From the Sector

26 European business associations, representing a wide array of industries and businesses, express their full support for the swift ratification of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement:

Together, the associations’ members cover a significant portion of the total trade in goods and services of over 153 billion euros in 2024 between the EU and the Mercosur region, as well as the approximately 380 billion euros of mutual investment in our two regions in 2023. In this unprecedented time when the rules-based global order is being critically undermined, this free trade agreement represents a beacon in the EU’s diversification strategy. It is therefore a critical element in ensuring the EU’s long-term competitiveness. 

By 2040, according to DG Trade’s calculations, the agreement is expected to add 77.6 billion euros to the EU GDP and 9.4 billion euros to the Mercosur GDP. At the same time, the agreement will result in a 39% increase in EU exports to Mercosur and a 17% increase in Mercosur exports to the EU. 

The EU-Mercosur is a modern agreement, driven by modern principles. It will deliver increased market access and improved access to resources, while preserving key sectors in European domestic markets, diversifying secure supply chains, and fostering investments for both sides. It will also help to deepen the cooperation on sustainable development, in areas such as fighting climate change, preserving biodiversity, and advancing labour and social rights. 

European businesses wholeheartedly support the EU-Mercosur Agreement and call on the Council and European Parliament to swiftly ratify the EU-Mercosur interim Trade Agreement (iTA) and the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement (EMPA). To this end, it is key to streamline the ratification process and to ensure timely completion and avoid procedural delays. This is a crucial opportunity for Europe which will support growth and prosperity for one-fifth of the global economy – benefiting about 750 million people. 

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc., a leader in spider silk technology*, announced the company has succeeded in significantly increasing the production throughput of its recombinant spider silk production platform.   
 
This increase is the successful result of the continuous work in the selective breeding of parental strains for its production hybrid silkworms, which is the basis of its recombinant spider silk production system. Kraig's first successful hybrid, designated the BAM-1, demonstrated hybrid vigor, which increased both cocoon shell weight (a critical measure of silk output) and robustness. That hybrid was created by mating two genetically divergent parental strains. The fielding of the BAM-1 was a major improvement in spider silk production technology. 
 
Over the past two years, the Kraig has been using selective breeding to create more advanced parental strains with the goal of increasing hybrid vigor to further increase shell weight. One of these new advanced strains was specifically designed as a replacement for one of the original BAM-1 parental strains. 
 
By mating the strongest of the BAM-1 parental strains with the new advanced strain, the company has demonstrated measurable hybrid vigor (as measured by cocoon shell weight) of 22%, an increase in hybrid vigor of more than 245% compared to the BAM-1. The new advanced hybrid has been designated as BAM-1 Alpha and will be the Company's production workhorse moving forward.
 
"Our small team of researchers continues to outperform our competitors in spider silk R&D and commercial development. The creation of our new BAM-1 Alpha hybrid is the product of our focused vision for large-scale commercialization of spider silk and the dedication of our geneticists to that vision," said Kim Thompson, Founder and CEO of Kraig Labs. "Frankly, the 250% increase in hybrid vigor over the original BAM-1 has significantly exceeded our expectations and design parameters. The BAM-1 Alpha is producing larger cocoons and more silk, resulting in increased throughput and lower production cost. Though we do not have hard data yet on increases in robustness other than cocoon size and shell weight, our expectation is that general robustness will follow this same pattern."
 
Kraig Labs utilizes its proprietary genetically enhanced silkworm technology platform to produce recombinant spider silk. These silkworms spin recombinant spider silk fibers naturally within their cocoons, combining the scalability of traditional sericulture with the superior performance of spider silk proteins.
 
With BAM-1 Alpha now moving into commercial deployment, Kraig Labs will leverage its multi-facility production infrastructure to integrate this enhanced production hybrid into ongoing manufacturing. This advancement supports the Company's vision of delivering high-performance spider silk fibers for applications spanning performance textiles, defense, medical, and industrial markets.