The Blue Economy's projects: the 112 case studies

Water · Energy

Case 1: The Vortex

The global market for water treatment and drinking water production represents one of the safest investments ever made. Water is an essential commodity for society and industry. The availability of clean water is…

Food · Health

Case 2: Maggots, natural nurses

According to one estimate, the amount of slaughterhouse waste worldwide is 200 million tons. The average weight of animal waste per capita in Europe is approximately 150 kg per person per year, bringing the continent's…

Food · Health

Case 3: Coffee, exports and food security

In 2009, the world consumed 126 million bags of coffee, representing 7.5 million tons of green beans ready for roasting. Few people realize that harvesting, processing, roasting, and preparing coffee releases…

Energy · Health

Case 4: No more batteries!

In 2009, the world discarded approximately 40 billion small batteries. This fueled demand for rare metals. Cobalt is essential for rechargeable batteries. The Prius hybrid would never function without neodymium.…

Energy · Housing

Case 5: Glass as a building material

It is estimated that the world uses 3.2 trillion containers of all types each year to package food and beverages—and this number continues to grow. Almost all of it ends up as waste. Glass is a minor component. Each…

Energy

Case 6: A fuel derived from forests

Global production of pine resin is approximately 1.5 million tons. The resin is processed into rosin and used as an ingredient in the paper, paint, ink, adhesives, and turpentine industries, as well as in the production…

Other

Case 7: Silk versus titanium

The global market for biocompatible polymers is estimated at $10 billion. According to the German Nova Institute, demand for bio-industrial plastics and composites is experiencing double-digit growth despite the…

Other

Case 8: Color without pigment

The global market for color pigments and dyes is currently estimated at $20 billion. China has become the world's largest producer. Textiles are the biggest consumer, while demand growth is driven primarily by printing…

Other

Case 9: Metal without mining

The United States discarded approximately three billion electronic devices over the past decade. The volume has increased to 450 million units of e-waste annually. American consumers dispose of more than 110,000…

Other

Case 10: Free fresh air

The global air conditioning market is valued at $62 billion, with the residential sector accounting for $39 billion and over 45 million units installed annually. Temperature control is one of the main costs of building…

Energy

Case 11: Wind energy without (new) pylons

The total energy stored in the wind is one hundred times greater than what humanity needs today. It is not surprising that electricity generated from wind power increased worldwide between 2006 and 2010 at an average…

Energy

Case 12: Wind energy without turbines

The global market for turbines and related products, such as engines and generators, was valued at over $100 billion in 2012. Strong growth in aircraft manufacturing and power generation is driving demand. While 70% of…

Food · Water · Health

Case 13: Bacterial control without bactericides

The global market for antibiotics and antifungals surpassed $25 billion in 2005 and is projected to reach $40 billion in the decade ending in 2015. While the overall market is expanding, advanced geographic regions such…

Energy

Case 14: Black to stay cool

The global heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) market will exceed $70 billion in 2012. Global demand for equipment will increase by 5.8% annually. The Asia-Pacific region will outpace the rest of the…

Water · Energy

Case 15: Hot water for 25 years (minimum)

The global market for solar water and space heating will reach nearly 1.2 billion square meters of installed capacity over the next decade, according to Lester Brown, founder of the Earth Policy Institute. If other…

Food · Energy

Case 17: Storage without refrigeration

Today, the global canned food market has reached a turnover of over $500 billion. The processed food market represents 32% of the total food market. The United States alone accounts for approximately half of this…

Water · Energy

Case 18: Clean water without sewers

Although our planet appears to have approximately 1.4 billion cubic kilometers of water, 97% is saltwater, 2% is frozen as glaciers, and only 1% is available as drinking water. Therefore, recycling our wastewater is…

Water · Energy · Housing

Case 19: Dry and separating toilets

Today, the global market for water-based sanitation products and services is estimated at $124 billion. While 1.6 billion more people have gained access to water and sanitation since 1990, a total of 2.5 billion still…

Other · Energy

Case 20: Plastics from food waste

The global market for biodegradable plastics is expected to experience double-digit growth by 2015, reaching approximately $6 billion. If current trends continue, this figure will double again, reaching an estimated $12…

Energy

Case 21: The Bio-refinery

Global demand for biodiesel is projected to exceed 10 billion gallons per year by 2015. Currently, 30 countries have implemented biofuel targets and are blending biodiesel with regular gasoline. Europe is moving towards…

Housing

Case 52: Waste marking

Solid waste generated annually in urban areas worldwide exceeds 10 billion tons, less than half of which is collected and disposed of. Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is currently valued globally at over $300…

Other

Case 62: The worms reduce the blows

Chlorine is one of the most abundant elements in the biosphere, representing approximately 2% of the ocean's water mass. Global production reached around 50 million tons, with an estimated turnover of $30 billion in…

Other

Case 75: Porous asphalt

The global asphalt and bitumen market is expected to reach 124 million metric tons in 2011, with estimated sales of $74.4 billion. Prices were as low as $115 per metric ton delivered to the refinery in 1999, rising to…

Other

Case 77: Algae fibers

Global production of natural fibers from plants and animals reached $50 billion in 2010, totaling 35 million tons, of which 23 million tons were used for textiles and clothing. The remaining 12 million tons were used in…

Other

Case 85: Fishing sailboat

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported that 93.3 million tons of fish were landed from commercial fisheries in wild fisheries, valued at $150 billion, with an additional 48.1 million…

Other

Case 94: Contraceptives without pills or contraceptive devices

The global market for contraceptives was estimated at $15.5 billion in 2010 and is projected to reach $19.2 billion in 2017. The market is increasingly attractive to pharmaceutical companies looking to re-enter, as…

Other

Case 100: Beyond Management Consulting

Global revenue generated by international management consulting firms was estimated by IBISWorld in 2011 at $313 billion, excluding information technology and IT consulting services. There are approximately one million…

Case 101: Cluster: Maggots, fish, and the treatment of diabetic lesions

Maggot farming is a viable business on several levels. Maggots can process offal and then be used as livestock feed. They have a higher protein content than conventional soy-based feed. This could significantly reduce…

Case 102: Cluster: Fibers, food and biodiversity

Currently, the main natural fiber used in the textile industry is cotton. However, cotton also happens to have an incredibly large ecological footprint due to the way it is cultivated. The search for alternative fiber…

Case 103: Cluster: From building design, glass, and landfills

There are many viable approaches to green building design, from harnessing nature's principles, such as termite and zebra climate control, to using bamboo, which will be discussed in a future article. One such approach…

Case 104: Cluster: Urban agriculture, climate change, and real estate valuation

A large portion of the world's less privileged population lacks easy access to fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables. As rural areas become increasingly depopulated and cities expand to overflowing, food security is…

Case 105: Cluster: Biofuels, heavy industry and forests

There are many methods for creating biofuels and renewable energy sources for growing or struggling economies, but few viable solutions offer low carbon emissions with the least possible negative impact on the…

Case 106: Cluster: Coffee, Food and Equality

The demand for nutritional sources to feed the world's population continues to grow, and to meet this demand, industries have resorted to genetic modification or intensive farming practices to ensure higher yields per…

Case 107: Cluster: Agriculture, forestry, biorefineries and stranded assets

Today's societies are heavily reliant on oil, and the transition to more renewable and sustainable ingredients presents a significant challenge. Biorefineries are central to achieving this shift by utilizing biomass…

Case 108: Cluster: Local economic development, housing and social capital

Most of us are familiar with the old adage "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer," and the truth is that this will never change as long as current business models, particularly regarding affordable housing and…

Case 109: Cluster: Beer, energy and food

Beer brewing is a global business, but the amount of waste it produces is staggering. Only 8% of the starch is used, and the remaining 92% of the spent grains, which contain fiber and protein, are generally wasted.…

Case 110: Cluster: Mangroves, shrimp, and algae

Mangroves represent a unique ecosystem at the crossroads of four distinct life forms: aerobic, anaerobic (due to tides that vary water levels, exposure to air, or immersion in water), and saltwater and freshwater (due…

Case 111: Cluster: How biodiversity regeneration makes a tea plantation competitive

Transforming an organic tea estate in Assam, India, into an economic powerhouse: setting new standards for park management; strengthening the community. Written by Gunter Pauli, author of "The Blue Economy," March 1…

Case 112: Cluster: Kashmir with savanna regeneration and the preservation of a 5000-year-old tradition

Cashmere and Savanna Regeneration: If you buy a cashmere sweater online, PayPal, which secures your electronic funds transfer, will earn as much money from the sale as the sheep farmer who had to endure winter months…