Industrial sustainability will not be possible without creative innovations based on advanced science and technology. In this regard biotechnology plays an increasing role also in the minerals and mining industries, where any move towards industrial sustainability (i.e. lower consumption of energy and raw materials, and reduction or elimination of waste) clearly affects all stages of process technology.

There are at least four main drivers for clean technology based on the use of biotechnology:

		economic competitiveness, with companies considering the benefits of clean processes in terms of cost advantages or expansion to using new resource materials;
		depletion of conventional resources provides additional incentive to the industry to seek innovative bioprocesses;
		government regulatory policies, which enforce or encourage changes in practice and
		public pressure, which takes on strategic importance as companies seek to establish environmental legitimacy.

In this perspective, the BioMine project supports and contributes to the 
European Technology Platform "Sustainable Mineral Resources" (ETP-SMR)
http://www.etpsmr.org

BioMinE partners are proud to announce that BioMinE project has joined the:
European Water Partnership.
http://www.ewp.eu