Opportunities and challenges of the industrial bioeconomy – Economics Minister Neubaur in dialogue with North Rhine-Westphalian industry – CLIB

The opportunities and challenges of the industrial bioeconomy in North Rhine-Westphalia were discussed in a dialogue between industry representatives and Economics Minister Mona Neubaur. The industrial bioeconomy is a key to transforming NRW as an industrial centre into Europe’s first climate-neutral industrial region. To achieve this, politics and industry must work together to replace fossil carbon with renewable carbon and integrate innovative technologies into industrial processes. Economics Minister Mona Neubauer emphasised that the industrial and sustainable use of biological resources, processes and systems makes companies less dependent on fossil raw materials, creates future-proof, skilled jobs and maintains their competitiveness. The industrial bioeconomy therefore makes a valuable contribution to establishing new value networks and holistic industrial cycles, thereby also securing the future of NRW as a industrial region.

CLIB was able to support the preparation of the discussion in close coordination with the Bioeconomy Department of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and co-moderate and accompany the discussion in the person of Ms Sarah Refai.

With the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, all participants confirmed the importance of the industrial bioeconomy for North Rhine-Westphalia.

Memorandum of Understanding

In favour of an industrial bioeconomy in North Rhine-Westphalia

The transformation to an industrial bioeconomy is of central importance for the industrial state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Its potential must be utilised in order to achieve the climate targets while at the same time preserving nature and prosperity. Fossil carbon must be replaced by renewable carbon in close co-operation between politics and industry. It is important to utilise all available sustainable carbon sources and to integrate innovative technologies that have already been developed into industrial processes and bring them to market. In order to realise this transformation, it is necessary to create new value networks and to think in terms of holistic industrial cycles. (Translated from the German original)