Based on information from 91 countries and 27 international organizations, analysis of global literature and data, as well as contributions from over 175 authors and reviewers, "The State of the World's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture" assesses biodiversity and its management worldwide. Important drivers for both positive and negative trends in the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity are identified and production practices that promote biodiversity are presented.
adelphi (2019): Circular Economy in the Textile Sector
This question was investigated by a team from the Berlin research and consulting institute adelphi and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). In their study "Circular Economy in the Textile Sector", published at the end of March, they examined the options for establishing closed fibre cycles in the clothing and fashion industry. The authors analyzed how the process stages of textile production and processing can be transformed from a linear process into a closed loop economy.
Bertelsmann Foundation (2019): Sustainable Development Report
The current SDG report shows that the international community is talking a lot about sustainability goals, but is not investing enough in their implementation.
WWF (2019): Global forest report (Copy)
It is the first study of its kind. It is specifically dedicated to the development of global animal populations in forests. The authors cite the loss of habitat caused by humans as the main cause of the decline. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for 60% of the collapse of animal populations. The development in the tropics is particularly dramatic.
WWF (2019): Global forest report
It is the first study of its kind. It is specifically dedicated to the development of global animal populations in forests. The authors cite the loss of habitat caused by humans as the main cause of the decline. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for 60% of the collapse of animal populations. The development in the tropics is particularly dramatic.
Thünen-Institute (2019): Reducing food waste
According to the Federal Government, food waste at retail and consumer level is to be halved by 2030. Scientists from the University of Stuttgart, the Max Rubner Institute, the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Centre and the Thünen Institute have joined forces in the REFOWAS project to investigate how to achieve this. On the one hand, the project calculated the current quantities of avoidable food waste. On the other hand, it investigated the effects on the environment associated with food production and waste.
Underwear
A Berlin-based company has taken on the problem and developed sustainable clothing made of organic cellulose-based fibres to protect and care for the skin.
Food Innovation Award for Berlin Uni teams
Every year, the TROPHELIA competition honors innovative ideas in the food sector. This year, students from the TU Berlin ranked first to third at the national level and also took home a special prize. All three teams competed with vegan products.
Genome analysis: The relatives of the grapevine
The vine, which has been domesticated for about 6,000 years, has about 60 wild relatives, including the European wild vine Vitis vinifera ssp. vinifera. It is regarded as the origin of viticulture with about 10,000 varieties worldwide. Many of these wild species are threatened and have not yet been genetically recorded. Chinese researchers have now analysed the genomes of 48 of these 60 species and also made use of a collection from the Botanical Institute of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
Givaudan takes over cosmetics business of AMSilk
The vegan silk biopolymers of the company AMSilk seem to be in particular demand with Swiss companies at present: After the luxury watch manufacturer Omega announced a cooperation with the Martinsried biotech company in January, Givaudan, the world's largest manufacturer of fragrances and flavors, announced its next coup: The specialty chemicals company based in Vernier will take over the cosmetics business of AMSilk GmbH. The acquisition is part of Givaudan's 2020 strategy to strengthen its Active Beauty business. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.