Circular bioeconomy, territories and innovation: discover themes on the latest edition of Ecomondo events to which Novamont took part

From 8 to 11 November, Ecomondo, Europe's leading trade fair for industrial and technological innovation in the circular economy, was held in Rimini.
Novamont was among the protagonists of this edition, to present its circular bioeconomy model alongside supply chain partners at the Sviluppoumbria and Regione Umbria’s stand throughout a rich program of events:

November 8^th - CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR FOOD
The conference, organised by the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo and Italia Circolare, was an opportunity to present the dissemination platform on circular economy issues applied to food entitled "Circular Economy for food," developed by the University in collaboration with Italia Circolare.
Andrea Di Stefano, Head of Business Communications and Special Projects Novamont, also participated in the event, citing some of our circular bioeconomy projects and recalling how waste, becoming a resource, it is transformed into a real opportunity for territories.

November 8^th - A CIRCULAR BIOECONOMY MANIFESTO. The appeal from Umbria region to the entire Italy to make it a strategic sector
During the meeting, the Umbria region (?) presented and launched the "Circular Bioeconomy Manifesto from Umbria for Italy," the initiative realized with Novamont and several players in the bioeconomy supply chain, which aims to be an appeal towards policy makers so that the strategic value of this sector could be concretely recognized, for the development and competitiveness of our country.
The event, moderated by the journalist Maria Soave, was held within the Umbria Sustainability Valley workshop area and live streamed. It was also attended by Catia Bastioli, CEO Novamont. In her speech, Bastioli recalled the role of bioplastics in protecting the environment and in particular the soil, highlighting how the quality of this precious resource is an important measure for the health system and the territory.

November 9^th - TRANSITION TOWARDS CARBON NEUTRALITY
The event, organized by the Ecomondo Technical and Scientific Committee, BNCT working party and the OECD, was an important opportunity to discuss the progress of the project on the OECD's "Carbon Management of Bio-, Nano- and Converting Technologies (BNCT) working party." During the initiative the opportunities for the chemical industry sector in relation to the transition to carbon neutrality were outlined and some case studies were also presented.
Among the speakers also Giulia Gregori, Strategic Planning and Corporate Communication Manager of Novamont and General Secretary (?) of Italian Cluster of Circular Bioeconomy SPRING. Giulia Gregori illustrated the key role of the Italian bioplastics supply chain in the transition to climate neutrality, thanks to the development of renewable products, which use biomass in a carbon-neutral perspective, but also biodegradable and compostable products, which contribute to the reduction of organic waste pollution and the restoration of soil fertility.

November 9^th - EMBRACED FINAL EVENT
The final event of Embraced, the European project funded by the Bio-based Industries Undertaking (BBI-JU now CBE-JU) within the European research and innovation program Horizon 2020, was held at the Umbria Sustainability Valley workshop area.
Embraced objective is the realization of a first-of-its-kind demonstration plant of an integrated biorefinery based on the valorisation of the cellulosic fraction of Absorbent Hygiene products (AHP) waste to produce biobased building blocks, polymers and fertilizers.
At the event, moderated by Orsola Bolognani, Novamont Program Manager, Davide Perini, Biotechnology Laboratories Manager Novamont - Biotechnology Area, took part to illustrate the Group's activities within the project, highlighting the valorisation of cellulose with a circular bioeconomy approach.
Among the speakers also Marco Mancini, Legambiente Scientific Office, Lucrezia Lenardon, ReteAmbiente, Marco Mattiello, Contarina International Relations Manager.
During the initiative a showcase was opened to give the chance to the visitors to see with their eyes the supply chain and the developed applications within the project.
Learn more about the project on the official website: https://www.embraced.eu/
Rewatch the event on Embraced project’s website or on Novamont Youtube channel

November 9^th – “Biorefineries for land regeneration: state of the art and critical issues”
The conference, promoted by Ecomondo's Scientific Technical Committee and the Italian Cluster for the Circular Bioeconomy SPRING, aimed to highlight the strengths, priorities and challenges for the bioeconomy, a strategic sector that is proving to be able to regenerate dismissed areas, create new jobs and bioproducts that do not impact ecosystems.
Among the speakers also Alberto Fragapane, Institutional Communication and Novamont Study Center, who participated at the panel discussion "Biorefineries for the regeneration of territories, challenges and opportunities" to present Novamont case study as a concrete example of how bioeconomy can be a driver for employment and economic development while respecting the environment.

November 10^th – “The Umbrian biomaterials value chain. Strengths and critical issues”
Organized by Sviluppumbria, the event "The Umbrian biomaterials value chain. Strengths and critical issues.". It offered participants the opportunity to learn more about the European project GR.O.U.N.D., "Green On Umbria for New Development" funded by the European Commission, included within the Science Meets Regions program of the JRC (Joint Research Centre) and dedicated to the development of the circular economy and bioeconomy in the Umbria Region.
Michele Falce, Mater-Agro Director and Agricultural Value Chain Development Manager of Novamont took part to the workshop where he explained the Group's bioeconomy model and illustrated the experience of restoring an agricultural value to land located in marginal areas deriving from projects developed in the territories, such as #First2Run, Go-Card, Go-FORTe and Cometa.
The event is available on the POR FESR Regione Umbria Youtube channel (Italian language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFnsvnMpRpc

November 10^th – “The States General for Soil health”
During the Ecomondo event, the first edition of "The States General for Soil Health" organised from the scientific technical committee, from the European Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” and Re Soil Foundation with the aim to plot a course of the soil regeneration, a limited and non-renewable source fundamental to ensuring life on Earth, but increasingly at risk.
Catia Bastioli, CEO at Novamont, former member of the European Commission's Mission Soil Health and Food, Re Soil Foundation Member, and Roberto Moncalvo, President Coldiretti Piemonte, Re Soil Board Member were Session chairs for the international conference.
During the second session, Sara Guerrini, Agricultural Public Affairs Novamont, illustrated the Group’s contribution within Re Soil Foundation and to its project of mapping and monitoring Lighthouse farms, virtuous farms able to produce food and ecosystem services in a sustainable way and that carry out experimental activities on field to find innovative solutions for the environment.

November 10^th - VITALITY - Ecosystem of innovation
The "Vitality Ecosystem of Interregional Innovation" event was held at the Umbria Sustainability Valley workshop area, aimed at learning more about the objectives and activities of the Vitality project, financed through the "From Research to Enterprise" mission of the NRRP, an interregional innovation ecosystem that brings together the Umbria, Abruzzo and Marche regions. The project aims to create networks made up of universities, research organizations, territorial bodies and companies, which intervene in areas of technological specialization consistent with the territory's industrial and research vocations.
Among the speakers also Cecilia Giardi, Group Programm Financing Manager Novamont, with a presentation entitled "Biobased Materials and Integrated Bioeconomy Value Chains," in which she pointed out the Group's commitment within the spoke of the ecosystem dedicated to biomaterials, that will be developed in Terni.
Rewatch the conference at the POR FESR Regione Umbria Youtube page (Italian language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD4jc6EdaFE

November 10^th - The importance of measuring sustainability in business
At the Umbria Sustainability Valley workshop area, the event "The importance of measuring sustainability in business. Regulatory developments, vision, strategy and applicable methodologies" was held.
The workshop, organised by Sviluppumbria with the cooperation of Novamont, the Università degli Studi di Perugia, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna and ENEA - Department for Sustainability Division Resource, allowed to learn more about how the application of a measurement methodology not only allows for the identification of efficiency areas, cost decrease and reduction of environmental impact, but also supports the achievement and maintenance of environmental certifications as well as a valuable tool for achieving the goals of the company's sustainability strategy.
Among the speakers also Francesco Razza, Group Sustainability Manager Novamont, who described the Group's experience on this issue, highlighting its commitment to transparent and comprehensive activities’ reporting through important tools such as the Sustainability Report, the Impact Report and B2B communication at product level.
The event is available at the POR FESR Regione Umbria Youtube page (Italian language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR9ARxox_gc