Working Group on the Industrial Bioeconomy hosts parliamentary breakfast

 

The Working Group on the Industrial Bioeconomy invited members of the Bundestag to attend a parliamentary breakfast on 31 May, aimed at keeping the lawmakers informed about the latest developments in industrial bioeconomy and bio-based raw materials. The patron of the event, Heinz Riesenhuber, Alterspräsident (Father of the House) of the German Bundestag, delivered the welcome address. Andre Koltermann, board member of BIO Deutschland and senior vice president and head of Group Biotechnology at Clariant Produkte, followed with a short introductory talk. The chairman of BIO Deutschland’s Working Group on the Industrial Bioeconomy and CEO of Direvo Industrial Biotechnology, Jörg Riesmeier, then gave an overview of the association’s current demands in the area of industrial biotechnology. Against the backdrop of the pressing need to make the economy sustainable in order to reach climate goals and end our dependence on the finite resource of crude oil, Riesmeier highlighted the innovative power of cutting-edge biotechnologies using real-life examples. Riesmeier also told lawmakers that the current market conditions, which are greatly impacted by the low price of oil, are keeping innovations from reaching the marketplace. He added that this is impeding and delaying key technological advances to reduce greenhouse gases. In a recent position paper, the Working Group on the Industrial Bioeconomy therefore calls for the creation of framework conditions that enable companies to bring sustainable processes and products to the market. Charli Kurse, chairman of the Working Group on Industrial Cell Technology and director of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Marine Biotechnology (EMB), spoke about the potential cell technology holds for the sustainable production of feedstuffs – e.g. the manufacturing of fishmeal from fish cell cultures for aquaculture – and for the industrial healthcare sector. After the presentations, there ensued lively discussion on topics such as the potential of commercially reusable residual materials, the efficiency of CO2 fixation and the structure of possible public support for production facilities for innovative bio-based products.  

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