as a 50% target of ELTs recycling from 2020 onwards. What impact can this have on the tyre sector?

To try to understand what is happening we have to take a step back. Brussels is pushing towards the development of a circular economy which proposes a different economic model from the past, a model where raw materials are extracted, only used once and then thrown away. According to this new paradigm waste disappears and re-use, reparation and recycling become the norm. The new Commission presided by Jean-Claude Juncker has postponed the examination and decision on this matter until next summer blocking the proposal of the new waste directive (which includes the idea of circular economy) pushed by José Manuel Barroso. This has generated alarm, even though

The environmental benefits already gained thanks to Ecopneus’ efforts are significant. This is confirmed by the “Sustainability Report 2013,” produced by the consortium, which stresses how, through the use of recycled rubber rather than virgin one, total recovery prevented the emission into the atmosphere of 347 million tons of CO2eq. But there is more. As the report suggests, Ecopneus’ effort has contributed to save 3.2 billion kWh of energy, as well as 1.3 million cubic metres of water by reducing the use of virgin rubber in the production cycle. So is everything fine, then? Yes, but only to a certain point. Corbetta explains: “We need to carefully examine the composition of the 247,000

“A growth in the percentage of ELTs destined to matter recovery in relation to those destined to energy recovery would be an important step. It is the European Union that is requesting this, convinced as it is that prolonging the productive use of materials by re-using them would strengthen UE competitiveness at the global level.”

renewablematter 03. 2015

“If we want to be competitive we have to make the best use of our resources, reinserting them into the productive cycle instead of sending them to landfill as waste”.

ELTs recovered in 2013 to discover that, out of them, 152,000 were used for energy recovery in cement factories and only 62,000 ended up in the recycling market. Ecopneus is not against the use by cement factories of the so called ‘pile caps’, big quantities obtained from tyre crushing: the fuel obtained by ELTs has a higher energy value compared to pet coke or high quality coal. Also, CO2 emissions are lower than those of fossil fuels, as a big portion of ELTs comes from renewable sources such as natural rubber and part of the textile reinforcement comes from cellulose. But today the EU is asking for something different. It is pushing towards recycling rather than ELTs’ use as an energy source. It is an objective that Ecopneus shares, and it is working hard to promote the use of recycled tyres in the most diverse sectors: from ‘silent’ road surfaces to artificial football fields, from sport floors to children’s playgrounds.” The path ahead is difficult. Estimates suggest that in 2014 less than a third of gathered ELTs went to matter recovery and two thirds to energy recovery. These percentages need to be reversed by 2020. In this context it is necessary to look at the bureaucratic obstacles stressed by Corbetta. A typical Italian trait is the gap between declarations of principles and their implementation. Politicians, trade unionists, ministerial bureaucrats, all agreed with Janez Potočnik, former EU commissioner for the environment, when he proposed “more ambitious recycling targets to move towards

a circular economy with more jobs and sustainable growth”. Or when he declared that “if we want to be competitive we have to make the best use of our resources, reinserting them into the productive cycle instead of sending them to landfill as waste”. Moving from words to actions, though, takes time, even when there is little available. In this scenario, the example offered by ELTs recycling is important. Ecopneus’ Director General suggests three interventions by the public administration which could favour the re-use of material derived from the treatment of ELTs and stimulate a virtuous cycle for the benefit of communities. As a first step, he suggests the implementation of a fast-track for recycled materials within contracts with the public administration. “A choice,” says

Case Histories

Corbetta “that would have three positive results. There would be significant environmental and ecological benefits such as a reduction in CO2 emissions, as virgin rubber would not be used and a correct waste management cycle would be consolidated. The third benefit would be financial: imports of raw materials would diminish with significant advantages for our trade balance, while energy costs would also go down. Furthermore, Europe is asking us to keep inside the union the secondary raw materials considered strategic for its development”. There is no doubt that the creation of a robust internal market for recycled rubber would also have a positive impact on employment, opening up new market possibilities for companies. “Furthermore, a more active demand,” states Ecopneus’ Director General “would increase the value of ELTs granules and powder that today are too cheap. This low price devalues the product and make the business less profitable and attractive”. In this framework, every obstacle to development could be negative. That is why the lack of an official definition at a ministerial level of recycled rubber as “secondary raw material” or simply “rubber” represents a problem. A matter that is well known at the Ministry for the Environment: it will be dealt with through a provision that will likely include other materials. The regulatory framework could appear secondary, but it’s not. If recycled rubber is not explicitly defined as “secondary raw material” it is officially waste. “It is an important matter,” says Corbetta, “that practically blocks the development of the market generating fear and uncertainty. Let’s just imagine a public administrator that wants to build a road using asphalt modified with rubber powder: a solution that contributes to significantly lower the noise, to longer duration and to better security

performances in case of sudden braking and better visibility in case of rain, with a significant reduction in maintenance costs. However, would that administration feel confident of approving such an operation? Would the fear, that tomorrow their decision might get contested by some authority due to the use of a material that comes from waste, contribute to the choice of a more traditional and less efficient material? The possibility of such an intervention is very low, almost non-existent. However, it is a potent fear that could block the market. Why not give our sector a better chance?”

The regulatory framework could appear secondary, but it’s not. If recycled rubber is not explicitly defined as “secondary raw material” it is officially waste.

Info www.ecopneus.it

renewablematter 03. 2015

Distributed Generation Finally Hits the Bioplastics Production by Roberto Rizzo

Developing a new production process for biodegradable bioplastics to be implemented on a small scale is Mycoplast’s (an Italian start-up) business model, devised in collaboration with the researchers from the Department of Microbiology at Utrecht University Just think of localized and distributed generation of electricity. Such is the case of a family installing a photovoltaic system on the roof of its house, thus becoming a power prosumer, i.e. it produces the electricity it uses. Let’s now apply the same concept to a wine or oil producer, taking into consideration waste in the production chain. If the company in question were able to reuse it to generate new products, it would become a prosumer of its own very waste, thus closing the production cycle in a sustainable way.

The Blue Economy: 10 years – 100 innovations – 100 million jobs, by Gunter Pauli, Edizioni Ambiente 2014; tinyurl.com/pth8ydv

This is the business model Mycoplast is working on. Mycoplast is a start-up created last February after over a year of scouting new market analyses and technologies by two Italian entrepreneurs who had already engaged in the bioeconomy, Federico Grati and Stefano Babbini. Mycoplast’s objective is to develop a production process for biodegradable bioplastics which can be adopted even by single agribusinesses and therefore on a small and very small scale. “I have dealt with the bioeconomy for a few years now, first as a start-upper with Agroils and Treedom and today with Mossi Ghisolfi” explains

Federico Grati “and having had a closer look at this issue, I realized that this sector has huge potential. My source of inspiration was The Blue Economy: 10 years – 100 innovations – 100 million jobs, a book by Gunter Pauli. One of the 100 cases is about the development of food protein from spent coffee grounds thanks to the action of shiitake mushrooms. Following some research, we got in touch with Italian designer Maurizio Montalti, who has been working in the Netherlands for over five years at his Officina Corpuscoli producing raw materials for environmentally-friendly bio-packaging products.” Montalti grows fungal roots – the so-called mycelia – on agricultural waste. Mycelia are mainly made of chitin, a natural biopolymer (like cellulose) which is also found in human nails, crab claws and shrimp shells. But the true inventors of this growth technology are the researchers of the Department of Microbiology at Utrecht University, in particular director Han Wösten with whom Maurizio Montalti and the Mycoplast’s team collaborate. “They are our scientific partners, our point of reference. In Italy a new horizon for startups is opening up, with positive results. We were also awarded a prize from Global Social Venture Competition by Altis, with a special mention for the circular economy. We are also in touch with the Italian research panorama, in particular with the University of Pisa and the Polytechnics of Milan and Turin.”

Case Histories

A Comparison with Conventional Plastic Many mushroom families could be used for the development of this new bioprocess which not only is completely natural but is has also the advantage of not requiring a great amount of energy: mushroom growth takes place at room temperature and pressure. In order to grow, mushrooms feed on complex sugars, such as cellulose from wood and food-and-agriculture waste and they need a humid environment with a temperature between 20 and 25 °C. They do not require a lot of sunlight, in fact they thrive in the dark. So, the location does not pose any particular problems for production. Bearing in mind the concept of the circular economy, Mycoplast is focussing on the food and agriculture industry’s by-products and waste such as straws, sawdust, tomato skins, spent coffee grounds etc. It is not easy to compare the performance of the bioplastics that will be made my Mycoplast with that of traditional ones because the polymer composition is different. But the production methods can indeed be compared. Mycoplast’s impact is definitely lower, as mentioned above. The other side of the coin is that, unlike conventional plastic, it requires more time and space. A hypothetical commercial production plant should have a total surface of between 3,000 to 5,000 sqm (here we are not talking about the production of small agribusiness) and in order for the mushrooms to colonize a single straw bag it takes them at least a week. “We are faced with two technological challenges” explains Federico Grati. “First, we need to be able to engineer the process while maintaining production costs sustainable. In other words, we demonstrated that producing bioplastics from a straw bag is easy, but now we need to work on a commercial scale. And the following challenge is the most captivating: besides producing green packaging, we would like to develop pure chitins (the polymers themselves)

to use in medical applications, such as for making suture threads or for cosmetics. Just to put things in perspective, a kilo of bioplastics for packaging costs about €1, while a kilo of nanochitins with a sufficient degree of purity for cosmetics typically costs around €600. So they are products with an extremely high added value and a high level of technology. But to overcome this second challenge we would need the help of a leading industrial player in the field.”

Officina Corpuscoli, www.corpuscoli.com

The Industrial Strategy The company already owns the licences to use mushrooms for producing quality bioplastic and in the last few months has made some prototypes presented at international events that were met with great success. In the last few months, Grati e Babbini have tried to expand the laboratory in Inarzo, Varese, where some researchers are currently working and where they are laying the foundation to move to pilot scale production. That means achieving a production of at least 100,000 pieces a year with an investment of €500,000, about 15 full-time employees (see box for a description of the products the company intends to produce). The pilot experiment aims at proving that bioplastic can truly be competitive with the traditional one. The next step will be the creation of the first production plant in Italy in its own right manufacturing 1 million pieces a year and an investment between €1 million and 1 million and a half and 35 full-time employees. “Our aim is to sell patented production processes to agribusiness players generating waste while producing packaging. We have in mind wineries and oil producers who would be able to make green packaging using their own agricultural waste. It is not our intention, therefore, to patent the biomaterial as such: it would be like patenting bread.”

Info www.mycoplast.com

Mycoplast’s Product Lines To date, Mycoplast has been working on developing three product lines. •• Mogu Box. It is a green packaging line which will replace polystyrene in fragile items packaging, such as DVD readers, computers, flat-packed furniture etc. •• Mogu Home. It is the line of insulating panels and bio-bricks. Their greatest advantage is that they are fire resistant. Once the mushroom has colonised the

cellulose, it is extremely unlikely that it will ignite because the material has the same characteristics of a nail or a shrimp shell. •• Mogu Garden. This line is devoted to the agricultural sector, in particular to boxes for nurseries and the flower industry. This product is completely compostable (it has been tested in several contexts and soon will be certified), so once used it can be crushed in a field or disposed of in the organic waste.

renewablematter 03. 2015

The Po Valley: An Open Air Biorefinery Reconciling Research, enterprises and public authorities: Parco Tecnologico Padano focuses on food security, public health and the bioeconomy by Roberto Rizzo

A huge wholly-Italian open air biorefinery, where wheat, rice, corn, sorghum, tomatoes are grown (and refined) and cows, pigs, calves and sheep are bred. And where the residues of agricultural processes are a very precious resource in terms of energy and material recovery. This is the Po Valley, cradle of the most advanced technologies in the sectors of zootechnics and agribusiness. However, it is also a big mix of environmental questions still to be resolved.

Roberto Rizzo is a science journalist. He is specialized in energy and environmental issues and since 2010 teaches at Master of Scientific Journalism at Sissa of Trieste.

For all these reasons, in 2000 the local authorities of the area around Lodi, with support from the Lombardy Region, promoted the construction of the Technological Park of the Po Valley (PTP), a centre of excellence for agricultural biotechnologies, completely autonomous at a strategic, operational and financial level, that could compete with big international technological parks. “In Lodi, an university and research pole was created, dedicated mainly to agribusiness and zootechnics. Today it is the first Italian scientific park in the bioeconomy sector,” explains Gianluca Carenzo, director general of the park. “PTP is furnished with an internal centre for research, which has concentrated its activities in three areas: bioeconomy, food security, and health” adds Paola Mariani, responsible for all the bioeconomy research.

The Park collaborations: PTP is a partner of: •• ASSOBIOTEC – National Association for the Development of Biotechnologies; •• APSTI – Association of Scientific and Technological Italian Parks; •• IASP – International Association of Science Parks. PTP also hosts CIB (Italian consortium for biogas and gasification), which brings together companies that produce biogas and syngas from renewable sources (mainly agricultural biomass), as well as the companies or industrial businesses that produce plants and technologies. In total, CIB has 635 members and 390 MW installed capacity.

Case Histories

“Today we have 70 researchers, 20% of whom are from outside Italy. The alliance between academia, institutions and private partners has proved very fruitful” says Gianluca Carenzo. “I believe the main difference with other technological parks is our willingness to work closely with companies and to create innovative businesses within our hub. We are not merely an office dedicated to technological transfer: we want to be proactive in relation to markets’ evolution. Today, for example, we are meeting the needs of the regional, Italian and European territories to optimize raw materials and exploit residues in the best way. This is an aspect that is also felt deeply by private companies.” In order to carry out its activities PTP operates in the markets of research and services. Most of the funding comes from the financing of research projects, mainly European funds but also local and private. That is why a need to create a grant office in the Park emerged. “For us Europe is a crucial element: both for the amount of potential

funding and for the possibilities of collaboration” says Paola Mariani. The Hub In 2007, the Park decided to create its own internal hub “Alimenta”, which is directed at four types of users: big and medium-sized companies; start-ups; potential businesses; investors. Since 2007, the hub has contributed to the founding of 30 small and medium-sized companies and to over 100 new highly qualified jobs, thanks to the raising of around 21 million euros in public and private financing. “We offer expertise at a managerial level and technological know-how that come from our research centre and from the partners’ network, as well as from the Park’s guests and the hub mentors” explains Gianluca Carenzo. “‘Alimenta’ follows a precise process of technological acceleration. For a business project it is fundamental to work on the sustainability of the business ideas, both from the technological and the economic point of view; based on these assumptions

“The main difference with other technological parks is our willingness to work closely with companies and to create innovative businesses within our hub. We are not merely an office dedicated to technological transfer: we want to be proactive in relation to markets’ evolution.”

Rendering of the demo site of technologies and solutions for the future of agriculture set up at Parco Tecnologico Padano during Expo 2015, with a total surface area of 12,000 sqm

renewablematter 03. 2015 we develop a business plan and we focus our efforts on fund-raising. For the small and medium companies we offer technological support to develop new technologies and/or new products; at a managerial level, we work towards developing management control systems, budgeting and control of costs and profits to optimize the implementation of the new technology and/or the new product. Thanks to the strength of our international network, we can provide companies with high-level support.” A Success Story One of the most successful stories among the Park’s activities is BiCT, a totally private innovative company created in 2002. For many years, the company had been developing trading

activities in the food sector, before moving into the Park in 2009, when it was granted its first European funds. At that point, the people in charge of the company decided that it was time to shift towards the development of competitive and sustainable industrial processes for the production of enzymes and other biomolecules of practical interest, obtaining very positive results even in times of crisis. In 2009 only three people were employed by the company; today there are 13 employees and its turnover reaches 700,000 euros. “Our success depends on the fusion of people with different backgrounds” explains Roberto Verga, BiCT’s Chief Executive Officer. “Everybody has contributed with their own experience and we have managed to create a biodiversity of skills and know-how. Another important factor was our choice not to base our business on a single idea, but rather to start from the market and the clients’ needs to find solutions and alternative and innovative products. Finally, what really pushes the company forward is its desire to grow, be result-driven and in line with other actors;

Ready for the Expo PTP is involved in several initiatives in the framework of “Outside Expo”, a series of technological initiatives and events for professionals in the field of bioeconomy. Among them, there is the construction of a demonstrative site for technologies and solutions for future agriculture. In a 12,000 square-meters field, cereal, vegetables and fruit allotments have been organized, to guide the visitor through some of the main agronomic, environmental and energy issues that agriculture is facing in its effort to increase quantities, quality and sustainability of production. “The idea came out of the collaboration with the Israeli company Netafin,” says Gianluca Carenzo “on occasion of Expo 2015, together we decided to build an artificial embankment – 4 meters high and 40 meters wide – to show how systems of drip irrigation work. They are normally used for marginal terrains with scarce

resources in terms of water and agricultural inputs. Here, we will grow some of the main sources of proteins from the summer cycle which are at the base of the planet’s food security: corn, sorghum, soy and rice sown in dry soil.” The instructive tour will then move on to allotments of industry tomatoes, an apple orchard, an allotment of lupins to explain the action of the rhizobia, a greenhouse with soilless strawberries and tomatoes, a portable biodigester that uses livestock waste or food residues to produce biogas as cooking fuel and organic fertilizer, reducing the demand for wood and coal in emergent countries. The site will be open for tours during the whole semester, with a cycle of 13 thematic working days, where, together with private partners, governments’ representatives, businesses, agricultural associations and the research world will be invited.

Info www.tecnoparco.org

Case Histories especially in times of crisis it is necessary to change, be flexible and invest. Being static can often be lethal.” “The benefits of working in the Park have to do with being part of an organized structure that offers laboratories with shared facilities, and with having the possibility of multiple collaborations. The Park’s grant office is very efficient,” explains Silvia Rapacioli, BiCT’s Chief Operative Officer. “We are also going to create a joint venture with the Park, as we share complementary activities and interests. We are an industrial actor more oriented towards the development of the research results, while the Park has a great expertise in research with important investments in advanced laboratories. One of them is the genomics platform which presents a high degree of automation and huge potentialities for multi-purpose applications. Together we could create a type of business which is already a reality abroad, a successful one with a highly business and service oriented frame of mind.” Bioeconomy Activities One of the Park’s coordinated projects and one of the most advanced in the bioeconomy sector is “Biorefill”. This project is financed by the Lombardy Region and Cariplo Foundation, and transforms the residues of raw materials coming from the integrated activities of each partner into bioproducts. Four universities take part in the

Strawberries, apples, corn, tomatoes, rice and soybeans are some of the crops that will be at the PTP’s “Outside Expo”

project (Università degli Studi di Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Politecnico di Milano e Università degli Studi-Insubria) together with companies in the field of biomaterials, enzyme and bioprocesses development. “The companies involved are both big and small,” explains Silvia Rapacioli. “For example, Resindion is part of a big multinational like Mitsubishi Chemical, while Actygea and us from BiCT are small entities. The activities of these three companies are interconnected: Actygea deals with the fermentation process to create enzymes that can biodegrade biomass and facilitate the digesters’ digestion or improving what comes out of the digesters. BiCT works on these enzymes’ applications while Resindion produces resins (also starting from renewable raw materials), used both for purification processes and as support for enzyme immobilization. In BiCT we immobilize the enzymes using solid supports, such as those produced by Resindion, allowing us to use them over several operational cycles. In the bioeconomy of a process this represents an advantage, as the possibility of reusing the enzymes allows the process itself to be economically viable.” A second example in the field of bioeconomy is the “Dance” project, financed by Cariplo Foundation. “Dance” works on the creation of a biorefinery that uses residues of agricultural industry (i.e. cheese factories) to grow microalgae from which to extract high value added molecules. In another project the Park, in collaboration with Cirad, uses its own know-how in genetics to select a multi-purpose sorghum. “We are very interested in the development of multi-purpose cultivations and we think that scientific research should contribute to avoid competition between biofuels and food production” explains Paola Mariani.

Everybody has contributed with their own experience and we have managed to create a biodiversity of skills and know-how.

renewablematter 03. 2015

FibriRock

bioFila

Biomaterials Come out on Top “Biomaterials of the Year” Win an Award for Innovation The award for the best Bio-based Material of the Year 2015 went to Desmodur® eco N, a coating material designed by Bayer MaterialScience, the German chemical giant’s division focusing on the development of innovative materials. The over two hundred people who took part in the conference on biomaterials organised by nova-Institut in Cologne from 13th to 15th April made their choice among 24 submitted materials.

Maurizio Quaranta is a journalist and jurist expert in environmental issues.

If the creation of an award is a sign of the maturity of a sector, and considering that “Bio-based Material of the Year” has now reached its eighth edition, then the bio-based material sector is well represented. The competition, promoted by the German research institute, seeks to recognize new biomaterial products made available by this fledgling industry, singled out amongst those launched on the market or that were put to industrial use over the last 12 months. In the initial phase of the selection process, the scientific board of the award skims off the applications, narrowing them down to six competitors. This year, the shortlist was predominantly German, featuring four German companies out of six.

Info Bayer MaterialScience, www.materialscience. bayer.com/en EcoTechnilin, www.eco-technilin.com Evonik, corporate.evonik.com/en/ Pages/default.aspx HIB Trim Part Solutions, www.hib-solutions.com/ de/index.php Invista, www.invista.com TwoBEars, www.two-bears.eu

Bayer MaterialScience (Germany) put forward Desmodur® eco N, a new solvent-free aliphatic polyisocyanate as well as the first organic-based polyurethane reticulating agent to be launched on the market. It is used to manufacture coatings for high-performing cars, a field in which polyurethane paints set the highest standards in terms of life, quality and efficiency. Such reticulating agent is based on a new isocyanate, i.e. diisocyanate pentamethylene, containing 70% of carbon from biomass.

EcoTechnilin is a leading company in the use of plant fibres for the manufacturing of technical nonwoven fabrics, with production plants in France and the UK. Such fabrics are used in the automotive sector (coatings) as well as in the building sector (floor beds, wall linings, etc.) and in composite panels for various applications. The innovative material nominated for the “Bio-based Material of the Year”, FibriRock, is a honeycomb sandwich panel combining the fire-resistant performance of pre-soaked linen/bio resin with the stiffness guaranteed by basalt fibres (i.e. a viable alternative to asbestos, as it is not dangerous for human health). Such material is widely used in the aeronautic industry as well as in rail transport. Evonik (Germany – one of the largest chemical groups in the world) presented polyamide 12 “bio”, a high-performing plastic material obtained entirely from renewable resources (palm kernel oil from Elaeis guineensis). Like Desmodur, this material is a good alternative to equivalent petrochemical products. Thanks to its properties, polyamide 12 is conveniently used for a wide range of high-performing products in the automotive sector (coatings), in the oil and gas industry (high-volume pipes),

Desmodur® eco N

by Maurizio Quaranta

Case Histories

Nature 50

The German Research Institute nova-Institut Nova-Institut is an independent research institute founded in 1994 and located in Huerth’s “Knapsack” chemical industrial park, near Cologne. Over the last 20 years, the institute has focused its activity on three specific fields of the bioeconomy: R&D, conferences and other knowledge-dissemination activities and industrial and political consultancy. Nova-Institut’s initiatives deal with raw materials, technical and economic evaluations, market analysis, project management as well as policies for the development of a sustainable bio-based economy. Their communication services include a website providing news about the bioeconomy, a newsletter and the IBIB business directory.

LYCRA T 162R Fibre

Polyamide 12

For further information visit www.bio-based.eu.

Bio-products can also compete against conventional materials in sectors requiring the highest-performing standards

in the medical sector (catheters) as well as in injection moulding components, such as pump impellers and safety valve seats. Besides, the use of palm oil makes it easier to create the monomer (lauric acid, a polyamide 12 precursor), compared to the equivalent petrochemical process based on butadiene. HIB Trim Part Solutions (Germany) manufactures and supplies car components for all but a few German automotive companies. They presented Nature 50, a plastic material obtained from polypropylene mixed with hemp long fibre (with a content of over 50%) and additives. When in granules, the material can be extruded and injected in mass-produced moulds, making it particularly suitable for the manufacturing of highly resilient car components. Its chemical composition makes Nature 50 suitable for a large variety of aesthetical solutions. The US company Invista, one of the largest manufacturers of polymers and fibres in the world, as well as holder of the Lycra trademark, presented LYCRA T 162R Fibre, currently

the only existing fibre obtained from butanediol, a bio-based material produced from corn-derived dextrose. The use of renewable raw materials in the manufacturing process leads to lower CO2 emissions as well as to a reduced use of fossil fuels, compared to the equivalent fibre obtained from conventional polymers (polyurethane). Bio-based Lycra is widely employed in the textile industry. TwoBEars, a German company in the sector of plastic for 3D printing, nominated bioFila, a biodegradable filament of PLA bio-polymer derived from renewable raw materials, combining outstanding high performances with excellent visual and tactile quality. The patent of Stratasys for 3D printing expired in 2009, thus clearing the way to other companies; the market of 3D printing filaments currently has a turnover of $800 million and is expected to increase tenfold in the next 10 years. Although ABS is the standard material used in the sector, the possibility of replacing it with biodegradable plastic could be the answer to the problem of waste and residues, which is bound to exacerbate in the next few years. Besides, the use of PLA makes it possible to print at lower temperatures compared to those required by ABS, with considerable benefits in terms of energy saving. The audience at the conference in Cologne, i.e. over 200 experts representing companies (from large corporations to startups) from all over the world, shortlisted the three best projects; Desmodur® eco N, manufactured by Bayer MaterialScience, managed to win through. The new product launched by the German chemical colossus offers bio-based businesses fresh opportunities in the automotive industry, still largely based on petrochemical products: to this day, polyurethane paints are manufactured mainly using synthetic resins. It was precisely the absence of reticulating agents derived from renewable resources that stood in the way of the development of new alternative materials. In the car-coating sector not only are the quality standards required extremely high, but performances are also crucial to maintain the value of complex (and expensive) goods such as transport vehicles. Bio-products can also compete against conventional materials in sectors requiring the highest-performing standards. The Award given to Desmodur might also be interpreted in this way. For the record, HIB Trim and EcoTechnilin ranked second and third respectively with products devoted to the automotive industry, the aeronautical sector as well as rail transport, thus suggesting the trend to promote cutting-edge bioinnovation.

Liu Hsuantzu, The Mold

renewablematter 03. 2015

CIRCULAR DESIGN:

Matter Exits No Man’s land by Emanuele Bompan

From cradle to cradle. Even design embraces the circular economy with interesting and aesthetically pleasing objects characterised by great attention to materials and their provenance, as well as to their final destination. Or rather, their initial one

“Life and its design are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for science and designers.”

“Nature and its design are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for science and designers. Its shapes, materials and complexity offer great inspiration.” These were the words of Janine Benyus in 2006, founder of The Biochemistry Institute, the first research organization on biomimicry. A design imitating nature, while respecting careful use of materials that mimic its functions and able to catch its complex interrelationship between matter and the environment. Each natural element

The Biomimicry Institute, biomimicry.org

Bernotat&Co - Credit: Marleen Sleeuwits

is always undergoing constant circular transformation. This is what happens to chemical elements underpinning life: they do not stop living but they are transformed into new life. From cradle to cradle. These are just the axioms of contemporary established design. A movement inspired by the founder of the cradle-to-cradle design, William McDonough. This is confirmed by one the hippest Italian events this year, “GoodDesign – The Natural Circle”, showing a new way of designing products. The event, organized by the Best-Up, a collective for sustainable living, took place between 14th April and 3rd May. In its sixth edition at Cascina Cuccagna, this year GoodDesign concentrated on the issue of circular design or cradle-to-cradle design. “We created this event to give prominence to design for social purposes,” explains Giuliana Zoppis, one of the founders, “a design focused on the product’s life cycle in order to reduce its environmental impacts”. This edition highlights two fundamental strong questions that today’s design has to tackle. On the one hand, the importance of the circular economy, confirmed by the EU provisions passed during the Italian semester, involving a reduction of waste and promoting a second life for products. On the other hand, the implementation of a cradle-to-cradle cycle where manufactured

A harmonious, welcoming and pleasing exhibition paying particular attention more to beauty than to techniques. An event trying to recreate a natural atmosphere, scenarios where the focus in on the environment and its shapes as is the case with the forest of trees with LED lighting by Foscarini or Giulia Berra’s fiddly decorations. The impression is that this is a very healthy sector, both in Italy and in Europe, thanks also to the large presence of Dutch designers. “Italian design has grown more than one might think,” explains Zoppis. “The sector of Italian excellence products has always tried to save materials and energy, to produce items that can be easily disassemble and reassembled. Producers are connected to their environment and they respect it. So Italian products have an innate disposition to embrace this philosophy.” Those who have not yet adopted this vision will have to do it for economic reasons: the market is increasingly demanding such products. “Good design has always taken into account disassembly to allow maintenance and replacement of spare parts. Many companies do it as a tradition but they do not imbue it with meaning. They do not state that they are eco-friendly,” the organizer of GoodDesign continues. “It must be said that the weakest part of Italian design is the communication of values and knowing how to sell them together with the product.” Apart from that: good design is here!

Info www.goodesignevent.it www.bestup.it

Michael Schoner, The A3 Animals

products are useful and long lasting. “We moved from Life Cycle Design (LCD) to a more complete vision, the most complete, that is the cradle-to-cradle approach, both in the biological cycle and in technologies to reintroduce components into the production cycle,” continues Giuliana Zoppis. Where everything is transformed, reused and rethought.

Tuomas Markunpoika, Engineering Temporality

Soojin Kang, Seating, 2012-2013

“Good design has always taken into account disassembly to allow maintenance and replacement of spare parts.”

Seletti, Woodland - Credits: Antonio di Canito

Case Histories

renewablematter 03. 2015

Eric Klarenbeek, Mycelium Chair

Inside the Project The Circle of Life An artist and creator of huge eco-friendly installations and sculptures, Giulia Berra creates her works by “assembling” insect and other animals’ parts such as feathers and plumes. Obviously, no violence involved: Giulia has collected all the animals when they were already dead, from the ground, from window screens or they have been provided by structures farming them (including the butterfly oasis in Milan that gave her Lepidoptera and chrysalises). The result draws inspiration on taxidermy, but it is exquisitely light and ethereal, poetic objects to be admired and handled with care because they are extremely delicate. A pure conceptual example of the matter’s end of life concept.

The Mycelium Project

Florian Hauswirth, Celltables - Credit: Stefan Hofmann

Info www.ericklarenbeek.com

Florian Hauswirth, Democratic Chess

Info giuliaberra.blogspot.it

Giulia Berra, Chrysalises City

Can 3D printing, technological and digital by definition, be “natural”? This challenge has always fascinated designer Eric Klarenbeek. After years of trying, with the Mycelium Project he has devised an innovative way to use 3D printing, exploiting mycelia (that is mushrooms’ vegetative apparatus) instead of the usual synthetic polymers. The mycelium is combined with other raw materials locally available to create “negative-environmental-impacts” products. We are talking about garbage produced everywhere that, once ground and mixed with mycelia, can become 3D “ink”. Ready for use to print home furnishings. “I’ve tried to create poetic and interesting furniture, since it is alive, made of organic material, it is completely compostable” Klarenbeek explains. “The mushrooms peeping out have a double function – aesthetic and conceptualdemonstrative – highlighting the underlying idea of the project.” An interesting characteristic of the project is the fact that it is wholly local: you can print anywhere using local raw materials. You do not need to travel far. Both for small objects as well as big ones, Klarenbeek affirms, already working on a prototype of a new 3D machine.

Celltable Collection Florian Hauswirth is a great lover of shape sophistication. His 2010 3-legged chair with an adjustable seatback or his curious chessboard with combinable pieces presented in Milan in 2011 are two good examples. Less is known about his passion for materials, born from his collaboration as a designer and material researcher with Vitra and Barber Osgerby, a design studio. Founder of the Swiss collective Postfossil (2007), in recent years he has devoted himself to sustainability and good design as proved by his latest work CellTable Collection, a series of tables made with cardboard tubes, MDF and assemble with water-based glue. The most striking detail is their irregularity: their tops are not perfectly round, a tribute to the perfect imperfection of nature. Info www.florianhauswirth.ch

De+Craft “Giving matter a second life” Here design meets craftwork. The very name of the collective, a group of architects and artisans based in Rome and Milan, defines the soul of the project, poised between design – De – and artisanship – Craft. A project born in building sites where in order to construct new buildings, very often, huge amounts of materials are discarded and thrown away. Standards, cement, equipment and scaffoldings. The list goes on. De-Craft reuses and recovers materials from building sites to create original objects, installations and unique furnishing items. “There are numerous fascinating materials that can be rethought creatively,” the GoodDesign curator explains. “Rusty sheets, irons pieces and working tools. Anything can be regenerated and transformed into something functional with a new shape, a new aesthetic identity... a second life. So much so as to create a collection of unique and valuable items.” Info www.decraft.it

Moca Group

De+craft

Case Histories

Moca “Simple yet brilliant architectures” This is still the case in Africa: houses are built with materials available locally. Mud, soil, straw and water. Likewise, the Moca Group studies and devises a kit for low-cost houses made with local materials. These are simple and eco-friendly buildings that anyone can build with their own hands. The structure is basic and simple, costs are low and the quality and the energy efficiency are formidable. The project was created to support the poorest areas of the Southern Hemisphere but it is also an effective appeal in favour of “the right of housing”. The Moca Group members are Raffaele Bettoni, Matteo Tommasini, Massimo Fioretta, Carlotta Fabbri and Michele Buizza.

“Looking at organic material through the eyes of a designer one can see fresh potential compared to the usual systems of industrial production.” This is why Simone Benvenuto (Uovodesign) creates objects using any kind of organic material available in nature. As he affirms, “This design approach looks at any stage of organic life: growing systems, pH, temperature, specific weight, even the different states of matter can become a design inspiration. The traditional design approach only takes into account the solid state, ignoring other states equally important.” In the case of Superorganism, Benvenuto let bees – considered a superorganism because of the way they live inside beehives – create design objects. Their hard work (honey, wax and propolis) has been exploited to create spoons and sealed ampullas of honey. “Created and sealed by the bees themselves, poised between the practical and aesthetic needs of these extraordinary insects,” Benvenuto explains. Info www.uovodesign.com

Moca Group

Uovodesign Superorganism

Uovodesign

Uovodesign, Superorganism

Info www.mocagroup.com

renewablematter 03. 2015

Columns Bioeconomy and Environment

A Recurring Health Menace Stefano Ciafani is national Vice Chairman of Legambiente. He was an advisor for the Commission’s enquiring committee on the waste cycle of the XIV legislature and member of the Steering Committee on the management of EEEW.

This is not about renewable matter, but a serious menace to human health which renews itself over time. It is the killer fibre of asbestos – which is still known as Eternit thanks to the patent name of the Casale Monferrato company. Clean-ups go ahead very slowly and the risk does not diminish. This was the theme of the latest report by Legambiente, presented on World Day for Victims of Asbestos (28th April): it is necessary to halt this serious emergency which, every year, causes the death of over 4,000 people in Italy, due to asbestos linked diseases, and was responsible for over 15,000 cases of malign mesothelioma between 1993 and 2008 (INAIL National Registry of Mesothelioma). Twenty-three years after being banned, asbestos is still very much present, in various forms, on Italian territory: CNR and INAIL have given the rough estimate of about 32 million tonnes. Although Law 257/1992 established regional asbestos plans to be produced within 180 days from its publication, as of today six regions still need to approve them. Meanwhile the census, which was necessary to calculate the amount to be recovered, but was carried out in an uneven way in only ten regions, has reported a total of 230,000 structures with asbestos. The other necessary tool – the mapping of asbestos present on the Italian territory – was properly carried out by only half the regions, and it is in its final stages in the autonomous provinces of Bolzano and Trento.

The full dossier can be viewed at tinyurl.com/na6p8nf

The asbestos database coordinated by the Ministry for the Environment provides news on at least 38,000 sites on the whole national territory, with over 300 sites with priority 1, or at highest risk, where clean-up operations should be started immediately. However, the clean-ups carried out until now have been very few (27,020 private and public buildings), those in place proceed at a very slow pace (26,868), and many have not even started yet: at this pace, it is estimated that it will take 85 years to complete the clean-ups. Furthermore, it will be difficult to solve the problem if the infrastructure necessary for the disposal of asbestos are not improved: the regions that are provided with at least one specific plant are 11, for a total of 24

plants (five in Sardinia, four in Piedmont and Tuscany, two in Emilia, Lombardy and Basilicata, one in Abruzzo, Friuli, Liguria, Puglia and the autonomous province of Bolzano), with insufficient residual volumes that could guarantee a proper disposal of the material, 75% of which still ends up in landfills outside Italian borders. Environmental regeneration, the clean-up and the proper disposal of material that contains asbestos need to be the priority to eliminate the risk linked to fibre exposure. To do this, however, a serious commitment by the regions and other local and national bodies is required. Until today unfortunately, the results obtained have been very scarce. It is urgent to intervene both on the big industrial sites and on private and public buildings; it is necessary to complete the census and carefully manage the systems and the plants for treatment and disposal of material containing asbestos. It is also necessary to promote correct information on the problem, on how to carry out proper interventions and on the risks linked to exposure to the fibres, both when structures deteriorate and when materials are disposed of illegally. To deal with the problem efficiently, in March 2013, the Italian Ministries of Health, Work and Environment approved the national asbestos plan: a complex document which deals with the issue from a health point of view, from the perspective of assistance and compensation of workers and all those exposed, and from an environmental point of view. The plan contains measures that, if applied, would really change the situation. However, it is still blocked in the State-Regions Conference where, due to lack of funds, its discussion continues to be postponed. The Italian government needs to commit fully to provide answers and ensure justice for the victims of asbestos, as promised in the aftermath of the unbelievable acquittal which ended the Eternit trial last November. To do this, it is necessary to start the clean-up of the industrial sites and the removal of asbestos from contaminated buildings, through what is mandated in the national plan. A first step would be to release a 20 million

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euro fund, to be implemented through incentives for replacement of eternit with PV, which would lead to the clean-up of over 10 million square meters of asbestos-covered surfaces. A rapid approval and an immediate application of the bill on ecocrimes is fundamental,

which is now being discussed in the Chamber of Deputies, and which should not amend the text that has come from the Senate. Only in this way will we be able to avoid crimes such as those of Casale Monferrato, the Land of Fires, the Valle del Sacco, Taranto, Porto Marghera, Bussi and many other cases.

The Blue Yonder

Marine Biomass: An Unconventional Wealth Ilaria Nardello is an Industry Research Specialist at the National University of Ireland, Galway. A biological oceanographer with thirteen years of research experience spent between the USA and EU, her interests are now focused on Industry-University collaboration for sustainable innovation, with a special interest in the marine bio-resources sector.

Possibly because the ocean covers just under three quarters of our planet’s surface and it remains a vastly unexplored environment, its resources may have been considered infinite. The seafood industry has been allowed to adopt unsustainable fishing methods for decades, in addition to routinely discard roughly half of the biological material of their fish and shellfish catches, creating a considerable waste stream from the evisceration, nobbing, filleting, peeling, deshelling, washing, defrosting and cooking of produces intended for human consumption. In fact, the ocean capacity is far from infinite and investigations in its ecosystems have shown the large impact of those man-made environmental condition changes, such as pollution, global warming and over-fishing. The consequences of those stressors have been sometimes extreme, and possibly irriversible, on the world population of some of the most commercially relevant fish varieties, such as cod and salmon, for example; and, more recently, sardines. Considering that, on the other hand, the world population is growing, to reach 9 billion people by 2050 and the demand for food, and especially proteins, is soaring, the planet’s biomass has become a most lucrative commodity to invest in. This is evident from an insight into the commercial disposition of industry and investors; as well as from the EU efforts to understand the blue growth opportunity associated with the bioeconomy. An easier way to detect this change, than calling up the CEO of a marine biorefinery start-up company, or your EU Commmission’s policy advisor, both likely beyond reach for the layman, is to observe the rapid trasformation of the terminology associated with this value chain. Only less than ten years ago, the biological material discarded from the main value chain, which transforms the whole fish and shellfish into filleted flesh for ready human consumption,

was referred to as a “food-waste stream” or, at best, “by-product”. Its utilisation was mainly in the manufacturing of low cost flours, oils, hydrolysate and fish mince to manufacture feed for our beef and diary industry or, in a smaller percentage, our pet-food industry. However, in the past twenty years, the industry has undergone major changes in their practices, which have in turn influenced the attitude toward the sensible utilization of all harvested fish. Those changes include the system of fishing quotas, for example, which controls allowable quantities of species-specific harvesting or the enormous fluctuations in wild fish stock availability and finally the impossibility to discard fish by-products at sea and the consequent costs associated with waste management practices. All of a sudden, both fishermen and processors have taken an interest in the circular economy principles and became more imaginative in trasnforming raw materials, previously used for fish meal or discarded as waste, into a marketable product. More recently, these industry needs have been finally met and powerfully conjugated with our advanced biological knowledge and technological capabilities. The EU Commission and nationally sponsored marine biotechnology and bioprospecting research programmes have mined those materials for bioactives and biomaterials of societal interest. What they have found is an endless series of them, including marine lecithins, fatty-acids, enzimes and peptides, with a plethora of highly profitable applications. This has forever changed the perceived value of those resources, which today we elegantly refer to as “Rest Raw Materials”, thanks to their proven potential to benefit our society even more than the precious meat of filleted fish and seafood they were parted from. A policy towards the management of the marine RRMs may be required to manage this new wealth we are just beginning to discover emerging from the blue.

renewablematter 03. 2015

Innovation Pills

Straw Yellow Gold Federico Pedrocchi, is a science journalist. He directs and presents the weekly programme Moebius broadcast by Radio 24 – Il Sole 24 ore. He supervises Triwù, a web TV devoted to the culture of innovation in Italy. He also teaches New Media at the Master’s Degree in Science Communication and Sustainable Innovation at Bicocca University in Milan.

We have a feeling that the 21st century will be a great era for urine. Obviously, its central role in the existence of living beings does not need to be rediscovered, in other words, it does not mean that in the 21st century we must reappraise it and try to wee more often since it is unavoidable. However, there are various sophisticated plans not to throw it away. This is happening within a cultural panorama that I find extremely fascinating: the most advanced technologies enable us to identify virtuous behaviours connected to our fundamental actions as living beings inhabiting this planet. Nevertheless, since these fundamentals also include the desire to be rich, it is not surprising that a crucial step towards the exploitation of the organic liquid was that of considering it as a substance that could be turned into gold. This happened around 1670, when chemistry was still such an approximate science that the colour yellow was seen as a good prerequisite to obtain the precious metal. In his cellar, Hennig Brand, a German alchemist, collected fifty buckets of urine and kept them for several months while adding several substances until he obtained a yellow mash, a sort of wax, that he could not sell to his contemporary jewellers but he discovered that it reacted with air and ignited. That mash was called phosphorous. Its potential was immediately understood and soon we learnt how to get it with less unpleasant methods compared to buckets of urine. A good choice for that era and those that followed. Today, however, we cannot ignore that our body produces phosphorous, thus its extraction from mines of phosphorite is a little bit silly. Phosphorous is an essential element in soil fertilization, together with potassium and nitrogen, all present in abundance in the yellow liquid. In the Netherlands, it all started with a bang in Amsterdam: a square full of purpose-made urinals for the collection of urine. Now, a fundamental female variation is being figured out. In reality, the aim is not to invade squares – although this technological format could be used for example on the occasion of big concerts (for political rallies as well? Better be careful) – but to devise upstream strategies to introduce in people’s houses. It can be done, thus avoiding

dumping everything into the sewerage system. Just some numbers: from 1 million people, 1,000 tons of fertilizers can be obtained every year. This is an enormous amount! And this is without taking into consideration animals, those in farms for example. And electricity as well. A litre of urine can power a mobile phone for six hours. No, I am not proposing unsightly smartphones in the shape of ducks. We must broaden our horizons: there are various ways of producing electricity from urine. For example, it is perfect – and they love it – for feeding hordes of bacteria that, by breaking the chemical link of organic matter (because they eat it), produce an electron flow. In this case, the technology is based on so-called Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC), it basically entails feeding bacteria in a device equipped with an anode and a cathode. In other words, good, old electrolysis. According to some estimates, daily availability of urine from humans and farmed animals amounts to 38 billion litres. If with one litre you can phone for 6 hours, such amount means 228 billion hours a day. Will this be enough to satisfy our needs to be connected everywhere or will we have to resort to diuretics?

TYREFIELD. THE FUTURE OF FOOTBALL IS ON SOLID GROUND.

Atalanta’s future champions play on Tyreﬁeld, a ﬁeld created with recycled rubber from end-of-life tyres. Designed to withstand the test of time, the toughest clashes, the harshest climates, and the most insistent rain, as well as to cushion blows, Tyrefield is the next generation in fields, environmentally sustainable and safe. That’s why Atalanta has chosen it for the training and development of its brightest talents: the youth of Primavera.