In 2017, an international long-term study provided proof for the first time of the dramatic death of insects in Germany. Data analysis showed that the number of flying insects fell by 76% between 1989 and 2016. Bees are also endangered insects. But how can natural pollinators be protected?
It is a step towards reducing food waste: The European Institute for Innovation and Technology with a Focus on Nutrition (EIT Food) has launched a competition for Master and PhD students. The aim was to develop a product based on bananas, bread and potatoes that would be thrown away by retailers due to expired best before dates.
China is the largest market for baby food with 50% of the world market volume. The German Jennewein Biotechnologie GmbH now wants to develop this market for its human milk oligosaccharides and has signed a cooperation agreement with the Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group. Together with the Chinese market leader in dairy products, Jennewein intends to develop an infant formula and other dairy products specifically tailored to the Chinese market. In addition, the cooperation will further research the microbiome of newborns.
The "PlanB - Biobasiert.Business.Bayern" start-up competition, launched in 2015, focuses on biobased business ideas that contribute to the sustainable development of society. The competition initiated by BioCampus Straubing on innovations for the bioeconomy was once again held in the presence of representatives from industry, politics, investors and industry experts. Thirty green start-ups fought their way through the stages of the competition launched in August, optimised their ideas and finally qualified for the finals with their PlanB deck.
Last summer, heat and drought have afflicted farmers in many places and caused enormous harvest losses. The damage caused to farmers in Germany was estimated by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture at 770 million euros.
Extreme weather conditions make plants more susceptible to disease and pest infestation. This also endangers wheat production in Germany and large parts of Europe.
Bogs have a reputation for emitting methane and thus warming the climate. Methane is mainly formed by a particularly old group of microorganisms, the archaea. Eight years ago, however, Dutch researchers reported that the moors contribute less to climate change than previously feared: Certain bacteria directly recycle methane and process it into metabolic products, which mosses then absorb and incorporate into their biomass.
Whether as breakfast eggs or baking ingredients, chicken eggs have become an integral part of everyday life. In addition to the food industry, eggs are also frequently used in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. However, the vast quantities of shells that accumulate as a result have so far hardly been noticed and have mostly ended up in organic waste. But the white or brownish shells are made of a material with great potential for new sustainable energy storage.
The specialty chemicals group Evonik started its venture capital business in 2012 with €100 million and launched its first venture capital fund. In this way, the Essen-based company aims to secure access to forward-looking technologies and innovative business models. A total of 25 investments in start-ups in the fields of health care, new materials, animal nutrition and special additives were created from the first fund. Up to 5 million euros were available to the founders for the realisation of their ideas and their successful market entry.
How sustainable are German companies? How seriously do they take ecological and social issues and how openly do they deal with them?
The plastic mountains from old packaging need to be reduced - on this, consumers and companies agree. But in addition to product protection, plastic packaging also offers other advantages such as low weight. That is why most manufacturers do not want to eliminate the use of plastics, but rather to develop a clever packaging design that allows as much recycling as possible.