We won! madebymade is the winner of the Best Innovative Practice 2022 in Bioeconomy. We thank the German Biomass Research Center (DBFZ) for this award. We are thus also part of the EU’s BRANCHES network as one of 50 best practices across Europe. You can find our abstract with information about madebymade here. We are looking forward to future joint networking and to spreading our innovative technology in Europe.

The SPD member of parliament from the Leipzig district, Franziska Mascheck, visited our insect breeding facility last Friday together with Dr. Martin Rosemann, SPD spokesman for labor and social affairs, and Daniela Kolbe, deputy chairwoman of the DGB Saxony. Dr. Martin Rosemann, visited companies of different types throughout Germany last week, those that are currently facing and will face major challenges in the future, those that are affected by structural change, and also those that offer innovative solutions. madebymade combines these topics: in the former lignite area of Central Germany, proteins are produced in a circular economy, which address the future protein shortage. During the joint lunch, CEO and founder Dr. Jonas Finck explained the path of madebymade from its founding in 2017 until today and the special features of the black soldier fly. Afterwards, the insect breeding facility was visited and all individual production steps were explained. Martin Rosemann, Franziska Maschek and Daniela Kolbe were very interested in the industrial insect breeding, there was a lively exchange from the beginning, which continued during the tour of the production. The madebymade team thanks for the visit and the friendly exchange

On May 30th, the LIFE Awards will be presented to 12 finalists. The LIFE Awards recognize outstanding achievements in the fields of nature conservation, environment and climate protection. There are four nominated LIFE projects per category. Register at the following link to participate in the hybrid ceremony.

This September, we visited the Impact Festival in Offenbach and met many other initiatives and companies here that, like us, are committed to sustainability. Our flies and our larvae accompanied us. In this video Charlott explains you our all around sustainable concept. Our production steps, our final products and the locations of our next plants, we also discuss. Many thanks to Impact Festival for this contribution!

Under following link you can have a look at the LIFE field report of our managing director Kai Hempel. In cooperation with ZUG gGmbH it is about supporting new applicants for this program. The Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH supports the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) as a service provider in terms of content and administration in the implementation of funding programs and projects, such as LIFE. We would like to thank ZUG gGmbH and hope this interview provides valuable tips and tricks!

Newsletter

Project information

The project Waste2Protein is entitled „Pilot plant for insect protein production from organic residues as sustainable alternative to fish and soy meal for animal feed“  (LIFE 18 ENV/DE/000011). The LIFE program is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action, which began in 1992 and has to-date co-financed more than 5,400 projects. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental and climate policy and legislation by co-financing projects with European added value.

Project location

Pegau, Germany

Objectives

By 2050, the demand for animal protein will be 75% higher than it was in 2007 due to population growth in combination with an increase in meat consumption. Today, 70% of agricultural area is used for production of feed for animals; this inevitably leads to a shortage of feed for the increasing demand for livestock. Insects as an alternative source of protein are able to fill this gap. Feed experiments have shown that insect protein can in in fact replace conventional protein sources such as soy and fish meal. The increasing demand for fish meal has led to overfishing and loss of biodiversity; the cultivation of soy takes place on cleared forest areas.

The LIFE Waste2Protein project fosters the use of organic residues as a resource for the production of insect protein from larvae of the Black Soldier Flies (BSF). Insect protein meal is a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to soy and fish meal in the feed stuff industry. The project implements the EU’s waste and circular economy approach by closing the loop and using resources in an efficient and sustainable way. Specific project aims are as follows:

• To create a circular economy by using organic residues to produce valuable protein based on insect base, which creates new value chains and economic possibilities in the European Union.
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by substrating fish and soy flour in pet feed with sustainable insect protein. Dispersion due to the modular construction of the plant. Fast scaling of the plant to offer insect protein in large amounts on the market.-
• Preserving biodiversity by promoting alternative proteins.
• Conservation of biodiversity by production of alternative proteins.
• Reduction of pesticide use and land use.
• To create an industrial showcase which motivates policy makers to establish insect protein production as an alternative method for organic residues use and to encourage actors along the value chains to invest in sustainable concepts, as well as inform citizens about this sustainable solution.

Partner

AviComp Controls GmbH is a leading independent engineering contractor and a provider of superior Engineering consultancy services. The Company is our local partner, located in Leipzig. They specialize in the development and commissioning of industrial control systems.

Financing

Time period

Start:15.07.2019            

End: 14.01.2023

Networking: other LIFE projects

LIFE BAQUA – Full recovery of banana plant resiudes to aquaculture feed and plastics.

LIFE Food2Feed – Transformation of Hotel Food residues into animal feed.

LIFE Brewery – Full recovery of brewery residues to aquaculture feed.

From now until 2027, the EU will provide more funding and introduce new sub-programs to the LIFE program. These new programs include Nature and Biodiversity, Circular Economy and Quality of Life, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, and Clean Energy Transition. LIFE program funding will increase by nearly 60% for the next period. Since 1992, the LIFE program has supported the development of about 5500 projects. LIFE contributes to several European policies, such as the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030, the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Renovation Wave Strategy and the Green Recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic. We welcome the continued expansion of LIFE and look forward to more green initiatives like ours.