Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy

The Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy has published a new webpage, focusing on how the forest-based bioeconomy contributes to climate change mitigation through carbon storage and material substitution. You can watch an introductory video, read the brief and explore key data and publications from different sources, plus a glossary of related terms.

This study, carried out by researchers in Wageningen University for the European Commission, responds to an action of the 2018 Bioeconomy Strategy and provides guidance on managing healthy and resilient ecosystems in the context of the bioeconomy in Europe. It specifically focuses on agro-ecosystems, forest ecosystems and marine aquaculture ecosystems. The guidelines synthesise principles, good practices, indicators, policy and financial enablers, and stakeholder engagement approaches.

A new JRC report summarises the findings of an inclusive, participatory process that explored possible building blocks for the legislative framework on sustainable food systems, foreseen in the EU Farm to Fork Strategy. The project identified and discussed five building blocks: a sustainability assessment framework, transparency, dealing with consequences of the transition, policy coherence and multi-level governance, and international trade.

In February 2012, the European Commission adopted its first Bioeconomy Strategy to radically change the EU’s approach in managing its biological resources. The updated Bioeconomy Strategy in 2018 maintained the five original objectives, and expanded the focus areas on the regional deployment of the bioeconomy across Europe and on increasing the understanding of the ecological boundaries. The Commission’s Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy and its Bioeconomy Monitoring System play a crucial role in building up the knowledge base on key issues and in tracking the bioeconomy’s progress towards sustainability in the EU and its Member States.

The European Commission, together with the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and a consortium of sustainability consultants and algae organisations have launched a European algae stakeholder platform, called EU4Algae. The aim of the platform, as a unique space for collaboration, is to accelerate the development of a European algae industry and promote algae for nutrition and other uses among consumers and businesses in the EU.

The International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB) is an independent think tank composed of forty high-level bioeconomy leaders and experts from around the world. The new homepage provides information on the goals, activities and members of the IACGB, as well as on bioeconomy developments and on upcoming events.