In 2011, So Now provided guidance for a bio-pellets production company based in the Netherlands, operating a project in Turkey.
Leaf litter covering the forest floor are a frequent cause of forest fires during the hot Turkish summers. By collecting and selling this foliage and leaf litter, local farmers were offered a new revenue stream preventing an environmental hazard.
The technology at hand would then compress the residue stream into bio-pellets which were sold to large European energy plants, in order to help them reach their quota for renewable energy. The Europe 2020 strategy includes a target of reaching 20% of energy in the gross final consumption of energy from renewable sources by 2020 and at least 27% by 2030.
In short, in order to use renewable sources of energy rather than fossil fuels, the organization turned foliage, an environmental hazard, into bio-pellets. Those pellets would be mixed with fossil fuels to help existing energy plants to transition to new, more sustainable feedstock.
So Now worked with the company to gather all stakeholders and devise a new strategy to move forward.