We need to protect our crops from fungal diseases. Gowan is developing natural solutions that contribute to reducing the use of chemical fungicides and boosting innovation.
Read how this family-owned company supports the targets of the EU Biodiversity Strategy.
Learn more at The Green Way and join the conversation on Twitter with #EUGreenWay.
We need to protect our crops from fungal diseases. Gowan is developing natural solutions that contribute to reducing the use of chemical fungicides and boosting innovation.
Read how this family-owned company supports the targets of the EU Biodiversity Strategy.
Learn more at The Green Way and join the conversation on Twitter with #EUGreenWay.
Fungal diseases such as botrytis, or ‘grey mould’, have the potential to destroy crops of fruit and vegetables and cost farmers fortunes in lost crops, while driving up prices for consumers. In order to mitigate the risks posed by fungal disease, the application of fungicide has become common practice in crop management. However, the use of synthetic fungicides has become highly controversial in view of their potential impact on the environment and the residues they may leave on food produce. Public opinion shows concern about such agricultural practice and a low understanding of their benefits.
Sustainable growing with Gowan
Given the targets to increase organic farming and reduce the use of chemical fungicides in Europe laid out in the EU’s 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, Gowan – a crop protection solutions company – has made a concerted effort over the past decade towards grower solutions, environmental stewardship, and sustainability.
Working closely with its partner Ecoflora Agro in a joint venture, Gowan created a novel bio-fungicide extracted from Swinglea glutinosa, a shrub plant abundant in the countryside of Colombia. Noticing that Swinglea leaves manifested no sign of the fungal diseases that blighted other crops, researchers decided to investigate the possible reasons for the plant’s immunity. This led to the identification of the active ingredient responsible for the Swinglea plant’s fungicidal properties and the development, production and trial of the novel bio-fungicide which is now commercially available in Latin America and the USA under the trade name ECOSWING®.
Green fungicide coming soon to the EU
Gowan’s botanical extract has been recognised as the best new bio-fungicide product at the 2019 Global Biopesticide Awards, while also being touted as ‘one of the world’s best biopesticides’ by the prestigious Bernard Blum Award at the Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting in Switzerland. The novel bio-fungicide has been submitted for registration in the EU under the trade name PERIMETER®. It will provide EU farmers with an effective natural solution that can help reduce the use of chemical fungicides to control grey mould diseases in vegetables and vineyards, and apple scab. For example, it is estimated that about 600,000 tons of synthetic fungicides are applied every year on European vineyards for controlling grey mould. Gowan believes that their new bio-fungicide could replace 10% of it.
Gowan’s novel bio-fungicide is a key step towards a growing green initiative of the company’s portfolio. This addition will help the European community reach the Green Deal’s objectives to reduce conventional pesticide use and support the lowering of pesticide residues in food.
About Gowan
Gowan is a family-owned company headquartered in Yuma, Arizona, whose presence in Europe has increased considerably in the last decade. The company’s core business is providing crop protection solutions to farmers focusing on niche crops and small farmers (ie, mostly for fruits and vegetables) commonly overlooked by the larger crop protection companies sometimes leaving these farmers without a solution.
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Construction and demolition waste accounts for more than a third of all waste generated in the EU, much of which ends up in landfills. Nearly 30 years ago, Paroc, a subsidiary of Owens Corning, began to help change this trajectory by launching one of the first stone wool recycling programmes in Sweden. Through the REWOOL system, stone wool offcuts from production and construction sites are collected, sorted and recycled into new insulation products. This approach supports circular economy business models, reduces reliance on virgin raw materials and improves building sustainability ratings. Customer demand continues to grow as REWOOL expands into new markets. Read the full story on Invested in Europe.
Although the European Chemicals Agency’s updated Background Document improves the universal per and polyfluoroalkyl substances restriction, it disregards PFAS’ diverse properties and uses, fails to adequately apply the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals Regulation’s risk-based principles, proposes arbitrary general exemption timelines that do not reflect individual sectors’ realities, threatens to cause major disruptions across European supply chains and creates regulatory uncertainty, discouraging investment and innovation within the EU.
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The European Commission’s Environmental Omnibus proposal is a positive first step towards reducing the administrative and regulatory burdens on businesses operating in the EU. Key measures such as streamlining permitting, simplifying industrial emissions reporting, removing the SCIP database and easing Extended Producer Responsibility schemes would help create more efficient and harmonised processes across the EU. Additionally, the proposal’s indication of upcoming work on the Circular Economy Act and the swift implementation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation would further support a simplified regulatory environment.
By improving efficiency and predictability, the proposal would help foster a stable, investment-driven market in Europe and reinforce the case for sustainable practices. To fully deliver on the potential to reduce burdens for business, co-legislators must now move the Environmental Omnibus across the finish line. AmCham EU stands ready to serve as a resource in their efforts. These simplification initiatives in environmental regulation are crucial to maintaining Europe’s global standing as a hub for business and innovation.
The Environmental Omnibus proposal is part of the Commission’s simplification agenda and follows its proposed Chemicals Omnibus, which introduced related environmental simplifications in July 2025. These important initiatives continue to drive efforts to cut red tape, reduce regulatory burdens and enhance the EU’s competitiveness.
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