The Department of Economic Development and Infrastructure of the Basque Government has promoted the creation of the Basque Alliance of Bioeconomics. Currently, 10 private companies and representatives of public entities participate: SPRI Group, Basque Energy Agency, NEIKER Technology Center and HAZI Foundation; the latter shall assume the duties of the Technical Secretariat.

The aim of the BEA will be to create a network of business stakeholders that strengthen this economic model that creates biology-based products, and establish a structured partnership between public institutions, technology centers and companies to grow this form of economic production and creation.

The Basque Government believes that the Basque Country has sufficient natural resources and technological capabilities to explore the new possibilities of this economic model.

The Department of Economic Development and Infrastructure has reinforced the support provided for this initiative through a unique grant program of € 1,000,000.

10 start-up companies with 10 real projects

• The companies selected to form BEAs come from a wide variety of sectors such as the vehicle industry, energy, construction, textile and cosmetics, among others. Initially, bioeconomic projects that support the presence of these companies are mainly based on wood resources, although in some cases they have products based on another type of bio resource.
• BIOTERMIES: “Biofuels are a platform for the development of heating and industrial heat installations. We integrate forestry producers and wood transformers with companies that provide energy services and public administrations to obtain a complete supply guarantee and a logistics network that offers the quality of biofuels. ”
• CIKAUTXO: “At CIKAUTXO, we are promoting initiatives that seek more sustainable, environmentally friendly polymeric raw materials, with two goals: reducing oil-related components, and adding recycled biomaterials to our compounds. In recent years, we have developed various technologies for the recycling of rubber through innovative processes to de-rubberize rubber; in fact, this material is considered as a recyclable raw material ”.
• EGOIN. “Our company designs, deals with, innovates, manufactures and assembles innovative wooden structural solutions based on raw materials from km 0. We are committed to wood. It is considered to be a building material in the 20th century because it is environmentally friendly and reduces the carbon footprint. Compared to the traditional construction of the 20th century. Among the projects currently underway, we are highlighting the fact that we are building the largest residential building of official protection, in Cornellá de Llobregat, Barcelona: it has 5 floors and 85 houses; for this purpose, a total of 2,100 cubic meters of forest with certified certification will be used ”
  GLOBAL EFFICIENCY ARANGUREN– GLEFARAN: “We are a company that focuses on the circular economy and the bioeconomy, the Basque capital, and is dedicated to managing forest biomass and producing renewable energy, developing a project on innovative uses of biotech. Microorganism-enriched biotech improves the nutrition of animals and plants, and allows for the development of new applications for biomass. In animal nutrition, it facilitates digestion and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. As a fertilizer, it has very interesting effects on agriculture, for example, it better retains water, improves nutrient balance, and deactivates contaminants in the soil.
  WORK. BEGUR project. “The aim of the project is to explore the feasibility of taking advantage of wood waste (sawdust) and to create a new high value-added material that will be used to manufacture urban furniture or other items. To do this, the smallest part of the wood will be used to obtain a WPC plastic-wood composite, coated with the finest wood fibers with plastic polymers and additives. In this way, 50% of the plastic material can be replaced with wood products ”.
• MARIA DUOL. “We have been designing, producing and marketing cosmetics products of the highest quality and natural active principles for 28 years. We combine the rigorous scientific research and technological development, as well as the skin health care of individuals, based on the use of natural active subjects for this purpose. In this way, we diversify the cosmetics market through a variety of production activities, with a range of bio-products, such as acquiring the antioxidant power of Resveratrol in grape pipes, using nature's properties.
• PAPER. Pilot project to study tissue fiber production from a mixture of recycled and virgin cellulose cellulose pulp. “The goal is to test and implement a technology that produces petroleum-based materials that can better replace the environment and the economy, for the use of cellulose pulp from forest origin, whether virgin, paper, cardboard or recycled. The specific interest of this project is to adapt this process in other countries to the material and cellulose characteristics of the Basque Country. To identify the advantages and disadvantages ».
• SKFK: “In its creations in ethical fashion, it prioritizes native and sustainable materials. In this respect, cellulose fibers, such as Lyocella (most commonly called Tencel), have priority over the brand. They offer several advantages: durability, versatility, texture and also environmentally friendly. Thanks to Lyocella, natural material made from cellulose or wood, we are committed to producing 100% sustainable clothing made in the Basque Country. ”
• SMURFIT KAPPA. “We have developed and patented a new paper product: AgroPaper®. Made from pine fiber, it is 100% renewable, biodegradable raw material, designed for use as an agricultural land cover, replacing black plastic. In this way, we prevent the growth of weeds and encourage the development of the plant; its added value is that it is not necessary to remove it at the end of the crop because it can be crushed, adding organic matter to the soil. We save farmers time and costs, and we do not pollute the land with plastic waste.

Source of information: irekia.euskadi.eus