European forests have to accommodate a multitude of requirements: they have to be a resource provider as well as a nearby recreational area. At the same time forests also need to be more and more resilient in the face of extreme weather occurrences. This resilience will be the focus of the new office of the European Forest Institute (EFI) in Bonn. The official inauguration with Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Christian Schmidt at the UN campus in Bonn took place on August 29.

The two-phase sale of Icon Genetics was completed on August 21. Icon Genetics previous owner, German plant biotechnology company NOMAD Bioscience GmbH, already sold 51% of Icon's shares to Denka in August 2015. Now, the Japanese company has acquired the remaining 49% of shares, resulting in Icon Genetics becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Denka. According to a press release, the total acquisition amount to be paid by DENKA is a maximum of €75 million.

Buildings have to be much more than four walls and a roof. They have to withstand rain and wind and provide shelter. But more recently another aspect has come into focus as well: they have to be made of sustainable material. Therefore, researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are looking for alternative building materials.

As an alternative source for protein, as an ingredient for cosmetics, or to improve waste management – these are just some of the possibilities that insects offer for a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future industry. To discuss the newest research findings experts from 35 countries came together at the third annual international INSECTA conference. This year, 250 participants from research and industry gathered at the main building of the Technical University Berlin on September 7 and 8.

“Environmental policy is part of agriculture.” This was a clear message by Christian Schmidt, the Federal Minister of Agriculture, at the recent  “Dialogue for the future: Agriculture and Food”. Thus far this sector is under a lot of pressure due to its high CO₂ Emissions. The demands for more sustainability in terms of farming and animal husbandry have been at the top of the political agenda for some time now. However, there are already a number of farms that fully embrace a resource-saving and environmentally conscious production.

Fossil resources are becoming scarce and their use is a burden on the environment. Therefore new technologies to replace these resources are needed. Part of the replacement can be achieved by employing electrical power production based on renewable resources, such as wind and solar energy. Additionally, renewable feedstocks and waste streams have to be considered as valuable precursors for the production of commodities and fuels.

An international consortium including scientists from the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) in Gatersleben has published the genome sequence of the pearl millet, a drought resistant crop plant that is one of the main food sources in arid and semi-arid areas.

Last May Clariant announced a merger with the US company Huntsman regarding biobased chemicals. And now there are again news out of the headquarters: the Swiss chemical company licensed their Sunliquid-Technology for the conversion of biowaste into ethanol to the Slovakian bioethanol specialist Enviral.

How can the industry of tomorrow become more sustainable and the new direction be communicated to the public? That was only one of the main questions and topics raised and discussed during the second international bioeconomy conference in mid-September in Stuttgart-Hohenheim.

Global warming and climate change are driven by greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide. During photosynthesis, plants and algae act as natural air filters, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and replacing it with oxygen. About half of the photosynthesis on Earth is performed in the ocean by single-celled algae. Plants and algae both use the enzyme Rubisco to bind carbon dioxide.