The European bioeconomy sector is asking the EU for an acceleration on investment and clear rules to support industrial growth and bring competitive products to market. This was the conclusion of the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBU JU) Stakeholder Forum on March 24.
The bioeconomy encompasses products made from biological resources-from agricultural waste to algae-that are already on the market and have spin-offs in terms of employment and investment. However, according to operators, there is still a lack of a defined regulatory framework and a European action plan, with the risk that technologies developed in Europe will be industrialized elsewhere, where costs are lower.
In a complex geopolitical context, the sector emphasizes the opportunity toreduce energy dependence by enhancing local biomass and waste, but it highlights a gap in the industrialization phase. Hence the need to strengthen cooperation among EU countries and overcome fragmentation.
On the sidelines of the Brussels initiative, during aninterview with Eunews, Mario Bonaccorso, director of Cluster Spring, took stock of the state of the sector, emphasizing that the bioeconomy is already a concrete reality: “We are talking about investments, plants, jobs and products already on the market.” A sector that ranges from bioplastics to organic cosmetics and innovative materials made from agricultural waste.
Bonaccorso also stressed the need to strengthen the European dimension of the sector: “To be competitive we need to overcome the fragmentation of the 27 countries and work with a common vision.” The European Bioeconomy Clusters Alliance (EBCA), which now brings together more than 20 clusters, is part of this direction.
Data confirm the weight of the sector: in Europe the bioeconomy is worth about 3 trillion euros and employs 17 million people. Italy is third in production value (430 billion) and employment (2 million), with a leadership position in compostable bioplastics and organic waste management.
Finally, CBU JU investments-a €2 billion public-private partnership-have supported numerous innovative projects, contributing to the launch of more than 100 new bioeconomic products and more than 250 advanced materials over the past decade.
Italy is among the main beneficiaries of CBU JU bioeconomy investments, with more than 157 million euros received since 2014 for 142 projects. Prominent among these is TERRIFIC, in which Spring is a partner, which enhances the value of agro-industry residues to develop sustainable packaging solutions.