A world in a glass: the interviews of RM63
For issue 63 of Renewable Matter, we invited three experts to the Think Tank roundtable discussion who could offer us a broad picture of the beverage sector, ranging from wine production t...
Every sip is a system
Water is the invisible infrastructure behind all beverages. We hardly ever see it, as we prefer to look at the colour of a wine, the foam on a beer, the design of a label, the transparency of a bott...
Nunc est Bibendum
In contemporary Western society, the ritual and spiritual dimension of the act of drinking is often reduced to mere material consumption or, at best, hedonism. And yet, our human history is peppered...
Serfs: the hidden cost of food in global supply chains
In the European Middle Ages, the term “serfdom” referred to a legally defined status that fell somewhere between slavery (servus) and free man, in that the individual was not considered ...
A farewell to Carlo Petrini, the visionary who brought political dignity to food
“Those who sow utopia reap reality”: this is the phrase that Carlo Petrini often repeated, and it perhaps sums up his life spent turning ideas once considered on the fringes into global ...
Why the price of cocoa is dropping, but the price of chocolate is rising
Over the past two years, the price of cocoa has fluctuated sharply, culminating in a recent drop, yet the price of chocolate and finished products continues to rise. On the New York Commodity Exchan...
Growing the city: the urban carbon farming revolution
Cities account for less than 3% of the Earth’s surface, and yet they are responsible for over 70% of global CO₂ emissions. For decades, this imbalance has fuelled an uncomfortable narrative:...
Ethiopian cascara, turning coffee waste into a circular economy opportunity
As the coffee sector faces increasing pressure to reduce environmental impacts while improving economic resilience, focus is shifting towards a largely overlooked resource: cascara, the outer layer ...
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz also threatens the fertiliser supply chain
Since Saturday, 28 February, three oil tankers have been bombed, a crew member aboard a Marshall Islands–flagged cargo vessel has been killed, and around two hundred merchant ships have been l...
Massimo Labra: “Biodiversity is Italy's real productive asset”
Biodiversity is not just about agriculture, fishing or forests. It affects every business, even ones that don't realise it. This is one of the clearest messages from the new Business and Biodiv...
Startup, Ager Oliva: regeneration of abandoned olive groves in Tuscany
Ager Oliva is a start-up based in Tuscany, surrounded by hills and centuries-old olive groves, reviving abandoned land with an innovative and sustainable approach. Founded by Tommaso Dami, Ana Soto ...
Anthrofood 2050: Food Anthropology Enters the Public Arena with an Eye to the Future
It is rare for the anthropological community to choose, with a collective voice, to occupy the public square to intervene in systemic emergencies, abandoning the comfortable detachment of the observ...
AgriZone, the agribusiness challenge at COP30
From Belém - Formally, it is supposed to be a space dedicated to sustainable agriculture and technological innovation. In reality, it welcomes and gives a voice to all Brazilian and internati...
Cities Rising to the Challenge: Building Food Security from the Ground Up
The European Union is becoming increasingly concerned about food security, as President von der Leyen reminded us in her Statement on Behalf of the Union. But framing this as a European concern requ...
A Circular Vision for Coffee Is an Opportunity for the Global South
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, India, and many others. To speak of coffee i...
The food waste recovery chain in Europe
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano Some 60 million people in Europe are food insecure. At the same time, each European wastes 132 kg ...
Circular economy of rice: less emissions and more community resilience
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano Rice is among the world’s most important crops. A food staple at the center of centuries-old...
Agriculture, Cristina Guarda: Europe needs a more ambitious vision
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano In mid-February, the European Commission unveiled its Vision for Agriculture and Food, a document ...
Do trade and tariffs decide what we eat?
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano Threats of new tariffs from US President Donald Trump are on the front pages of all newspaper...
Biodiversity loss in Latin America, the burden of international trade
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano What do a German eating his traditional sausages, a Frenchman tasting his typical cheeses and an I...