An insect-protein production plant in Nesle, France. The site produces up to 10,000 tons of insect protein and oil annually, derived from black soldier fly larvae, transforming it into animal feed and fertilizer. The insect protein makes a more sustainable alternative to fishmeal and vegetable oils in, for example, fish and poultry farming and enriching soil for crops. More than 20,000 insect eggs are collected per second without human intervention, using artificial intelligence and optical recognition technology. 
2023 Photo Contest, Europe, Long-Term Projects

Net-Zero Transition

Photographer

Simone Tramonte

29 June, 2021

An insect-protein production plant in Nesle, France. The site produces up to 10,000 tons of insect protein and oil annually, derived from black soldier fly larvae, transforming it into animal feed and fertilizer. The insect protein makes a more sustainable alternative to fishmeal and vegetable oils in, for example, fish and poultry farming and enriching soil for crops. More than 20,000 insect eggs are collected per second without human intervention, using artificial intelligence and optical recognition technology. 

This project documents different technologies that offer possible routes of transition to a net-zero economy. The photographer visited innovative facilities across Europe, from Iceland to Italy, from 2020 to 2022.

Human-induced climate change is the largest, most pervasive threat to the natural environment and society that the world has ever experienced, according to the UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR. This prompted the European Union to establish targets to cut greenhouse emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 and to reduce them to net-zero by 2050. European companies seeking ways to achieve these goals are exploring renewable energies, new technologies for food production, and the circular economy as potential ways forward.

Simone Tramonte
About the photographer

Simone Tramonte is a photographer whose work focuses on documenting social and environmental contemporary issues. His interest focuses on analyzing the relationship between people and the environment and aims to document how innovative technologies can shape them towards a more sustainable future.  After obtain...

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Technical information
Shutter Speed

1/250

ISO

200

Camera

Nikon D810

Jury comment

This project is an impressive example of solutions based journalism wherein the photographer's commitment to gaining access and incredible research offers a unique perspective into European efforts to secure a sustainable future. The project boasted beautiful aesthetics and its clinical scientific approach gives the audience space to visualize and conceptualize each solution without leading with emotion. The project is thought provoking and demonstrates the relationship between the scale of the crisis and the scale of solutions.