The European Commission has officially adopted the new Strategic Framework for a Competitive and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy, setting a clear pathway to accelerate Europe’s transition toward a cleaner, more resilient and decarbonised circular economy.

Building on the 2012 Bioeconomy Strategy and its subsequent 2018 and 2022 reviews, the new Framework shifts the spotlight to industrial uptake, market expansion, competitiveness, and long-term resilience.

The updated Strategy builds on the EU’s strong scientific and industrial base to scale up bio-based innovations, reduce dependence on fossil resources, and unlock the full potential of Europe’s biological assets from land and sea. Today, the EU bioeconomy is already valued at €2.7 trillion (in 2023) and employs over 17 million people (around 8% of EU jobs), yet significant untapped potential remains.

Key priorities of the new Strategy include:

• Scaling up innovation and investment to bring bio-based technologies from labs to market, supported by clearer and faster regulatory pathways.

• Developing lead markets for bio-based materials and technologies such as bioplastics, sustainable textiles, advanced fermentation, bio-based chemicals, and construction materials. The Strategy proposes to set up a Bio-based Europe Alliance, which will be gathering EU companies to collectively purchase bio-based solutions worth €10 billion by 2030.

• Ensuring sustainable biomass use, and promoting circularity and enhancing the value of secondary biomass, with initiaves for farmers and foresters to safeguard soils, biodiversity, carbon sinks and water resources.

• Strengthening Europe’s global position, reducing strategic dependencies, and opening new market opportunities for sustainable bio-based solutions.

Read the full EU Bioeconomy Strategy here!

Between June and July 2025, the SUSTRACK project will host a series of national deployment workshops under the common title “Planting the Seeds of Systemic Change – Empowering Stakeholders and Shaping Policy Across EU Countries for a Sustainable Circular Bio-Based Economy“. These events represent a major milestone for the project, marking the final phase of stakeholder engagement aimed at fostering the transition from fossil-based to sustainable circular bio-based economy across Europe.

Organised in Italy, Spain, Germany, Slovakia, the Netherlands, and Belgium, the workshops will transfer knowledge, policy tools, and resources developed during the SUSTRACK project to local actors. Each workshop is tailored to the specific needs and priorities of its national context, aiming to bridge European strategies with national and regional implementation pathways.

These events build on the insights and results from the high-level conferences and co-creation sessions previously held by SUSTRACK, shifting the focus from European visioning to national deployment and action.

The main objectives of these national workshops are to:

• Support systemic thinking to accelerate the transition to sustainable circular bio-based economies;
• Shape policy instruments for effective deployment and implementation in different national contexts;
• Empower stakeholders through the transfer of knowledge, methods, and tools developed throughout SUSTRACK.

The workshops are aimed at policymakers, industry professionals, researchers, and sustainability actors working at national and regional levels within the four key sectors: textile, chemicals, construction, and plastics.
In particular, the following sectors will be tackled at national level:

• Belgium & Netherlands, 10 July, 10:00–12:00, online: Chemical, Construction
• Germany, 8 July, 10:00–13:00: Chemical, Plastics
• Italy, 26 June, 11:00–13:30, online: Plastics, Textile
• Slovakia, 18 June, 10:00–13:00, in person: Construction, Textile
• Spain, 25 June, 10:00–12:00, online: Plastics, Textile

Stay tuned on the SUSTRACK website for the release of detailed agendas and registration information for each national workshop. Local-language news and updates will also be made available for each event.

Let’s plant the seeds of systemic change—together!

On 6 May 2025 (10:00 – 11:30 CEST, online) the SUSTRACK project, in collaboration with the European Bioeconomy Network (EuBioNet), is hosting “Projects4Future – Shaping Tomorrow: Horizon Europe Projects Driving the Circular Bio-based Transition”.

This Mobilisation and Mutual Learning (MML) workshop will bring together leading Horizon Europe projects focused on Standardisation, Certification, Labelling, and Monitoring to exchange knowledge, share lessons learned, and consolidate policy recommendations that will shape the future of the circular bio-based economy.
Specifically, the workshop will identify key outcomes, tools, resources, and policy recommendations that support the transition to a circular bio-based economy. The consolidated results will be presented at the BIOBASEDCERT cluster final conference on 13 May in Brussels, engaging policymakers from different DGs and key stakeholders.

Who Should Participate?
This event is designed for coordinators and task leaders of EU-funded projects and initiatives working on:

• Monitoring indicators for the circular transition
• Scenario assessment and foresight
• Standardisation, labelling and certification
• Business models
• Capacity building and collaboration
• Policy recommendations
• Exploitation strategies

What to Expect?
Through interactive sessions using the MIRO Board, participants will:

• Map and exchange project outcomes, tools, and resources
• Identify gaps, needs, and challenges for their effective implementation
• Gather and consolidate policy recommendations to inform future research and policy agendas

Discover more browsing the concept note and agenda!

How to Participate?
Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Secure your spot by 5 May at noon: your insights can help supporting current and future projects, initiatives, and policies in the transition towards a circular bio-based economy!

Are you a policy expert with knowledge and experiences in plastics, construction, textile, or chemical sectors? Then, don’t miss the series of workshops “From Vision to Implementation: Shaping Policies to Boost Circular Bio-Based Transition” organised by SUSTRACK!

These workshops aim to:

• Gain insights from keynote speakers outlining the transition challenge, the policy landscape and visions for the transition of the chemical, textile, plastics and construction sectors;
• Explore policy options identified by the SUSTRACK project that may be considered to boost the circular bio-based economy transition in the different sectors;
• Collaboratively identify the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed policy options, as well as discuss further possible policy opportunities/approaches.

The workshop series will conclude with the online “IMPLEMENT Conference” on 21 March 2025, 11:00–12:30 CET, which will provide actionable knowledge and policy recommendations for fostering the transition to a circular bio-based economy.

The workshops will be held online between February and March 2025:

• CHEMICAL sector: 27th of February 2025; 10:00 – 11:30 CET – Agenda
• TEXTILE sector: 28th of February 2025, 10:00 – 11:30 CET – Agenda
• PLASTICS sector: 5th of March 2025, 10:00 – 11:30 CET – Agenda
• CONSTRUCTION sector: 6th of March 2025, 10:00 – 11:30 CET – Agenda

You’re welcome to join one or more workshops—simply register here and choose your preferred sessions.

Each workshop will include:

• Key note speeches to introduce the policy landscape, transformation status and challenges towards the transition to circular bio-based economy in the four sectors;
• Presentation of SUSTRACK approach to identify policy options and outline the selected policies in more detail.
• An interactive session, where participants will then be able to discuss the policy options, suggest alternative policies and share insights on implementing the policies and subsequent effects on the sectors.

This is your chance to share your vision and influence the development and implementation of policies that promote the circular bio-based transition.

Interested? Register now to one or more workshops and mark your calendars to join the series!

Are you a key expert in the textile sector – from research, industry, policy or civil society – involved in the implementation of Digital Product Passport (DPP)? Then, this is a must-attend event!

The “Beyond SUSTRACK co-creation workshop” will be held online on 2^nd of October 2024, 11:00 – 12:00 CEST and will dive into how the DPP can drive the transition to a Circular Bio-based Economy (CBBE) in the textile industry.

Why Attend?

• Discover the barriers identified within the Mission-oriented Innovation System (MIS) framework and explore how the DPP can unlock new opportunities in the textile sector;
• Collaborate with other experts to validate and expand on these DPP opportunities, mapping them to key MIS functions;
• Contribute your insights to a collaborative dialogue shaping the future of a more sustainable, circular textile economy.

Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of this groundbreaking discussion! Check out the preliminary agenda, save the date and register here!