Todays Global Intelligence: 16 October 2026

Bioeconomy: Europe. As the EU weighs binding targets for bio-based content in plastics, MEP Jeannette Baljeu and Braskem’s Katarina Molin discuss how policymakers can create real market incentives for investment without compromising credible sustainability standards. Katarina Molin: Europe needs legally binding bio-based content targets, and it needs them in this mandate. In my view, one of the clearest ways to do this is through sector-specific targets for bio-based content, which would give companies the confidence to invest in innovation, production capacity and feedstock development. Jeannette Baljeu: Europe needs to create a real market for sustainable products. Clear and predictable EU rules can give companies the certainty they need to invest and scale. Binding targets can serve as a catalyst for investment if they are realistic and coupled with a level playing field. Link 16/10/2026.

Bioeconomy: India. India now races to sit among the world’s top three biotechnology powers with a bioeconomy that aims to grow from USD 195.3 billion in 2025 to USD 2.6 trillion by 2047. On that path, the real question lies in the gap between capacity and resilience. From generics to vaccines to biosimilars, India manufactures at a scale few countries match. We have built capacity, but dependence has not disappeared. Substituting imports at the product level alone would repeat the API story. Lasting self-reliance requires platforms India controls. DBT already applies this logic to microbes: its BioE3 Strain Resource Centre provides indigenous strains with freedom to operate, specifically to reduce reliance on imported strains. The same thinking must now reach the hosts that make complex proteins. The answer to platform concentration is not to pick one replacement. Biomanufacturing is a family of production systems, each with a different strength, and India should hold a portfolio of them. Link 16/10/2026

Biotechnolgy: Denmark. Danish biotech startup Cellugy has run its fermentation process at 15,000 liters. That is a tenfold scale-up. The company reports consistent product quality and performance at the larger volume.The run took place at Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP) in Belgium. The site uses industrially relevant fermentation equipment. The goal was to test the robustness, reproducibility and scalability of Cellugy’s platform. The platform uses microbial fermentation to make tailored exopolysaccharides (EPS). These biopolymers provide rheology, stabilization, sensory and bioactive functions. Cellugy says they can replace petrochemical and microplastic-based materials without losing performance. The first product is EcoFLEXY Rheo. It is a biodegradable rheology modifier for personal care. The company says it delivers strong suspension, stability and sensory performance, even in demanding formulations. The platform runs on a common fermentation backbone. Link 16/10/2026.

e-fuels: Germany. Turn2x doesn’t just produce synthetic methane: The Munich startup relies on comparatively small, modular plants to produce a gas that is chemically identical to fossil natural gas and can therefore, according to the company, be transported via existing gas infrastructure and used in existing applications. The process combines two feedstocks: renewable hydrogen and biogenic CO2. First, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen via electrolysis using renewable electricity. The hydrogen then reacts with CO2 in a methanation reactor to form methane. Technologically, Turn2x relies on a so-called honeycomb reactor. Instead of a conventional fixed-bed reactor with bulk material, the startup uses a metal body featuring numerous narrow channels whose surfaces are coated with catalyst material. The design is intended to dissipate heat particularly quickly, thereby enabling flexible load changes. Link 16/10/2026.

Hydrogen: The Netherlands. Dutch refuelling firm Fountain Fuel has cut its hydrogen pump prices to €10.95/kg ($12.70), with logistics companies offered rates of €8/kg ($8.95) excluding VAT, or lower for high-volume purchases. Effective from Wednesday (October 14), the reductions are aimed at improving the commercial case for hydrogen-powered transport as fleet operators weigh the technology against battery-electric and conventional diesel vehicles. Link 16/10/2026.

Marine fuels: China Ningbo-Zhoushan Port completed the country’s first simultaneous supply of three alternative marine fuels at three locations within the same port complex Sept. 30, delivering LNG, green methanol and B24 biofuel to international ships during dockside operations. Three bunkering vessels supplied approximately 7,400 cubic meters of LNG at Chuanshan, 7,500 metric tons of green methanol at Meishan and 3,000 metric tons of B24 biofuel oil at Daxie, three separate operating districts of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. The methanol delivery set a new Zhejiang province record for a single bunkering operation. Link 16/10/2026.