CARINA and CAMELINA projects at the Circular Bioeconomy Conference
Milan, February 15th 2023 – At the “Circular Bioeconomy Conference: Enabling Sustainability and Resilience”, attendees from 7 partner organizations and 4 European countries met to unfold the potential of hemp as a promising biomass for circular and bio-based applications. The conference was organized by HempClub, a COSME-funded European project and coordinated by the Lombardy Green Chemistry Association. The event was held on 14. February 2023 at the University of Milano-Bicocca. Participants had the opportunity to learn also about the CARINA project.
CARINA initiative aims to diversify the EU farming system by providing alternative oils extracted from Carinata and Camelina plants. These can be transformed into innovative bio-based products (bioherbicides, bioplastics). The project was presented by our CEO, Mr. Marco Bernasconi, who highlighted the key aspects of the project and its potential to promote awareness of all the actors along the value chain, through their direct engagement in social innovation.
The CARINA project is part of the FLANAT’s Life Cycle Thinking approach for implementing cultivation and transformation of Camelina oil and by-products in Italy. The Camelina project, started in 2017, has brought FLANAT to develop different food product concepts for a healthy nutrition from the cold pressed oil, rich in omega 3 and Vitamin E, to the development of a functional extract to implement bio-accessibility of natural ingredients.
The conference itself focused on demonstration how circular bioeconomy models can respond to the challenges of today's world, including the energy crisis, raw material shortages, and climate change. Concrete case studies were presented in the form of funded projects that, through research and innovation, aim to overcome these challenges. The event drew the attention towards the production of bio-based and circular products to which FLANAT’s Camelina projects fulfills all requirements to be considered a sustainable and circular project.
Many students, researchers, professors, companies, as well as public authorities took chance to attend the event. Companies were also invited to join the B2B and matchmaking that was held in the afternoon aiming to create new business opportunities in the bioeconomy sector. B2B is an excellent opportunity to meet new potential customers, suppliers, and cooperation partners. Companies operating in different application sectors, from cosmetics to buildings, including food, green chemistry, and many others, were invited to join this event.