Catia Bastioli, CEO of Novamont, Novara, Italy, has been awarded the inaugural Maria Bakunin Medal by the Società Chimica Italiana (SCI, Italian Chemical Society). The award was presented during a ceremony at the Aula Magna of the University of Naples Federico II, Italy, on October 24, 2025.
Catia Bastioli is recognized for her “pioneering commitment to the industrial development of innovative and sustainable materials.” She holds numerous patents, and her innovations include starch-based biodegradable compositions, developed in the 1990s, which combine starch with synthetic thermoplastic polymers to create biodegradable plastics suitable for various applications. This work was instrumental in the development of Mater-Bi, a biodegradable plastic marketed by Novamont.
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On the certificate, it says, “She was awarded for her pioneering contributions to the development of sustainable chemical processes, which have promoted the growth of the circular bioeconomy in Italy. Her entrepreneurial vision has had a significant impact on the scientific community, industry, and society. Through her leadership in major industrial groups, guided by a systemic vision of Italy’s industrial development—based on resource circularity and participatory innovation within local communities—Catia Bastioli has successfully integrated science, business, environment, and ethics. She has established herself as a model of female leadership.” |
Maria Bakunin: A Pioneer of Chemistry and Gender Equality
Known as “The Lady of Naples,” Maria Bakunin (1873–1960) made a fundamental contribution to the advancement of chemistry and paved the way for many other women in academia and research, demonstrating that scientific excellence knows no gender. Maria Bakunin was the daughter of the famous anarchist philosopher Mikhail Bakunin (1814–1876) and spent much of her life in Naples, where she studied and worked.
In 1895, she graduated in chemistry with a thesis on stereochemistry from the University of Naples Federico II. In 1900, she received the Academy Prize for Physics and Mathematics in Naples, and from 1909 she taught applied chemistry at the Scuola Superiore Politecnica in Naples. In 1912, she assumed the chair of applied technological chemistry, becoming the first woman in Italy to hold a university chair in chemistry.
Her scientific work was vast and innovative, spanning organic and analytical chemistry as well as the study of natural materials such as shales and volcanic rocks. In 1947, she became the first woman elected as a corresponding member of the National Academy of the Lincei (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei) in the Class of Physical Sciences, Italy’s oldest and most prestigious scientific academy.
Catia Bastioli: Pioneering Circular Bioeconomy & Industrial Bioplastics
Career
Catia Bastioli, born in Foligno, Italy, in 1957, attend the Business Management School at Bocconi University, Italy, and studied chemistry at the University of Perugia, Italy. After working at Montedison S.p.A., Milan, Italy, , she has served since 2005 as CEO of the Novamont Group, Novara, Italy, which was born from her research on developing bioplastics and biochemicals from renewable sources according to a Circular Bioeconomy model she devised, focused on territorial regeneration with soil and water quality at its center. Since 2023, following Novamont’s acquisition by ENI Versalis, San Donato Milan, Italy, she has also served as President of Novamont and Head of Versalis’ Bio Chemistry Business Unit.
Bastioli has held leadership roles in major organizations, including President of the Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster SPRING (since 2014), President of Terna (2014–2020), and President of the Kyoto Club Association (2009–2024). She has contributed to European Commission panels on climate, environment, and bioeconomy, including the Bioeconomy Panel, the High-Level Panel on Decarbonization, and the Mission Board on Soil Health and Food.
She is the inventor of numerous patent families in biopolymers and renewable raw material processing and was awarded European Inventor of the Year 2007 by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Commission for her inventions in starch-based bioplastics
She holds honorary degrees in Industrial Chemistry, Materials Engineering, Business Administration, and a Doctorate honoris causa in Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering. Recognized for her contributions to Italy and industry, she was named Cavaliere of the Order “Al Merito della Repubblica Italiana” (2013) and Cavaliere del Lavoro (2017). On February 11, 2025, she was appointed an international member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering for her leadership in industrial bioplastics and advancing the circular bioeconomy, the only Italian and the sole nominee in her field that year.
Selected Publications & Patents
- Catia Bastioli, Unlocking the potential of added value products in Europe: an Italian perspective, CHIMICA OGGI-CHEMISTRY TODAY 2023, 31(4), 64-67.
- Catia Bastioli, Luigi Capuzzi, Tiziana Milizia, Angelos Rallis, Roberto Vallero (Novamont S.p.A.), Polyester and compositions containing it, 2023.
- Francesco Razza, Maurizio Fieschi, Francesco Degli Innocenti, Catia Bastioli, Compostable cutlery and waste management: An LCA approach, Waste Management 2009, 29(4), 1424-1433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2008.08.021
- Catia Bastioli, Vittorio Bellotti, Gianfranco Del Tredici, Alessandro Montino, Roberto Ponti (Novamont S.p.A.), Biodegradable foamed plastic material, US5736586A, 1994.
- Catia Bastioli, Vittorio Bellotti, Gianfranco Del Tredici, Roberto Lombi, Alessandro Montino, Roberto Ponti (Novamont S.p.A.), Biodegradable polymeric compositions based on starch and thermoplastic polymers, WO1992019680A1, 1992.
Also of Interest
- Sito del Premio: Percorsi Chimici e Produzione Sostenibile (award website in Italian)
