The BioBag Group & our parent company Novamont are global leaders in the BioEconomy.
WHAT IS THE BIOECONOMY?
The BioEconomy describes the use of renewable, natural resources, like crops. to produce food, materials & energy. It can also harness the potential stored in the millions of tons of organic waste and biological materials produced worldwide. Moving from a fossil fuel-based to a BioEconomy has great benefits. It will help Europe achieve a circular, lower-carbon economy and will contribute to climate & environmental protection.
The BioEconomy is also a large provider of employment outside the primary agricultural sector. In the EU, production of non-food, bio-based products accounts for over 2.7 million jobs and growing annually.
OUR CONTRUBUTION
Agriculture, including animal rearing and forestry, has traditionally been a source of fibres, fuel, construction and other materials. Specifically many non-food crop uses, such as textile production, are widely known. Others may be less familiar, like bioplastic products which BioBag manufactures from plant-based polymers.
Consumer actions can also make a contribution. For example by switching to ‘green’ products like compostables and by using organic waste collections and food recycling.
BioBag products help to divert ‘organic‘ waste, like food, away from landfill and incinerators and towards biological decomposition or ‘composting‘. Compost is used to improve soil quality; soil is the basis of the world’s food supply but is a limited resource. Globally it is expected that the amount of cultivable soil per head could be halved by 2050, due to over development, erosion, and deforestation. From now consumer production and consumption must be circular so that we use the fewest resources possible, use those resources sensibly and then ensure that they can be reused.
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES IN EUROPE
BioBag’s parent company, Novamont, is a pioneer in the development of production processes & products helping to decarbonise the economy & reduce CO2 emissions.
“We don’t simply produce products. Everyone agrees it’s great to produce sustainable products. But we also need to be aware of the economic mindset we wish to aim for. In addition to products there must also be an interest in quality of life for people,” says CEO of Novamont, Catia Bastioli.
As a result of this commitment to sustainable processes, the plants used as raw material in the manufacture of Biobag bags are cultivated using a BioEcomony model. The essential components of our bags include non-food plant starch & oils. At every stage of the growing process, we support European farmers in using sustainable agri-practices on unirrigated and economically marginal soil to grow the crops needed. This approach protects communities and soil resources.
Caption: A delegation visiting the industrial cardoon crops developed in marginal areas in North Sardinia, Italy.
PLANT BASED RAW MATERIALS
Cardoon and Safflower are two oilseed crops which fit well with our model. They can be cultivated on abandoned or marginal soil. In addition, thanks to their properties, cardoon and safflowers can provide oil and biomass that meet the requirements of the biorefinery used for the production of low environmental impact bioproducts.
THE ADVANTAGES TO COMMUNITIES
Bioeconomic production methods present significant advantages for our society. These include:
- Benefitting the environment by reducing greenhouse gases
- Reducing waste and pollution
- Stimulating rural communities through establishment of local industries
- Providing new markets for farmers
- Improving the economic competitiveness of the agri-industry with new markets and products
Our companies’ commitment to the BioEconomy model and to sustainable practices during the European production process are some of the reasons that BioBag bags are different to other ‘green’ bags.
Want to know more? Read …
‘Europe’s soil is increasingly at risk — and here’s how to revive it’.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2019) ‘How the circular economy tackles climate change’.
Catia Bastioli (2017). ’A circular approach to bioeconomy: an opportunity to decarbonise the economy and reconnect it with society’.
(2020). ‘Sustainable development is a necessity for everyone.
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