Euglena × ITOCHU Corporation has started an overseas culture demonstration project for Euglena in Colombia.
-The second country following Indonesia, overseas culture demonstration project to full-scale development-

Euglena Co., Ltd.

　Euglena Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Mitsuru Izumo, hereinafter "Euglena") is for biofuels together with ITOCHU Corporation (hereinafter "ITOCHU"). Decided to start an overseas cultivation demonstration project of the microalga Midorimushi (scientific name: Euglena) for feed in the Republic of Colombia (hereinafter referred to as "Colombia"), and a cooperation agreement with partner companies and local leading universities We are pleased to announce that we have signed the agreement on November 12, 2019. The overseas culture demonstration project for Euglena in Colombia will be the second country following the start of the demonstration project in the Republic of Indonesia (hereinafter referred to as "Indonesia") announced in June 2019.

Photo 1 Thermal power plant of Drummond Ltd. Colombia Photo 2 Culture tank for acquiring local culture data　

　Euglena signed a memorandum of understanding with ITOCHU ^* Since then, Indonesia has been selected as a candidate country for this demonstration project from the viewpoint of production cost, culture environment, and land security, and implementation to cultivate Euglena locally. We have built a system. We have decided to carry out this demonstration project in Colombia in addition to Indonesia, and have selected Drummond Ltd. Colombia (hereinafter referred to as "DMMD") as a partner and signed a cooperation agreement. DMMD is a coal supplier invested by ITOCHU in 2011. Under this cooperation agreement, DMMD has secured a site for conducting a cultivation test of green worms near the thermal power plant owned by the company, and carbon dioxide emitted from the power plant. We will promote this demonstration project by utilizing carbon and heat.
* Regarding the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding with ITOCHU for the start of the Euglena overseas culture demonstration project (June 19, 2019) https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/2931/tdnet/1722293/00.pdf

　In addition, Euglena has signed a cooperation agreement with Universidad Popular del Cesar, a public university in Cesar Department, Colombia, where DMMD's La Loma coal mine is located, in order to respond to the local government's application for a demonstration project. In the future, through the university, we will carry out research activities such as exporting and importing euglena from Japan, collecting local euglena, and conducting outdoor culture tests of euglena. In August 2019, Euglena completed the dispatch of researchers to Colombia and the preparation of the test facility, and the on-site culture test started in early November.
　In addition, preparations for testing, including the dispatch of researchers, have been completed in Indonesia, and culture testing began in early November, around the same time as in Colombia. Based on the test results in both countries for six months to one year, we plan to narrow down the countries where the overseas culture demonstration project will be implemented and expand the scale of the culture test.
　Going forward, Euglena will continue to collaborate with ITOCHU Corporation to achieve SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) through this demonstration project: GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy and GOAL 9: Build a foundation for industry and technological innovation. We will work to contribute to GOAL13: Take concrete measures against Climate Change, GOAL14: Protect the abundance of our oceans, and GOAL17: Partnerships for the goals.

<About Euglena Co., Ltd.>
　In 2005, Euglena Co., Ltd. succeeded in establishing the world's first edible outdoor mass culture technology for microalgae Euglena (Japanese name: Euglena) on Ishigaki Island. Based on the management philosophy of "Health for people and the earth," we develop and sell functional foods and cosmetics using microalgae Euglena and chlorella produced in Ishigaki Island, and develop biofuels. I am. https://euglena.jp

<About ITOCHU Corporation>
　ITOCHU Corporation was founded in 1858 by the first Chubei Itoh with the help of Azabu, and is now a major general trading company with approximately 110 bases in 63 countries around the world, including textiles, machinery, metals, energy, and chemicals. In addition to domestic, import / export and trilateral transactions in the fields of food, living, information and finance, we are developing a wide range of businesses such as domestic and overseas business investment.

<About microalgae Euglena >
　Microalgae Euglena (Japanese name: Euglena) is a type of alga that has the characteristics of both plants and animals and contains abundant types of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals in a well-balanced manner. In 2005, Euglena Co., Ltd. succeeded in mass edible outdoor culture for the first time in the world.

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-Contact for inquiries from the press-
Euglena Co., Ltd. Corporate Communication Division