Unveiling the needs for a more impactful sector at Biotech for a Sustainable Future 2023
Last Thursday we brought together the Dutch agri, food and industrial biotech network at HollandBIO’s Biotech for a Sustainable Future event. We look back on a very interactive and inspiring afternoon, during which the audience consolidated the top three needs for biotech to reach its full potential: stimulative policy & legislation, supporting entrepreneurship, and better biotech storytelling.
Moderator Tirsa With (known as TV-host of Dutch youth show Klokhuis) did a great job connecting everyone before the keynotes even started. During an interactive session all participants shared their personal dreams for the future with biotech, setting a creative scene to start the afternoon.
Filmmaker and microbiologist Hidde Boersma provided a new narrative on sustainable food production and explained the opportunities and advantages to be obtained via land sparing. This served as a convincing introduction to his trailer for his recently in cinemas released movie Paved Paradise.
Lori Goff, Founder and CEO of Outlander Materials presented how waste is a choice and how we have got to rethink our relationship with plastic. It is Lori’s mission to make better materials for our future by converting low value side streams and wastes into UnPlastic, a functional, fully compostable, and completely non-plastic alternative for thin-film plastic.
After the two presentations it was time for another interactive exercise where participants thought actively about what we need to create a better planet with biotechnology and together came up with a top three:
- Stimulative policy & legislation (incl. true pricing)
- Supporting biotech entrepreneurship (including risk financing and facilities)
- Public acceptance of biotech and better storytelling (we need a cool and science-based narrative to tell the public)
After concluding the program with a summary of take-home messages, talks were continued while enjoying some delicious drinks and (vegetarian) snacks at the rooftop greenhouse of De Kas. We look forward to meeting you all again next year!
