CircHive Milan Biodiversity Day panel discussion: there is need to complement the current focus of biodiversity on risk aversion and management by incorporating it as a pillar of growth strategies. Biodiversity is an asset that can be used to build value from the natural capital feeding the value chains of our societies. This can bridge together the foci of different dimensions, economic, human, and natural.
“From biodiversity to diversity of food products to the diversity of bioeconomy”
— Alessandro Banterle, professor of food economics and policy at University of Milan
On the 15th of May, experts and stakeholders of the food and agricultural sectors gathered at the Fondazione UNIMI for Milan Biodiversity Day. In addition to insightful presentations from businesses, local collaborators, and research institutes, a panel discussion brought these diverse perspectives together under the themes of biodiversity, agriculture, and cross-sectoral integration.
The discussion produced both fundamental ideas from each panellist’s respective fields and cutting-edge strategies. These ranged from lessons learnt of the 20-year journey of Barilla’s sustainability strategy to what DNA barcoding provide to improving the robustness of data for biodiversity monitoring.
Sergio De Pisapia from Barilla, alleviated the importance of a bottom up approach meaning moving from the farmers to the company and not vice versa. “It is easier for the farmers to accept a new way of working, if we first collaborate with some forerunner farmers and then share the experiences.” Barilla is also providing economic incentives for the farmers to make the changes more sustainable also from an economical point of view.
Jessica Frigerio from University of Milano-Bicocca, explained about a new way of monitoring nature, DNA barcoding. The name is referring to the barcode of the products in the supermarket where each barcode corresponds only to one product. In a similar way, a standardized DNA sequence called barcode corresponds only to one species which can be identified by looking for the barcode from a database. The researchers at the University of Milano-Bicocca have collected so far over 10,000 species in Italy. The DNA barcoding method can be used to study endangered species but also the invasive species or the interaction between pollinators and plants.
Professor of food economics and policy, Alessandro Banterle from University of Milan highlighted the need to unite the currently separate human-value, food, and natural systems by fostering deeper connections between people, the land, and the origins of food. Strengthening these links can help us to see biodiversity as a public good. He said that “companies have to try to communicate the importance of biodiversity to the consumer.” However, he also saw biodiversity as a positive external of the Bioeconomy. And thus, if you produce a positive external for the society, you are also entitled to get public support.
Adriana Versino from SIMBIOSI, told that they are working with many types of companies including real estate companies because in the end we all relay on nature. Therefore, we also must be better prepared for the shocks the system is receiving because of the climate change and nature loss.
While the crucial role of engaging diverse actors on multiple scales to increase the resilience of the sector to external shocks was emphasised, Stefania Trenti from Intesa Sanpaolo emphasised the equally important aspect for financial institutions to look beyond risk analysis and utilise biodiversity as a pillar of growth strategies. Marion Hammerl from Lake Constance Foundation, a longstanding advocate for sustainable land use and biodiversity integration in European agricultural policy, reiterated this need to shift focus from the cost of biodiversity measures to investments for the future.
“One study found out that an increase in organic soil measures for just 1 percent over 10 years would lead to a €14 billion generated only in Germany. So, it is important to underline that we are speaking about investments in biodiversity and not only about costs.”
— Marion Hammerl, managing director of Lake Constance Foundation
When the private and public sectors align around biodiversity as a shared value, jointly bringing in the consumer, it can become a building block of sustainable consumption and resilient food systems. This integration positions biodiversity not as a constraint, but as a central opportunity for shaping forward-looking strategies of the bioeconomy.
Stefania Trenti emphasized the role of financing in bridging these dimensions. “We also have the role of enhancing the awareness of our clients on these topics. And I think that is the one point to say about the [shared] role between finance and economics”. Connecting all three aspects together, the traditions in food value chains from production to consumption, the financing of these value chains, and the surrounding biodiversity was concluded to be a significant learning point for CircHive’s upcoming outputs.
Biodiversity can become a new horizon for growth if production, industrial, and financial systems are interwoven together with the human-value and ecological systems.
The discussion was moderated by Gabriella Teren (Director of business development, The Biodiversity Footprint Company) and the panel consisted of:
- Alessandro Banterle (Professor of food economics and policy, University of Milan)
- Adriana Versino (Ambassador, SIMBIOSI)
- Stefania Trenti (Head of industry and local economies research, Intesa Sanpaolo)
- Marion Hammerl (Senior expert, Lake Constance Foundation)
- Sergio De Pisapia (Purchasing associate manager, Barilla)
- Jessica Frigerio (Researcher of plant biology, University of Milano-Bicocca)