Earth Day has a very important meaning to our team as it was on this day that our co-founders Georgios Savoglidis, Sviatlana Siankevich and Georgios Fengos decided to create a company that could develop platform technology to effectively make use of the ‘waste’ accrued during food and beverage processing.
We were confident that working in conjunction with an expert team of research and development scientists, we could develop technology to unlock the hidden value of these resources, while reducing global emissions, water, and land use by reducing the amount of food we need to grow. Here, our CEO Georgios Savoglidis shares some of Embion’s successes and challenges during the past few years!
Q: What in your estimation is Embion’s biggest highlight to date?
A: We have successfully developed and registered Prembion™ our feed ingredient for better feed efficiency in animals, which is derived from Brewers spent grains. A big highlight was that this innovative product attracted the attention of the Asahi Group, who were looking for better ways to valorize their own spent grains. Our relationship with them developed and they are now both a shareholder and a development partner for our food and beverage ingredients.
Q: What does this relationship mean to the company?
A: It really helped bolster our profile as a young technology company, and we are now working with other market leaders to develop ingredients and solutions in diverse markets, with sustainability as one of the key drivers. The aim is to enable wider adoption of our breakthrough technology to ensure that there is a paradigm shift and that available resources that are currently undervalued are seen for what they are: full of potential for contributing to the next generation of nutrition.
Q: What are some of your successes and future goals for Embion?
A: To upcycle one million tons of biomass. While it is certainly an ambitious target, it is one we can certainly achieve by making our technology available in more food production processes. Having managed to build a world class team that is driven by the same passion and commitment was one of the biggest successes so far and we hope to continue attracting extraordinary talent. Such ambitious goals can only be achieved if we have a well aligned and equally highly motivated team. And this holds true and scales beyond our company to the world -we need actionable actions on the world stage level to make our impact felt.
Q: Are events like Earth Day still meaningful today? If so, why?
A: When you participate in building a business from the start, it is easy to be drawn into the details and eventually miss the bigger picture. Embion is to one extent impact driven. Anniversaries such as this help remind us that we need to step back and focus on the future vision and either set course or correct if necessary. At Embion, we pledge that on the Earth Day anniversary from 2023 onwards we will announce impact performance metrics. It is our commitment for a better future for the people and the planet.
Q: What are the challenges in the move to a zero-waste economy?
A: Consciousness of the issue and willingness to change. In terms of resource use, apply locally and multiply globally! When I was young, my mother used to make us sweets from the skins of citrus fruits. Today, many young people do not even eat the fruit itself, let alone the skin that contains all valuable nutritional and active molecules. Generations can dramatically change perceptions and habits. We need to pass the message from an early age to our children that we are all responsible for our future. Changing attitudes at consumer level to buy only what is needed and change diets, since some waste has more embedded impact than others on GHG emissions, water, and land. Embion works at the level of food producers, using their co-products and waste streams, but waste needs to be addressed at each step of the way from harvest to consumer. We hope to make our work known to all audiences and inspire change.
Q: While a tech pioneer, Embion is also about safeguarding the world’s future resources. What is your advice for other companies wanting to do the same?
A: Go for it! We need many different technologies, often complementary, to achieve a circular world. Network like crazy; companies out there need solutions and are really open to collaboration! Also, this maybe obvious, but think global, act local! We need to fix our production systems and part of this is about making sure we use local resources in the best way.
Q: This year’s Earth Day theme is ‘Invest in your planet.’ From a personal perspective, what will the Embion team be doing to live up to this goal this year?
A: As a team, we have decided to organize events around Lac Leman in Switzerland to take care of our local environment, from clean-ups to helping get rid of invasive plant species around rivers and streams.
Q: What is next for Embion?
A: It is an exciting year at Embion. We continue to scale up our team and operations, while expanding our IP in more application areas and wasted materials. And we look forward to launching products next year in both cosmetic and animal feed applications. Remember, there is no waste – only wasted resources!
To find out more about Embion please visit www.embiontech.com