| Posted June 14, 2023

New Horizon Europe Project SOILUTIONS Launched: Unlocking the Potential of Bio-Waste Soil Improvers

Can soil improvers made from biowaste pave the way for a more sustainable future? The new European Horizon project, SOILUTIONS intends to remove the barriers to market access for these products. Over the next three years, this ambitious initiative aims to revolutionise soil health and reduce the use of mineral fertilisers. The urgency related to soil health has risen to the forefront of European and global environmental policies. The European Commission has set its sights on the EU Mission Soil Health and Food to ensure that 75% of soils attain robust health by 2030, and ultimately achieving the 100% mark […]

| Posted June 13, 2023

Storytelling for Impact: The Case of Our CATALYST Project

Who doesn’t love a good story: be it in books, movies or conversations. Years of scientific research hint that our brains have evolved to tell, understand, and retain stories. We remember stories longer than other types of information and they have a stronger influence on us than just facts. That’s why storytelling is such a powerful tool to connect with people. But what about the role of stories in the working world? How can stories help us convey complex messages in meaningful ways and trigger actors to take action? How can we use stories to increase the impact of our […]

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Collaborating for Biodiversity: Our UBi Project Brings Together 160 Key Actors at the Dialogue Forum in Berlin

At its most recent Dialogue Forum held in June 2023 in Berlin, Germany, our UBi (Business & Biodiversity) project brought together businesses, nature conservation organisations, policy makers and scientists to find new synergies toward halting and reversing biodiversity loss. The participants, including many from businesses and business associations, were addressed via video by the German Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, Steffi Lemke. In her address, she emphasised the need for businesses to actively promote the conservation of biodiversity both nationally as well as on a global level. At the launch of the panel […]

| Posted June 5, 2023

Enhancing Sustainable Tourism Practices in Central Asia

Known for its vast mountains and beautiful landscapes, Kyrgyzstan is a major destination in Central Asia for nature-lovers from around the globe. While tourism is a strong economic pillar of the country, it comes with trade-offs such as resource depletion and pollution. Through the EU Switch-Asia project PERETO, we are engaging with Kyrgyz national and local institutions to introduce and enhance sustainable tourism practices that lead to a more resilient future. In particular, PERETO’s focus is on introducing sustainable consumption and production (SCP) measures to the local tourism sector as well as to local consumers, decision makers and financial institutions. […]

| Posted June 1, 2023

How Our SteamBioAfrica Project is Supporting Clean and Secure Energy in Africa

Energy is essential in our everyday lives. However, peaking energy prices have increased levels of energy poverty and insecurity for many communities around the globe. The situation is particularity dire in sub-Saharan Africa. In countries like South Africa, 47% of the households face energy poverty, spending as much as 27% of their income on energy*. In Botswana, up to 75% of the rural population has no access to clean energy for cooking and in Namibia up to 64% of the rural population has no access to electricity**. Through an EU-Africa industry-research partnership, the SteamBioAfrica project is tackling energy poverty and […]

| Posted May 30, 2023

Supporting Communities to Become Resilient Through Better Crisis Management

Imagine developing innovative solutions to tackle emergency situations, but when it comes to their implementation a series of practical challenges emerge. How best to account for the uptake and mainstreaming of effective novel technologies by the key actors who will be using them? The PathoCERT project, through its pilot cases and multi-stakeholder engagement processes, tackles this, enabling not only the testing of developed technologies, but also facilitating co-development and feedback mechanisms thanks to its Communities of Practices (CoPs) approach. An efficient response to waterborne pathogen contamination events requires a high-level of coordination among all actors, from those in charge of […]

| Posted May 24, 2023

Our REIF Project: How Artificial Intelligence Can Save Food

The complexity of the food industry has so far been a hurdle to food waste reduction. On the positive side, due to this complexity, the food industry generates an above-average amount of data that can now be harnessed through disruptive approaches such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). Through the digital marketplace, the REIF project wants to enable a value-added network for the food industry to create synergies and use AI in ways that benefit the industry, the environment, and society alike. The AI services offered on the marketplace, can help actors implement various measures for the respective value-added stages along the […]

| Posted May 23, 2023

“Bridging the Sustainability Skills Gap” – Meet Us at the EU Green Week on 8 June 2023 in Brussels!

Digitalisation holds great potential in helping industries to accelerate their decarbonisation journeys. A digital and future-oriented economy can enable Europe to strengthen its industrial position while driving climate neutrality. However, this ambition is strongly linked to the urgency of upskilling and reskilling EU citizens through a mix of policy interventions and industry solutions. The EU Green Week partner event „Green Digital Skills for Sustainable Value Chains: Bridging the Sustainability Skills Gap“, hosted by the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) will shed light on current European policies and how these convert into industrial actions. The one-day event will address the following […]

| Posted May 11, 2023

Toward a Carbon Neutral Future: Join the Urban-Zero Festival on 13 May 2023 in Duisburg!

How can a zero-waste, carbon-neutral city district look like? How might relevant actors come together and create positive impact? At the Urban Zero-Festival, the municipal enterprise Duisburg will showcase ideas connected to zero-waste and discuss them with the participants. Don’t miss the festival on 13 May 2023! The festival is the starting point of the Urban Zero Initiative, which aims to make Ruhrort the world’s first carbon-neutral neighbourhood by 2029. Through more green spaces, sustainable offers, energy solutions, and mobility concepts, the initiative will benefit the environment and local residents alike. During the festival, the participants can experience, discover, and […]

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Renewable Material of the Year 2023

Global demand for embedded carbon (the carbon in molecules) is expected to increase significantly by 2050. Today, the vast majority of embedded carbon comes from fossil feedstocks, including oil, natural gas and coal. To achieve a fully de-fossilised economy, this demand must be met exclusively by renewable carbon sources, such as biomass. The Renewable Materials Conference, taking place on 23-25 May 2023 in Siegburg/Cologne (Germany), is a platform for showcasing achievements in the field of renewable materials. The conference brings together experts, stakeholders, and industry leaders to discuss latest developments and share their visions and strategies for the future. With […]

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