Awareness raising – Page 3 – The European Bioeconomy Network

Category: Awareness raising

BioGov.net project

Posted on 19/12/2022 by Louis Ferrini

This project ends on: 31/05/2025

Mobilizing European Communities of Practice in bio-based systems for better governance and skills development networks in bioeconomy

BioGov.net project engages 10 experienced partners to mobilize local resources and stakeholders in eight EU states (Estonia, Italy, Netherland, Greece, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Portugal and Germany). The project aims strategically to support the establishment of innovative governance models in bioeconomy to achieve better-informed decision-making processes, social engagement of all actors and uptake of sustainable innovations in bioeconomy. With the specific objective to provide validated guidelines for bioeconomy training and mentoring based on case studies from 8 EU regions, BioGov.net undertakes to:

identify and assess from the perspective of using the good practices and successful case studies for novel training framework,
complete an assessment based on regional capacities, opportunities, barriers and potentials;
define regional needs and expectations, local feedstock availabilities and use, governance barriers, social and economic landscape;
identify needs for skills required by the novel business models and related social measures to enable consumers, industry and public bodies to switch to socially and environmentally responsible behaviour within their spheres (e.g. regulatory measures, corporate responsibility initiatives, education and training).

The methodology of the project ensures the synergies between respective parties, transparency of actions and inclusiveness of all actors, incl the socially vulnerable groups.
Based on the collected materials, analyses and Quintuple Innovation Helix approach, the project develops guidelines for the setup of the modern and inclusive training and mentoring frameworks and programmes in specific European regions targeting the local bio-systems, regulators and policies for building the bridge between knowledge, skills, bioeconomy and good governance.

Contacts:

Mari Saar: mari.saar@civitta.com

website: https://www.biogov.net/

BIOCIRCULARCITIES project

Posted on 19/12/202211/01/2023 by Louis Ferrini

Project concluded

Exploring the circular bioeconomy potential in cities. Proactive instruments for implementation by policy makers and stakeholders

The BIOCIRCULARCITIES project is designed to help identify and develop innovative and comprehensive regulatory frameworks and roadmaps that are well aligned with circular bioeconomy principles. The project will focus on the interactions between the circular and bio-economies, using insights derived from multi-stakeholder participatory processes. It will consider both supply-side and demand-side aspects of policymaking to maximise the effectiveness. It will determine these through four strands. The first will be by exploring the circular economy potential of unexploited bio-based waste streams generated around three European cities – Barcelona in Spain, Naples in Italy and Pazardzhik in Bulgaria. The second will be to identify and analyse those circular bioeconomy best practices in the EU that could be successful in the pilot areas. Third, opportunities and obstacles to for introducing such processes. It will then use the learnings from the three areas to propose proactive instruments and policy roadmaps that can be applied in a wider European context.

Contacts:

Rosaria Chifari: rchifari@ent.cat

website: https://biocircularcities.eu/

HARMONITOR project

Posted on 19/12/202219/12/2022 by Louis Ferrini

This project ends on: 31/05/2025

Harmonisation and monitoring platform for certification schemes and labels to advance the sustainability ofbio-based systems

The HARMONITOR project will improve the effectiveness of sustainability certification schemes and labels (CSLs) in various sectors of the EU bioeconomy and strengthen their possible use as a co-regulation instrument within the EU Bioeconomy policy framework. The project will also establish and test a participative review platform concept to help CSLs to find commonalities and cooperation when operating in bio-based value chains within and across EU borders. The goal of this platform is to promote continuous improvement of CSLs and continuous knowledge of these dynamic developments by market actors.

Contacts:

Sergio Ugarte: s.ugarte@sqconsult.com
Costanza Rossi: c.rossi@sqconsult.com
Monique Voogt: M.Voogt@sqconsult.com

website: https://www.harmonitor.eu

BioReCer project

Posted on 05/12/202209/10/2024 by Louis Ferrini

This project ends on: 31/08/2025

Biological Resources Certifications Schemes

BIORECER aims at assessing and complementing current certification and labelling schemes for biological feedstock according to the new sustainability EU goals. These objectives include new criteria for sustainability, origin, tracking and traceability, in order to ensure best possible environmental performance and applicability at EU and global scale.

Contacts:

Pedro Villanueva Rey: Pedro.villanueva@cetaqua.com

website: https://biorecer.eu/

SUSTRACK project

Posted on 03/12/202203/12/2022 by Louis Ferrini

This project ends on: 31/10/2025

Supporting the identification of policy priorities and recommendations for designing a sustainable track towards circular bio-based systems

The transition from linear fossil-based systems to circular and bio-based systems represents an opportunity and a suitable pathway for achieving several SDGs. Indeed, circular bio-based systems depict a great opportunity to reconcile sustainable long-term growth with environmental protection through the prudent use of renewable resources for industrial purposes.

This needed transition is a complex process, which does not simply require innovative technologies from the supply-side, but also societal transformations based on a multi-actor process.

The circular bioeconomy meta-sector may be a good candidate to put forward a new economic model, which requires transformative policies, purposeful innovation, access to finance, risk-taking capacity as well as new and sustainable business models and markets.

However, a critical assessment of the environmental, social and economic impacts of the current linear fossil-based economy, as well as of the improvement potential associated with circular bio-based systems, is needed to underpin the identification of policy priorities.

Bearing this in mind, SUSTRACK is a three-year project aimed at supporting policymakers in their efforts to develop sustainable pathways to replace fossil and carbon-intensive systems with sustainable circular and bio-based systems (at the EU and regional scale), contributing to achieving the European Green Deal’s objectives.

This will be done by:

identifying environmental, economic and social limits of a linear carbon-intensive and fossil-based economy;
improving existing assessment methodologies;
assessing the environmental, social and economic impacts of the EU’s current linear fossil-based economy;
comparing multiple transition scenarios focusing on the most carbon-intensive sectors;
identifying priorities according to scenarios analysed in the project and develop guidelines and policy recommendations.

Contacts:

Piergiuseppe Morone (Coordinator): piergiuseppe.morone@unitelmasapienza.it

Gülşah Yilan (Project manager): gulsah.yilan@unitelmasapienza.it

website: https://sustrack.eu/

SUSTCERT4BIOBASED project

Posted on 18/11/202218/11/2022 by Louis Ferrini

This project ends on: 31/05/2025

Sustainability certification for biobased systems

SUSTCERT4BIOBASED in a nutshell
In the transition from a linear fossil-based economy towards a circular biobased economy, numerous biobased value chains have been set up at different levels of development, and several new biobased products have been introduced to the market. Biobased products are wholly or partially derived from biological resources, but still, it is important to ensure their sustainability considering the range of environmental impacts, as well as to ensure their social and economic sustainability.
To this end, a plethora of sustainability certification schemes and business-to-business labels have been developed to allow traceability and transparency of sustainability impacts along the value chains and trades. Today, it is essential to evaluate the credibility of these tools and support their harmonization. This is where SUSTCERT4BIOBASED comes into play!
SUSTCERT4BIOBASED aims to develop a monitoring system to assess the effectiveness, robustness and completeness of the existing certification schemes and labels, identify their strengths and weaknesses and promote the adoption of the best-in-class examples. The interdisciplinary consortium will also be reviewing and analysing the existing sustainability certification schemes and business-to-business labels; creating a database of global trade flows for biological resources and biobased products, and carrying out costs and benefits analysis from the adoption of certification schemes and labels in selected industrial biobased value chains. In this vein, the consortium will engage a variety of relevant stakeholders such as international organisations, industrial biobased value chain actors, scheme owners, certifications bodies, regional bioeconomy actors, and policy makers, and will offer recommendations for the adoption of effective and robust sustainability schemes and labels.

Contacts:

Iris Vural Gursel (Coordinator): iris.vuralgursel@wur.nl

Annie Kalimeri (Communication): akalimeri@white-research.eu

Pinelopi Kaslama (Communication): pkaslama@white-research.eu

website: https://sustcert4biobased.eu/

MainstreamBIO project

Posted on 15/11/202215/11/2022 by Louis Ferrini

This project ends on: 31/08/2025

MAINSTREAMing small-scale BIO-based solutions across rural Europe via regional Multi-actor Innovation Platforms and tailored innovation support

The development of the bioeconomy holds great potential for driving growth in a sustainable manner. Still, many European regions have yet to unlock this potential, despite considerable investments in research, innovation and business support. In this context, MainstreamBIO sets out to get small-scale bio-based solutions into mainstream practice across rural Europe, providing a broader range of rural actors with the opportunity to engage in and speed up the development of the bioeconomy. We start with regional Multi-actor Innovation Platforms (MIPs) established in 7 EU countries (PL, DK, SE, BG, ES, IE and NL) to enhance cooperation among key rural players towards co-creating sustainable business model pathways in line with regional potentials and policy initiatives. Alongside them we support 35 multiactor partnerships to overcome barriers and get bio-based innovations to market with hands-on innovation support, accelerating the development of over 70 marketable bio-based products and services. In parallel, we develop and employ a digital toolkit to better match bio-based technologies, social innovations and good nutrient recycling practices with available biomass and market trends as well as to enhance understanding of the bioeconomy with a suite of educational resources building on existing research results and tools. Along the way, a monitoring and evaluation framework will gauge the performance and impact of our measures, providing us with the intel required to catalyse mutual learning across regions and contribute to the creation of policy frameworks more conducive to the uptake of small-scale bio-based solutions in rural areas. In the process, we cluster with relevant initiatives and offer tools to facilitate the replication of our results, ensuring their long-term sustainability as viable solutions for supporting the growth of local inclusive and circular bioeconomies in other rural areas, that can ultimately link to form a strong EU#wide circular bioeconomy.

Contacts:

Galatsopoulos Anastasios: agalatsopoulos@white-research.eu

website: www.mainstreambio-project.eu

CEE2ACT project

Posted on 04/11/2022 by Louis Ferrini

This project ends on: 31/08/2025

Empowering the Central and Eastern European Countries to Develop Bioeconomy Strategies and Action Plans

CEE2ACT will empower countries in Central Eastern Europe and beyond (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia) – CEE2ACT target countries – to develop circular bioeconomy strategies and action plans through knowledge transfer and innovative governance models enabling sustainability and resilience to achieve better informed decision-making processes, societal engagement and innovation, building on the practice of experienced countries serving as role models in this context (Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Sweden). Knowledge transfer and inspiration in creative formats that address the motivations, needs and knowledge gaps of each CEE2ACT target country will be realized through the CEE2ACT National Bioeconomy Hubs. A participatory, non-political, bottom-up approach will be applied throughout the project activities, tackling specific knowledge gaps and shortcomings of the top-down conventional approach, building closer interconnections between actors across public institutions, private sector, industry, energy, SMEs, feedstock providers ( waste, side streams, farmers, foresters, fishermen), academia and research, NGOs, CSOs in the target countries. To achieve this, a baseline assessment will be carried out (socio-economic and environmental aspects), stakeholder engagement activities will be implemented ensuring the proper involvement and active participation of all relevant stakeholders. Digital solutions for sustainable governance will be created, exchange of know-how and best practices on technology transfer, building the capacities of the stakeholders to develop bioeconomy strategies. The findings will be synthetized, in an analytical framework, which will result in National-level Roadmaps for the Bioeconomy Strategies in Targeted CEE2ACT countries, boosting societal engagement in the countries’ transition towards circular bioeconomy.

Contacts:

María Beatriz Rosell: Maria.beatriz.rosell@geonardo.com

website: WWW.CEE2ACT.EU

Bio4Africa project

Posted on 18/10/2022 by Louis Ferrini

This project ends on: 30/05/2025

Diversifying revenue in rural Africa through circular, sustainable and replicable bio-based solutions and business models

Africa will need to feed over 2 billion people by 2050 while coping with unprecedented demographic, socio-economic, environmental, climatic and health transitions. Meanwhile, undernourishment is still on the rise, affecting almost 20% of its population now. Under this light, ensuring Africa’s food security becomes imperative, with the bioeconomy posed to play a leading role to this end. It is against this backdrop that BIO4AFRICA sets off to support the deployment of the bioeconomy in rural Africa via the development of bio-based solutions and value chains with a circular approach to drive the cascading use of local resources and diversify the income of farmers. Our focus is on transferring simple, small-scale and robust bio-based technologies adapted to local biomass, needs and contexts (green biorefinery, pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonisation, briquetting, pelletising, bio-composites and bioplastics production). In doing so we aim at empowering farmers to sustainably produce a variety of higher value bio-based products and energy (animal feed, fertiliser, pollutant absorbents, construction materials, packaging, solid fuel for cooking and catalysts for biogas production), significantly improving the environmental, economic and social performance of their forage agri-food systems. To this end, we have set up 4 pilot cases with over 8 testing sites in Uganda, Ghana, Senegal and Ivory Coast, offering more than 300 farmers and farmer groups of all sizes (incl. small dairy and lower-income farmers, women farmer groups and transhumant pastoralists among others) the opportunity to test them in real productive conditions. Along the way, our balanced mix of 13 African and 12 EU partners will engage in solid multi-actor collaboration with rural communities and government, co-developing novel sustainable value chains driven by circular business models and supporting deployment in other areas, all while safeguarding agronomic, environmental, social and economic sustainability.

Contacts:

Knud Tybirk: kt@foodbiocluster.dk

website: https://www.bio4africa.eu/

BioRural project

Posted on 07/10/2022 by Louis Ferrini

This project ends on: 31/08/2025

Accelerating circular bio-based solutions integration in European rural areas

BioRural’s goal is to create a European Rural Bioeconomy Network to promote small-scale bio-based solutions in rural areas and support the transition towards a sustainable, regenerative, inclusive and just circular Bioeconomy across all Europe at local and regional scale. BioRural will achieve this through a three-pillar intervention scheme that feeds into a publicly available BioRural Toolkit that creates a wide network of collaborative stakeholders on a regional and European level; assesses the existing European rural Bioeconomy and captures grassroots-level needs and ideas for the adoption of biobased solutions; includes a range of small scale bio-based success stories; promotes effective exchange of knowledge and information through a series of workshops; holds a bioeconomy challenge for new practical bio-based solutions; and develops rural Business model blueprints for Bioeconomy businesses from conception to scale.

Contacts:

Thanos Balafoutis: a.balafoutis@certh.gr

Bas Paris: b.paris@certh.gr

Despoina Kampouridou: despoina@foodscalehub.com

website: www.biorural.eu