With the European Green Deal, the European Union (EU) has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. To achieve this goal, the EU member states are focussing on a sustainable bioeconomy that functions in circular systems. Corresponding measures to implement the green transformation were already set out in the European Bioeconomy Strategy in 2019. With the aim of making the EU a leader in circular bioeconomy, the European Bioeconomy Clusters Alliance (EBCA) was founded in Brussels on 10 February.

Microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and yeasts are the invisible little helpers of the bioeconomy. With their assistance, biological resources can be utilised, new bio-based products can be manufactured and production processes can be made more sustainable and efficient. In the search for new microorganisms for biotechnological applications, researchers in the newly launched EU project XTREAM now want to take a closer look at the earth's extreme habitats.

An area of 200 hectares and a potential saving of 3,400 tonnes of CO₂: this is the ambitious goal of the MooReturn project, which was launched in the Mecklenburg Lake District in January. This is to be achieved through the large-scale rewetting of moorland, the cultivation of paludiculture and the material and energy utilisation and marketing of the raw materials grown here. The project is being managed by the German Biomass Research Centre (DBFZ) and scientifically supported by the universities of Bonn, Greifswald and Rostock.

With their start-up Vyld, Ines Schiller and Melanie Schichan have developed the world's first tampon made from seaweed, the ‘Tangpon’. After positive tests with customers in 2023, the algae tampon has recently been approved and started being used in various sanitary facilities in Germany.

"Tangpons" in offices and at events

According to Vyld, the biodegradable tampon is now also convincing those who provide such hygiene products - for example in offices, fitness studios and at major events.

With the LOEWE Centre for Insect Biotechnology and Bioresources, the city of Giessen has developed into a world-leading location for insect biotechnology. Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME and Justus Liebig University are jointly researching biotechnological methods to develop new products from insects. One focus of the work is on sustainable, insect-based technologies for the circular bioeconomy. Now the breeding of insects is also to be established on a large scale in Giessen.

The textile industry is facing the challenge of becoming more sustainable and environmentally friendly. At the same time, the demand for functional textiles is growing, but their production often involves the use of harmful chemicals. These not only harm the environment and health, but also make recycling more difficult.

Climate change, resource scarcity and food security are the major challenges of the future. The bioeconomy offers solutions to these challenges. However, for the transition to a bio-based and circular economy to succeed, innovations are required in all areas. Whether bio-based plastics, fibres, cell-based foods or new biocatalysts: the range of bioeconomic inventions is as broad as the challenge of capturing their associated growth. With the help of artificial intelligence, researchers at Justus Liebig University Giessen have now succeeded in doing just that.