Sustainable development

Social impacts (both positive and negative) are currently not addressed in REDII and EU national legislation. However, the public debate shows a keen interest in social issues for all supply chains, including biomass production and processing. Social risks are specific to local and regional conditions. How can we learn from the experience of other supply chains to find a practical and impactful way to address social risks and promote benefits?

This year, we invite you to challenge yourself to fight food waste. Choose which parts of the Digital Food Waste Fest 2.020 you want to join and create a programme that fits your schedule and ambitions. Let’s take the fight against food waste together to the next level!

What timeframes are acceptable for bioenergy systems to deliver climate benefits compared to fossil energy systems? How can these timeframes be determined (with a simple set of rules for a wide variety of settings)? The role for certification schemes, such as SBP, in guaranteeing climate benefits

Once the crops are planted, grown and harvested, many agricultural facilities sit unused. But converting them into bioproduction plants could extend their activity year-round - meaning more money for farmers and agriculture-based industries.

The third Global Bioeconomy Summit #GBS2020 will take place fully virtual from 16 to 20 November 2020 with the support of the German government. Since the first summit in Berlin in 2015, the summits have established themselves as a unique format for global exchange on bioeconomy policy, governance and sustainable development.

The objective of the National Energy Technology Cluster (CTN) which, in its fourth year of life, has reached 75 associates, is studying, developing and transferring innovative technologies, devices, products and services to strengthen sustainability and competitiveness of Italian companies in the energy sectors of greatest interest, involving public and private stakeholders.

The new nova paper #14 gives an overview on the status and sustainability assessments of new food and biomass technologies such as organic farming, insect protein, artificial meat, precision agriculture, vertical urban farming and improved plant varieties.

In a workshop on the role of the SDGs in the crisis recovery, all local and regional speakers confirmed that in their regions and cities, SDGs were more relevant than ever to manage our way out of the pandemic and recover from the crisis.

While biodiversity safeguards are an integral part of both REDII and all voluntary certification schemes, questions remain over whether these criteria are sufficient and whether they can be implemented effectively.

The European Commission launched a new Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity: a one-stop shop for science-based evidence to protect the natural ecosystems that provide us with food, medicines, materials, recreation, and wellbeing.

The “Wood in Construction Systems Map,” developed by the University of Edinburgh, aims to uncover ways to increase the carbon benefits of wood fibre in UK construction. The map is part of EIT Climate-KIC’s Landscapes as Carbon Sinks Deep Demonstration in Scotland, a project aiming to help the country’s landscape systems decarbonise, adapt and increase resilience to climate change, and foster a bioeconomy—the sustainable extraction and production of natural resources, like wood.

An international exhibition with an innovative format that brings together all sectors of the circular economy in a single platform: from material and energy recovery to sustainable development.

A unique satellite dataset on the world's tropical forests is now available for all to see and use.It's a high-resolution image map covering 64 countries that will be updated monthly.

Consisting of 11 goals altogether, How We Tread Right is a five year plan for a regenerative return to travel, following the industry-wide halt this year.

“COVID-19 provides us with an opportunity to reflect on how the EU can support the biotech industry”, says Maria Spyraki (EL, EPP).

Virtual address by ZEF’s Joachim von Braun looks at how factors such as policy and innovation relate to transformation of food systems.

The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) has commissioned guidance produced by the Institute of European Environmental Policy (IEEP) enabling the bio-based industries to better measure how bio-based projects contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The world is facing depleting fish stocks and fish farming – or aquaculture – offers solutions and could help ensure food security. But aquaculture has been called out for challenging natural biodiversity. Applying technology such as AI, machine learning, satellite data and geospatial datasets can make fish farming sustainable while providing the evidence to prove it.

For Eastern Africa, an innovation-driven bioeconomy is seen as a viable pathway towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, and a significant contributor towards the African Union’s Agenda 2063 of a knowledge-based, innovation-led African economy.