A Winning Agreement
BBI JU is a public-private partnership between the EU and the Bio-Based Industries Consortium. It has funded as much as 65 projects in the past 3 years, playing therefore a fundamental role in enhan...
Eggs and Mines
The science of materials is generating strong pressure towards big changes of direction. One of the most recent ones seems destined to generate a conflict between calcium mines and eggs. Ivan Cornej...
It all Started in Helsinki
It might well have been the largest circular economy gathering to this day. We are talking about the first ever World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF), that took place in Helsinki, Finland, on 5-7 June...
Athens' Mistake
Excellent at exploring philosophy and art, Athens was not able to find the same balance in its relationship with nature. Twenty-five centuries later, can we really consider that lesson learnt? Can w...
This is How We Recycle Nappies
It is the first technology able to 100% recycle materials making up nappies and absorbent products. A plant built from scratch in Lovadina di Spresiano (Treviso), which transforms otherwise landfill...
Upcycle and the Atomic Bomb
Elliptical, philosophical, rarely obscure and always enlightened with solid, simple concepts. Talking for more than an hour with one of the XXI century design guru is a revealing trip in e...
Thinking with Our Hands
Terms such as “biobased, sustainable, circular materials” are at long last starting to be part of the layman’s vocabulary. Indeed, characterizing an object by its material is a lev...
Throwaway Culture
Giuseppe Picone (Rome, 1926-2008), ceramic plate, Young Priests Each of these themes deserve careful attention. First of all, the courage the Pope has shown in address...
The Planet We Will See
In your latest book, The Great Transition, you discussed how we are starting our transition out of fossil fuel. Which technology you see trending right now and which have the highest hope ...
The Future Is in the Hands of Corporations
Pavan Sukhdev - Photo by Beatrice Törnros How much are ecosystem services worth in monetary terms? How much are rain, oxygen, climate, biodiversity – s...
Capital is Natural
Graphic elaboration of Karl Marx (engraving), by Robert Diedrichs, 1970 Capital is still a term thought to be confined to the realm of economics and finance. However, ...
70% Recycling Can Be Achieved. Not Enough? I Would Be More than Happy
Talking about separate collection while strolling early in the morning along Trastevere lanes with Daniele Fortini (born in Orbetello in 1955), CEO of AMA (Azienda Municipale Ambiente, Mun...
Natural Recall
The Natural Recall is an international non-profit project. Officially opened in May 2014 within Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Third Paradise at Milan’s Superortopiù, it is n...
Championing the Circular Cause
There has been an overwhelming interest in the circular economy, from industry to NGOs to member state officials – why do you think this is? I think it’s because many people, ...
The New Chemistry Is Worth $80 Trillion
Let us begin with your book, regarded as the Bible by those in the know. Will you help us understand where the world’s chemical industry is heading for? Over the last ten years, the chemical ...
The Hidden Value of Plants
“I will plant, says he, in the desert, cedars, hawthorns, myrtles, olives, firs, elms and boxes.” Therefore, if you wish to own plenty of these trees, and if you yearn to ...
10% of Biofuels Without Giving up a Single Sandwich
At global level, biomass currently amounts to 10-12% of energy production: it is the first amongst renewables and it has an enormous expansion potential both for the production of heat and electrici...
Business Models Reaching For a Circular Slot
When they created the Product Life Institute in Geneva in 1982, Orio Giarini and Walter Stahel stood as lonesome cowboys exploring the newfound land of the circular economy. Indeed, during the 60&rs...
Ecological Debt's Hidden War Increases Tensions in the Mediterranean Area
There is another public debt resting on our shoulders. It is neither less dangerous nor lighter than the financial one. Above all, it is completely out of control. It increases every year, especiall...
$655 Million for Fairtrade Food
Big global philanthropic foundations are determinedly committed to support research promoting sustainability in the agricultural and food industry of the future. This has been highlighted in a study...