Elisa Kooy wins NBN Sustainability Award 2024: a crowning achievement of sustainability and innovation
Last updated:
17/2/2025
Elisa Kooy wins NBN Sustainability Award: a crowning achievement of sustainability and innovation
Sustainability and innovation go hand in hand at the NBN, and this was underlined once again with the presentation of the NBN Sustainability Award 2024. This prestigious award honors a master's thesis that makes a significant contribution to sustainable development. The winner of this edition is Elisa Kooy, with her research on the valorization of fish and shellfish residues.
The NBN Sustainability Award is more than recognition; it is an incentive for young researchers to make a positive impact on society through standards. The award is presented to a student whose master's thesis offers an innovative perspective on sustainability. Candidates are judged on criteria such as scientific foundation, societal relevance and linkage to standards development.
In 2024, the nominees were:
With her master's thesis "A treasure from the sea: the future of fish and shellfish residues," Elisa Kooy investigated how waste products from the fishing industry can be reused in a sustainable way. Her work shows that these waste streams can provide valuable raw materials for new applications, such as bioplastics, cosmetic products and food ingredients. She analyzed which components from these residues can be economically interesting and how they can be efficiently extracted and reused. Her research is not only innovative, but also contributes to the circular economy by reducing waste and encouraging new sustainable production methods.
The relevance of Elisa's research lies in the vast amount of fish and shellfish residues produced worldwide, often considered waste. By revalorizing these waste streams, the food and packaging industry can become more sustainable. This aligns perfectly with the goals of the NBN Sustainability Award: to encourage science-based solutions that contribute to a sustainable future.
Elisa was presented with the award at the November 2024 NBN Thank You Event, where she also gave an interview about her research and the impact of standards on sustainability. This interview can be viewed via YouTube. More information about Elisa Kooy's research and the impact of her work can be found at thesis-award.be.
The NBN Sustainability Award highlights the importance of standards in sustainable innovation. Standards provide quality assurance, promote safety and support companies and researchers in their pursuit of more sustainable solutions. By involving students in this process, NBN encourages the integration of standards development into future-oriented research.
For the NBN Sustainability Award 2025, we will again invite students to apply.
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