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Drinking straws, plastic bags, cotton swabs and plastic dinnerware are soon to disappear from everyday life, and this throughout Europe. In November 2018, the EU Parliament had already given the green light for a ban on disposable plastics, which is to come into force in 2021. The German government has also initiated a turnaround towards less plastic and more recycling.

Prolupin GmbH and PeelPioneers B.V. are the first two companies to benefit from the "European Circular Bioeconomy Fund" (ECBF). The ECBF is the first venture fund exclusively dedicated to the bioeconomy, especially the circular bioeconomy, in Europe. Just recently, four investors contributed 82 million euros to the first round of financing, enabling Prolupin and PeelPioneers to support their growth phase.

Biologization and digitization are well-known drivers for the change towards a bio-based and sustainable economy. The High-Tech Forum has now analyzed the innovation potential of the so-called bio-IT.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has relaunched the Research Framework Program "Research for Sustainability" (FONA), which has been running since 2005. It focuses on the 17 global sustainability goals of the United Nations.

Plastic shopping bags have been part of people's everyday lives for a long time. However, in recent years, the images of beaches and seas polluted by plastic waste have triggered society's rethinking: Many customers bring their own bags for shopping. Likewise, retailers offer reusable alternatives or paper bags, and charge a few cents for each plastic bag sold. With regards to environmental protection and resource conservation, Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze launched a draft law banning plastic bags in November 2019.

For the past nine months, the coronavirus has determined the lives of people worldwide. From hygiene rules to contact and travel restrictions: the consequences of the pandemic are felt in all areas of social life. But the fight for survival has also shown new ways and made people more aware of issues such as sustainability and environmental protection. Can the crisis be seen as an opportunity for a transformation of society towards more sustainability? This question was the focus of the now 13th German Sustainability Day in Düsseldorf.

Once again, Germany has a Bioeconomy Council: On December 7, 2020, the expert body met in a new composition and began its work - virtually, of course. There had already been a German Bioeconomy Council from 2009 to 2012 and from 2012 to 2019, which acted as an advisory body to the German government. The third council now has the particular task of accompanying the implementation of the National Bioeconomy Strategy adopted in January 2020.