It is a fundamental human right to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. As of September 2022, it is now an obligation to fulfil this right, according to the United Nations General Assembly and the 150 world leaders that convened at the summit. So, how do we get there?
The WWF rightly states in its Living Planet Report that ‘for far too long people have borrowed from our environmental future to pay for our economic present’. Due to current political tensions intensifying multiple back-to-back crises, pledges from government leaders are just not enough. According to the WWF, the route to 1.5oC requires global emissions to be 50% less than current emissions by 2030 and net zero by 20501.
A circular model is no longer just a way forward, it’s a vital approach to minimising the loss of warm-water corals, mangroves and the Amazon that are critical lifelines to decarbonising our planet.
At biomega®, we work to support a circular economy. Here, we refuse what we do not need, reduce what we do need, reuse and recycle wherever possible, and finally rethink our processes to drive innovation at scale. In this way we are circular by nature and circular by process. Yet we know we can do more.
Below are the top reasons the world needs companies that promote this methodology, alongside the challenges that drive biomega® to continue researching, developing and innovating for a better future.
Upcycling rest raw material for a nature positive society
Approximately 30% of all food is wasted, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization2. Yet 75% of our food intake equates to just 12 crops and five animal species3, despite the thousands of edible plant species and animals that we could utilise. This is why upcycling rest raw materials of the food we consume is so important – and 60% of people surveyed by Upcycled Food agree.
In the marine industry, it’s well known that enzyme-assisted processes aid in the recovery of value-added biomolecules from raw materials with a minimal environmental impact. At biomega®, our continuous enzymatic process enables us to upcycle salmon rest raw materials into high value, premium peptides and oils for the health food and petfood industries. With companies like biomega® at the helm of innovative processes, a nature positive society is still within reach.
Advancements in technological processes for a circular future
The speed at which our technical knowledge as a collective society is growing rapidly. For instance, biomega® has recently built from the ground up a new biorefinery in Hirtshals, Denmark, to recover excess energy and water as part of a new innovative and circular solution.
By establishing our new biorefinery in Hirtshals, which is an important hub for salmon rest raw material generation, we have substantially decreased our demands on transportation and logistics, further reducing our environmental impact with lower CO2 emissions.
It was with this increased technical knowledge that enabled us to create a biorefinery process that reduces impact on the environment wherever possible. As a result, we won a multi-million grant named the ‘LIFE CONQUER’ project, which is financially supported by the European Commission Programme for Environment and Climate Action and the LIFE Programme, and co-funded by the European Union. In addition, the LIFE CONQUER project funding will also enable the biomega® team to increase the quantities of salmon rest raw material for human consumption.
By working together with organisations like the LIFE Programme, Marin Trust and more, alongside our raw material suppliers, biomega® will continue to dedicate research and development resources into the discovery of new technology to drive innovation at scale.
Despite the multiple crises unfolding around the world, we must focus on our vision for the future. We must drive the point home that circular is a way of life – after all our planet deserves it.
For more information on how biomega® is incorporating circular strategies, contact us at sales@biomega.com or visit https://www.lifeconquer.eu/
References:
1. WWF, Living Planet Report, 2022
2. Upcycled Food, 2021
3. Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2021
