The EU has a significant amount of residual biomass available, more than 900 million tons per year, and 98% of this material ends up in landfill, incinerators, or rotting in open dumps, representing a loss of value, a source of pollution, and a risk to public health. The EU possesses the capability to convert bio-waste into a spectrum of bio-based products with diverse applications, spanning bioplastics, biochemicals, biofertilizers, biomaterials, biofuels, and food and feed industries. This envisioned revalorization holds the potential to directly underpin 5-10 times more employment opportunities and generate 4-9 times more added value than solely using it to generate energy.
The EU’s bioeconomy strategy aims to accelerate the deployment of a sustainable European bioeconomy by driving the renewal of industries, modernizing primary production systems, protecting the environment, and enhancing biodiversity. This strategy is based on three key priorities: strengthening and scaling up the bio-based sectors, unlocking investments and markets and understanding the ecological boundaries of the bioeconomy. To achieve these policy objectives requires a fundamental transformation across various societal sectors, with diverse, disruptive innovations coupled with new circular business models and value chains.
