C.lasse 1990, Florentine by birth, since 2016 “adopted” by the city of San Francisco. For a few months she has also been the mother of a child, but above all Savor’s Director of Business Developmenta new start-up in which she entered the ninth month of pregnancy and which uses CO2 to transform it into fatty acids identical to those found in animal fats or vegetable oils.
Born and raised in Tuscany, Chiara Cecchini, 32, has lived in the US since 2016 and is a former researcher at the University of California at Davis. She is the executive director and founder of Future Food US and a member of the board of directors of Food for Climate Leagues. She is now Savor’s Lead Business Development. She is part of the Davos World Economic Forum network of experts. (Photo Kassie Borreson)
Chiara Cecchini, the “sustainable” entrepreneur
An innovation that Chiara Cecchini has just presented during the Sustainability Days closed in Bolzano on 9 September, and which, he says, “it can change the fate of the food industry and the environment“.
Can you explain the relationship between animal fats and the environmental issue?
“Perhaps not everyone knows that beef fat accounts for 15 percent of annual freshwater withdrawals, 12 percent of habitable surface, and 2 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, 20 million tons of beef fat is used in staple foods and food products every year. In short words, meat production has a huge impact on the environment. This is why there are more companies that try to produce “mimetic” dairy products, meat or fish, that is, without using these fats. For the moment they use alternatives such as palm or coconut oil, which still have an effect on the environment, while we will be able to produce fat without consuming soil and other resources of the Earth “.
The encounters that change destiny
She has managed to turn food from obsession into mission. What has had such a disruptive effect on her life?
«Yes, I had to fight against eating disorders and, it will seem strange, I found the strength to solve them in my personal history. My grandparents were farmers, and from them I inherited a special attachment to land and food. But my mom also cooked every meal personally, always starting from the raw material. I wouldn’t have the values I have if it weren’t for her. So when in college I was looking for a way to “change the world”, it was natural to start from my land and its fruits. Then, of course, there were crucial encounters with women like Sara Roversi at the Future Food Institute of Bologna, the food designer Sonia Massari or the researcher Marta Antonelli, both experts in food and sustainability ».
Save the Planet, everyone must contribute
You argue that our daily choices have a positive impact on our health and the planet. How many? Doesn’t that risk being like emptying the ocean with a spoon?
«Each of us, as a consumer, has the moral obligation to look“ beyond his own backyard ”. Buying a plastic bottle, entering a fast food restaurant, not paying attention to waste of water or food, favoring agriculture or intensive farming, are some of the behaviors that we can avoid if we want to contribute to the salvation of the Planet. Perhaps we are not quite aware of how much our choices can push industry and politics to take radical decisions in favor of sustainability. Of course, political action is essentialas well as corporate choices, especially in an industry, such as agri-foodin which a dozen companies control most of the global production, e which contributes 24 percent to greenhouse gas emissions. Definitely, we can all take action to better manage the Earth and its resources. The knowledge and technologies are there today. The choice is up to us ».
Leave a better world
So food as a keystone for a positive turning point towards sustainable development?
«Let’s think: nothing has had a greater impact on our planet than human activity for growing food. With agriculture and livestock, the land has become a source of livelihood for billions of people and animals. So, yes, nothing can be determined how to answer the question: how can we make food supply sustainable for 10 billion people? “
What does “making a difference” mean to you? What teaching do you want to leave on this planet?
“I have a three-month-old baby girl: surely when I think about the future, now I think about her. Making a difference means leaving the world better than you found it, either by its own direct impact or by serving as an inspiration to other people. I believe that the human being has done extraordinary things in this world, just think of the increase in quality and life expectancy. But now we must understand how to reconcile this “progress” with our host planet, because we have been forgetting our Earth for too long. In fifty years I would like to look back and see that my work has contributed to freeing the progress of our civilization from the exploitation of our planet.
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