COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS A sustainable Bioeconomy for Europe: Strengthening the connection between economy, society and the environment
Date: 2018-10-11
Institutions: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission
Subjects: EU research policy, biotechnology, circular economy, climate change, ecosystem, food resources, innovation, natural resources, renewable energy, sustainable development

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  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 11.10.2018 COM(2018) 673 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS A sustainable Bioeconomy for Europe:  Strengthening the connection between economy, society and the environment  {SWD(2018) 431 final}  
 
 
1.  

Introduction  

We  live  in  a  world  of  limited  resources.  Global  challenges  like  climate  change,  land  and 
ecosystem  degradation,  coupled  with  a  growing  population  force  us  to  seek  new  ways  of 
producing  and  consuming  that  respect  the  ecological  boundaries  of  our  planet.  At  the  same 
time,  the  need  to  achieve  sustainability  constitutes  a  strong  incentive  to  modernise  our 
industries  and  to  reinforce  Europe’s  position  in  a  highly  competitive  global  economy,  thus 
ensuring  the  prosperity  of  its  citizens.  To  tackle  these  challenges,  we  must  improve  and 
innovate  the  way  we  produce  and  consume  food,  products  and  materials  within  healthy 
ecosystems through a sustainable bioeconomy. 

Sustainable & Circular: Bioeconomy the European way 

The  bioeconomy  covers  all  sectors  and  systems  that  rely  on  biological  resources  (animals, 
plants,  micro-organisms  and  derived  biomass,  including  organic  waste),  their  functions  and 
principles.  It  includes  and  interlinks:  land  and  marine  ecosystems  and  the  services  they 
provide; all primary production sectors that use and produce biological resources (agriculture, 
forestry, fisheries and aquaculture); and all economic and industrial sectors that use biological 
resources and processes to produce food, feed, bio-based products, energy and services.1 To 
be  successful,  the  European  bioeconomy  needs  to  have  sustainability  and  circularity  at  its 
heart.  This  will  drive  the  renewal  of  our  industries,  the  modernisation  of  our  primary 
production systems, the protection of the environment and will enhance biodiversity. 

The purpose of this update to the 2012 Bioeconomy2 Strategy is to address these challenges 
through  a  set  of  14  concrete  actions  which  will  be  launched  in  2019  at  the  latest.3  These 
actions reflect the conclusions of the 2017 review of the Strategy.4  

2. How the Bioeconomy contributes to EU’s priorities  

This  update  to  the  2012  Bioeconomy  Strategy  will  maximise  the  contribution  of  the 
bioeconomy to major European policy priorities.5 

Sustainability is not only a legal obligation, it is an opportunity for all parts of Europe and 
underpins  most  EU  priorities.6  The  EU  is  already  a  global  leader  in  the  sustainable  use  of 

1 
2 
3           These actions will not entail any budgetary or legislative commitments for the next Commission while 

Biomedicines and health biotechnology are excluded. 
COM(2012)60, Innovating for Sustainable Growth: A Bioeconomy for Europe, 13.02.2012. 

4 
5 

6 

the concrete implementation of these actions may run until 2025. 
SWD(2017)374, Review of the 2012 European Bioeconomy Strategy, 13.11.2017. 
Letter  of  Intent,  State  of  the  Union,  September  2018;  https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-
political/files/soteu2018-letter-of-intent_en.pdf  
COM(2016)739,  Next  steps  for  a  sustainable  European  future:  European  action  for  sustainability, 
22.11.2016. 

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natural resources within an efficient bioeconomy, which is essential to most of the Sustainable 
Development Goals.7  

With  a  turnover  value  of  €2.3  trillion  and  accounting  for  8.2%  of  the  EU's  workforce,8  the 
bioeconomy  is  a  central  element  to  the  functioning  and  success  of  the  EU  economy.  The 
deployment  of  a  sustainable  European  bioeconomy  would  lead  to  the  creation  of  jobs, 
particularly in coastal and rural areas through the growing participation of primary producers 
in their local bioeconomies. In the bio-based industries one million new jobs could be created 
by 2030, according to industry estimates.9 The strong and fast-growing startup ecosystem in 
the biotechnology sector will play a leading role in realising this potential.  

A sustainable European bioeconomy is necessary to build a carbon neutral future in line with 
the  Climate  objectives  of  the  Paris  Agreement.  For  instance,  in  the  construction  sector 
engineered  wood  offers  great  environmental  benefits  as  well  as  excellent  economic 
opportunities. Studies show that the average impact of building with 1 ton of wood instead of 
1 ton of concrete could lead to an average reduction of 2.1 tons of carbon dioxide emissions 
over  the  complete  life  cycle  of  the  product  (including  use  and  disposal).10  A  sustainable 
bioeconomy  is  also  essential  to  the  reduction  of  emissions  in  the  European  Energy  sector. 
Bioenergy, currently the EU’s largest renewable energy source, is expected to remain a key 
component of the energy mix in 2030 and contribute to meet the EU renewable energy targets 
of 20% in 2020 and of at least 32% in 2030.11 Sustainable primary production on land and sea 
underpins the overall sustainability of the bioeconomy and will provide ‘negative emissions’ 
or carbon sinks, in line with the commitments of the Paris Agreement. 

A sustainable European bioeconomy supports the  modernisation and strengthening of the 
EU industrial base through the creation of new value chains and greener, more cost-effective 
industrial  processes.  By  capitalising  on  unprecedented  advances  in  life  sciences  and 
biotechnologies,  as  well  as  innovations  merging  the  physical,  digital  and  biological  worlds, 
the  European  industrial  base  can  maintain  and  enhance  its  global  leadership.  Research  and 
innovation  and  the  deployment  of  innovative  solutions  for  the  production  of  new  and 
sustainable bio-based products  (such as  bio-chemicals, bio-fuels, etc.) will also  enhance our 
capacity to substitute fossil raw materials in very significant parts of European industry (e.g. 
construction, packaging, textiles, chemicals, cosmetics, pharma ingredients, consumer goods) 

7 

8 

9 
10 

11 

SWD(2016)390,  Key  European  action  supporting  the 2030  Agenda  and the  Sustainable  Development 
Goals, 22.11.2016 ; Eurostat SDGs monitoring report . 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/9234939/8-18092018-AP-EN.pdf/888b182d-f6f9-
4e0d-9e48-4b4e1561333e;  JRC  Report,  The  MAGNET  model  framework  for  assessing  policy 
coherence and SDGs – Applications to the bioeconomy, 2018, ISBN 978-92-79-81792-2. 
Ronzon,  T.  et  al.,  Sustainability,  10,  6,  1745,  (2018),  doi:  10.3390/su10061745;  annual  figure  (data 
relative to 2015). 
EuropaBio Report, Jobs and growth generated by industrial biotechnology in Europe, 09.2016. 
How  can  wood  construction  reduce  environmental  degradation?,  Elias  Hurmekoski  (2017) 
http://www.efi.int/files/images/publications/efi_hurmekoski_wood_construction_2017.pdf 
Directive  of  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  on  the  promotion  of  the  use  of  energy  from 
renewable  sources  (recast),  formal  adoption  expected  by  the  end  of  2018  following  the  agreement  at 
political level by the European Parliament and the Council on 13 June 2018. 

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in  line  with  the  renewed  Industrial  Policy  objectives.12  According  to  the  projections  of  the 
industry,  the  demand  for  industrial  biotechnologies  is  expected  to  almost  double  within  the 
next decade.13  

A sustainable bioeconomy is the renewable segment of the circular economy. It can turn bio-
waste,  residues  and  discards  into  valuable  resources  and  can  create  the  innovations  and 
incentives to help retailers and consumers cut food waste by 50% by 2030. For example, in 
the  livestock  sector  innovations  increasingly  allow  to  safely  turning  certain  food  waste  into 
feed  for  animals,  provided  the  applicable  rules  and  legal  requirements  are  observed.14  It  is 
estimated  that  the  land  -  currently  used  to  feed  animals  -  that  could  be saved  through  these 
innovations  could  feed  three  billion  additional  people.15  Cities  should  become  major 
circular  bioeconomy  hubs.  Circular  urban  development  plans  could  translate  into  very 
significant economic and environmental gains. For instance, the city of Amsterdam estimates 
that  the  better  recycling  of  high  value  organic  residue  streams  could  generate  EUR  150 
million  in  added  value  per  year,  create  new  1.200  jobs  in  the  long  run  and  save  600.000 
tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.16 For Europe's 50 largest cities, representing 11% of EU 
population, combined effects would be at least 50 times higher. 

Supporting  healthy  ecosystems  is  a  European  priority.  The  bioeconomy  can  contribute  to 
restoring  ecosystems,  for  instance  achieving  plastic-free  seas  and  oceans.  The  European 
Environmental Agency already advises that bio-based, biodegradable materials alternative to 
plastics  should  be  used  where  the  risk  of  dispersion  into  the  ecosystem  is  high,  such  as 
lubricants,  materials  subject  to  wear  and  tear,  and  disposable  products.17  Furthermore  a 
sustainable  bioeconomy  will  contribute  to  the  Sustainable  Development  Goals  target  of 
achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030 and to the ambition of restoring at least 15% 
of degraded ecosystems by 2020.18 

Realising  this  potential  will  not  happen  on  its  own.  It  requires  investments,  innovation, 
developing  strategies  and  implementing  systemic  changes  that  cut  across  different  sectors 
(agriculture, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture, food, bio-based industry). It means enhancing our 
capacity to translate opportunities from all types of innovation into new products and services 
on  the  market,  creating  new  jobs  locally.  And  it  means  doing  it  the  European  way:  being 
economically viable with sustainability and circularity in the driver's seat. 

12 

13 
14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

COM(2017)479,  Investing  in  a  smart,  innovative  and  sustainable  Industry  A  renewed  EU  Industrial 
Policy Strategy, 13.09.2017. 
EuropaBio Report, Jobs and growth generated by industrial biotechnology in Europe, 09.2016. 
Guidelines  for  the  feed  use  of  food  no  longer  intended  for  human  consumption;  https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52018XC0416(01)&from=EN 
https://eu-refresh.org/eu-panel-experts-concludes-feeding-treated-surplus-food-pigs-viable-provided-
certain-safety-0 
“Circular Amsterdam: a vision and action agenda for the city and metropolitan area", Circle Economy, 
Fabric.two and Gemeente Amsterdam, 2016. 
EEA  Report  No  8/2018  -  The  circular  economy  and  the  bioeconomy  Partners  in  sustainability,  ISSN 
1977-8449.  
Decision    no.  1386/2013/  EU  on  a  General  Union  Environment  Action  Programme  to  2020  ‘Living 
well, within the limits of our planet’, 20.11.2013. 

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the  European  Regional  Development  Fund, 

Maximising the impact of EU Research and Innovation is key in this respect19. Regulation and 
financing must be innovation friendly for Europe to become a front-runner in market creating 
innovation.  This  was  stressed  by  the  recent  Renewed  European  Agenda  for  Research  and 
Innovation.20  Horizon  2020  and 
in  a 
complementary  fashion,  will  continue  to  deliver  important  Research  and  Innovation  outputs 
that  can  address  cross-cutting  challenges  and  opportunities  in  the  bioeconomy.  The 
Commission proposals for the next Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-27 intend to 
give a significant boost for systemic research and innovation in the areas and sectors covered 
by  the  bioeconomy,  in  particular  with  EUR  10  billion  foreseen21  for  the  Horizon  Europe 
cluster for "Food and Natural Resources".22 This recognition is also reflected in many Smart 
Specialisation Strategies that identified bioeconomy related priorities, and in the teaming up 
of regions in bioeconomy-related Smart Specialisation Platforms and partnerships with a view 
to facilitating the involvement of EU regions23. Research and innovation in the bioeconomy is 
also an important domain for cooperation at the global level.  

However,  it  is  necessary  to  move  beyond  research  and  innovation  and  have  a  strategic  and 
systemic  approach  to  the  deployment  of  innovations  to  fully  reap  the  economic,  social  and 
environmental benefits of the bioeconomy. Such an approach should bring together all actors 
across  territories  and  value  chains  to  map  the  needs  and  actions  to  be  taken.  It  will  require 
addressing  the  systemic  challenges  that  cut  across  the  different  sectors,  including  synergies 
and trade-offs, to enable and speed up the deployment of circular economy models. And this 
approach will have to make the most of all tools and policies available; exploiting synergies 
with  other  EU  and  national  funds  and  instruments,  in  particular  the  Common  Agricultural 
Policy,  Common  Fisheries  Policy  as  well  as  the  cohesion  policy  and  Financial  Instruments 
under the InvestEU Programme. 

3. Unlocking the potential of the bioeconomy 

The  2012  Bioeconomy  Strategy’s  aim  to  pave  "the  way  to  a  more  innovative,  resource 
efficient  and  competitive  society  that  reconciles  food  security  with  the  sustainable  use  of 
renewable  resources  for  industrial  purposes,  while  ensuring  environmental  protection"  still 
holds today. The Review of this Strategy24 recognised success, notably at mobilising research 
and  innovation,  boosting  private  investments,  developing  new  value  chains,  promoting  the 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23  
24 

COM(2018)2, Horizon 2020 interim evaluation: maximising the impact of EU research and innovation, 
11.01.2018. 
COM(2018)306, A renewed European Agenda for Research and Innovation – Europe’s chance to shape 
its future, 15.05.2018. 
COM(2018)321,  A  Modern  Budget  for  a  Union  that  Protects,  Empowers  and  Defends  –  The 
Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027, 02.05.2018. 
COM(2018)435  Establishing  Horizon  Europe  –  the  Framework  Programme  for  Research  and 
Innovation, laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, 07.06.2018. 
http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/s3-thematic-platforms 
SWD(2017)374, Review of the 2012 European Bioeconomy Strategy, 13.11.2017. 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
uptake of national bioeconomy strategies and involving stakeholders. The review concluded 
that the five objectives of the 2012 Bioeconomy Strategy remain valid.  

While  it  acknowledged  the  contributions  of  the  Bioeconomy  Strategy  to  both  the  Circular 
Economy and the Energy Union, it also highlighted that the scope of its objectives needs to be 
adapted,  in  line  with  the  overall  European  priorities.  The  actions  should  consequently  be 
refocussed to maximise their impact on these priorities - in particular as set out in the renewed 
Industrial  Policy,25  the  Circular  Economy  Action  Plan,26  and  the  Clean  Energy  for  All 
Europeans Package.27  

The first objective, ensuring food and nutrition security, remains critical. Food and farming 
systems  account  for  about  three  quarters  of  the  overall  bioeconomy  employment  and  about 
two thirds of bioeconomy turnover. However their sustainability is challenged by a growing 
world  population,  changing  consumption  practices  and  nutrition,  unsustainable  biomass  use 
and  waste,  and  climate  change  threats.28  The  transformation  towards  sustainable,  healthy, 
nutrition-sensitive,  resource-efficient,  resilient,  circular  and  inclusive  food  and  farming 
systems needs to accelerate. This includes turning organic waste, residues and food discards 
into valuable and safe bio-based products, for instance by deploying small-scale biorefineries, 
helping farmers, foresters and fishermen to diversify their revenue sources and better manage 
market risks, all while achieving the goals of the Circular Economy. 

The second objective, managing natural resources sustainably, is more important than ever 
in  the  current  context  of  increasing  environmental  pressures  and  biodiversity  loss.29  Timely 
action  is  needed  to  avoid  ecosystem  degradation,  restore  and  enhance  ecosystem  functions, 
which can increase food and water security, and contribute substantially to the adaptation and 
mitigation  of  climate  change  through  “negative  emissions”  and  carbon  sinks.30In  particular, 
the  preservation  and  productivity  of  healthy  ecosystems  in  seas,  oceans,  forests  and  soils 
depends  on  biodiversity.  We  also  need  to  improve  our  capacity  to  monitor  and  forecast  the 
state and development of our natural resources.  

The  third  objective,  reducing  dependence  on  non-renewable,  unsustainable  resources 
whether sourced domestically or from abroad, is vital to deliver the EU’s energy and climate 
targets,  as  bioenergy,  currently  the  EU’s  largest  renewable  energy  source,  is  expected  to 
remain  a  vital  component  of  the  energy  mix  in  2030.31  A  stronger  bio-based  sector  can 
accelerate  the  substitution  of  non-renewable  resources  in  line  with  the  EU’s  commitments 
under  the  Paris  Agreement.    Moreover,  industrial  symbiosis  and  innovative  industrial  bio-

25 

26 
27 
28 

29 

30 

31 

COM(2017)479,  Investing  in  a  smart,  innovative  and  sustainable  Industry  A  renewed  EU  Industrial 
Policy Strategy, 13.09.2017. 
COM(2015)614, Closing the loop – An EU action plan for the circular economy, 02.12.2015. 
COM(2016)860, Clean Energy for All Europeans – unlocking Europe's growth potential, 30.11.2016 
COM(2017) 713, The Future of Food and Farming,  29.11.2017;  SWD(2016)319: European Research 
and innovation for Food and Nutrition Security, 21.09.2016. 
COM(2015)478,  The  Mid-term  Review  of  the  Biodiversity  Strategy  to  2020,  02.10.2015;  European 
Environment Agency, The European environment: state and outlook 2015. 
Intergovernmental  Science-Policy  Platform  on  Biodiversity  and  Ecosystem  Services,  Summary  for 
policymakers of the thematic assessment of land degradation and restoration, 2018.  
SWD(2016) 418, Part 4/4, Impact Assessment on the Sustainability of Bioenergy, 30.11.2016.  

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based  processes32  contribute  to  the  greening  of  industries  and  development  of  circular 
bioeconomies  and  products,  for  instance  by  innovating  the  way  cities  add  value  to  their 
significant share of bio-waste.  

The fourth objective, mitigating and adapting to climate change, has established itself as the 
global  challenge  of  this  generation.  Within  the  Long  Term  Greenhouse  Gas  Emission 
Reductions  Strategy,  a  sustainable  and  circular  bioeconomy  is  key  to  achieve  a  greenhouse 
gas  neutral  Europe.  Furthermore,  a  sustainable  bioeconomy  has  large  potential  to  reduce 
greenhouse  gases  emissions  by  promoting  more  resource  efficient,  active  and  sustainable 
primary  production  practices  on  land  and  sea,  as  well  as  by  enhancing  the  capacity  of 
ecosystems  to  regulate  climate,  for  instance  through  the  deployment  of  carbon  farming 
innovations. 

The  fifth  objective,  strengthening  European  competitiveness  and  creating  jobs,  is  a  core 
policy  objective  of  the  bioeconomy.  Providing  frameworks  for  developing  and  deploying 
innovations  and  fostering  the  development  of  markets  for  bio-based  products,  e.g.  through 
public  procurement,33  creation  of  standards,  renewable  energy  policies  and  carbon  pricing, 
will  support  the  global  competitiveness  and  transformation  of  European  industries.5  The 
bioeconomy offers important opportunities for new jobs regional economic development and 
improved territorial cohesion, also in remote or peripheral areas. It has the potential to provide 
an  important  source  of  income  diversification  for  farmers,  foresters  and  fishermen,  and  to 
boost local rural economies through increased investment in skills, knowledge, innovation and 
new business models, as recommended in the 2016 Cork 2.0 declaration.34 

4.  

Actions leading the way towards a sustainable, circular bioeconomy 

To support the five objectives in the context of evolved policy priorities, this updated strategy 
proposes three main action areas: 

1.  strengthen and scale-up the bio-based sectors, unlock investments and markets 

2.  deploy local bioeconomies rapidly across Europe;  

3.  understand the ecological boundaries of the bioeconomy.  

The  proposed  actions  capitalise  on  and  go  beyond  previous  successful  Research  and 
Innovation investments. The action plan applies a systems-approach in order to develop and 
scale  up  the  bioeconomy  and  ensure  its  overall  sustainability  and  circularity.  It  embraces 
multiple sectors and policies related to the bioeconomy, interlinks them, facilitates coherence 
and  synergies,  addresses  trade-offs  such  as  competing  use  of  biomass,  and  provides  a 
blueprint  that  will  help  the  Union  to  develop  the  potential  of  bioeconomy  and  use  it  to 
effectively deliver on many of its policy objectives.  The actions will be implemented within 

32 
33 

34 

EuropaBio Report, Jobs and growth generated by industrial biotechnology in Europe, 09.2016 
https://ec.europa.eu/growth/content/guidance-bio-based-products-procurement_en 
https://biobasedprocurement.eu/ 
Cork 2.0 Declaration - A Better Life in Rural Areas, 2016. 

and 

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the  existing  international  context  of  the  International  Bioeconomy  Forum35  and  the  Global 
Bioeconomy Summit36 to foster synergies with like-minded actions by partners.  

4.1 Strengthen and scale-up the bio-based sectors, unlock investments and markets 

To  accelerate  the  development  and  deployment  of  sustainable  and  circular  bio-based 
solutions,  on  which  the  modernisation,  strengthening  and  competitiveness  of  our  industrial 
base depend, the EU will intensify the mobilisation of public and private stakeholders, in 
research,  demonstration  and  deployment  of  bio-based  solutions  (Action  1.1).  This 
includes,  for  example,  the  promotion  of  technologies  such  as  artificial  intelligence  and 
innovative solutions that are suitable for small scale deployment and easy to replicate. Under 
Horizon  2020,  the  EU  public-private  partnership  on  Bio-Based  Industries  has  been 
instrumental in the development and deployment of new bio-based value chains, based on the 
use of renewable resources including waste.37 This action will result in the development of a 
tool-box  of  solutions  to  process  biomass  into  bio-based  products  that  will  support  the 
modernisation and the renewal of our industries in a number of areas.  

In  addition  to  research  and  innovation  grants  under  Horizon  2020,  the  EU  will  deploy  a 
targeted  financial  instrument  -  the  EUR  100  million  Circular  Bioeconomy  Thematic 
Investment Platform38 (Action 1.2) - to de-risk private investments in sustainable solutions. 
This will build on and reinforce synergies with on-going and future EU initiatives, such as the 
Capital  Markets  Union,  the  InvestEU  Programme,  the  Common  Agricultural  Policy  and  the 
ETS Innovation Fund.  

To  realise  its  potential,  the  bio-based  sector  needs  to  be  further  promoted  for  its  positive 
impacts,  and  to  be  on  equal  footing  with  market  and  regulatory  conditions  vis-à-vis  fossil-
based  industries.  This  action  will  identify  bottlenecks,  enablers,  and  gaps  affecting  bio-
based innovations, provide voluntary guidance on  their deployment at scale, with a view 
to promoting existing standards and labels and assessing the need for developing new ones, 
particularly for bio-based products (Action 1.3).  

In  order  to  boost  market  uptake  and  consumer  confidence,  it  is  necessary  to  use  multiple 
instruments.  This  requires  the  availability  of  reliable  and  comparable  environmental 
performance information and their application to environmental oriented policy instruments 
(e.g.  the  EU  Ecolabel  and  green  public  procurement),  when  proven  beneficial  from  an 
environmental  perspective.  The  generation  and  use  of  data  shall  be  compliant  with  the 
Product  Environmental  Footprint  method.  Other  aspects  to  be  covered  include  the 

35           https://ec.europa.eu/research/bioeconomy/index.cfm?pg=policy&lib=ibf 
36           http://gbs2018.com/home/ 
37 

38 

Interim  Evaluation  of  Bio-Based  Industries  Joint  Undertaking  (2014-2016)  operating  under  Horizon 
2020, 10.10.2017, ISBN 978-92-79-67438-9. 
This financial instrument is  delivering on the financial pillar of the Circular Economy Finance Support 
Platform: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-104_en.htm 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
promotion and development of standards, which can serve to verify the products’ properties, 
as  a  basis  for  existing  voluntary  labels  (Action  1.4).  Overall,  actions  will  contribute  to  the 
diversification,  development  and  deployment  of  bio-based  solutions.  In  addition,  they  will 
seek to facilitate the development of new sustainable biorefineries and confirm the  type and 
estimated  potential,  current  estimates  being  around  300  new  biorefineries  (Action  1.5).39  
This will be done based on the availability of sustainably sourced resources.  

Finally,  in  an  effort  to  contribute  to  the  global  challenge  of  plastic-free-oceans  whilst 
offering growth prospects for innovative bio-based business models and products, actions will 
channel  the  potential  of  the  bioeconomy  to  contribute  to  tackling  plastic  pollution40  in 
European seas and oceans, and in inland waters, and to restore water quality and ecosystems 
(Action 1.6). The action will, for example, mobilise the key actors in the plastics value chain 
to  support  the  development  of  substitutes  to  fossil  resources,  in  particular  bio-based, 
recyclable and marine biodegradable substitutes for plastic. 

4.2  Deploy local bioeconomies rapidly across Europe 

The  European  Commission  will  actively  support  and  promote  all  types  of  innovations  and 
practices  for  sustainable  food  and  farming  systems,  forestry  and  bio-based  production 
through a systemic and cross-cutting approach linking actors, territories and value chains. It 
will  develop  a  Strategic  Deployment  Agenda  (Action  2.1)  which  will  provide  a  long-term 
vision  on  pathways  to  deploy  and  scale  up  the  bioeconomy  in  a  sustainable  and  circular 
manner. This systemic approach will address, amongst others, the following areas:  

- 

Future  proofing  food  and  farming  systems  (terrestrial  and  aquatic)  by  addressing  e.g. 
food waste, losses and by-products (including nutrient recycling), resilience, the need for 
nutrition-sensitive  food  production,  more  food  from  the  sustainable  use  of  seas  and 
oceans41 with increased share of EU aquaculture production and market uptake. 

-  Bio-based  innovations  including  in  farming,  to  develop  new  chemicals,  products, 
processes  and  value  chains  for  bio-based-markets  in  rural  and  coastal  areas,  with 
involvement and increased benefits for primary producers.   

-  New opportunities arising for the forestry sector in view of replacing non-sustainable raw 
materials  in  construction,  packaging  with  bio-based  materials  and  for  providing  more 
sustainable innovations in sectors such as forestry-based textiles, furniture and chemicals, 
and new business models based on the valuation of forestry ecosystem services. 

39 

40 

41 

OECD, Meeting Policy Challenges for a Sustainable Bioeconomy, 2018, ISBN 9789264292345 ; BIO-
TIC, A roadmap to a thriving industrial biotechnology sector in Europe, 2015. 
Building  on  and  feeding  into  the  EU  Plastic  Strategy,  COM/2018/028,  A  European  Strategy  for 
Plastics in a Circular Economy, 12.01.2018. 
SAM Scientific Opinion No. 3/2017, Food from the Oceans, 2017, ISBN 978-92-79-67730-4. 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
-  Exploiting  the  potential  of  ocean  farming  -  algae  and  other  marine  resources  -  with 
scaling  up  and  market  uptake  of  marine  bio-based  industries,  as  well  as  further 
integration of marine and land-based farming. 

Concrete  actions  to  develop  this  Strategic  Deployment  Agenda  will  showcase  the  vast 
potential of the bioeconomy for rural, coastal, and urban areas development. Pilot actions 
will  be  implemented  (Action  2.2),  which  will  enhance  synergies  between  existing  EU 
instruments  to  support  local  activities,  introducing  a  more  explicit  focus  on  the 
bioeconomy. In a first round, five pilot actions will be launched: 

  A "Blue Bioeconomy" pilot will unlock the potential of blue bioeconomy approaches 
in coastal areas and islands. The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea region has proven to 
be  a  good  bottom-up  vehicle  to  direct  existing  funds  towards  locally  adapted 
bioeconomy models42. Similar actions are proposed to be extended to other sea basins, 
as  well  as  coastal  and  maritime  areas,  including  through  the  use  of  the  European 
Maritime and Fisheries Fund.  

  Specific  interventions  will  be  developed  under  the  Common  Agricultural  Policy  to 
support  inclusive  bioeconomies  in  rural  areas.  The  aim  is  to  better  link  national 
bioeconomy  strategies  and  national  strategic  plans  under  the  Common  Agricultural 
Policy.  Dissemination of good practices to  foster  the deployment of the bioeconomy 
will  enable  primary  producers  to  benefit  from  the  opportunities  that  new  systemic 
bioeconomy approaches offer.   

  The Urban bioeconomies pilot will enable 10 European cities to turn organic waste 
from  a  societal  problem  into  a  valuable  resource  for  the  production  of  bio-based 
products.  Furthermore,  the  rehabilitation  of  brownfields  and  application  of  circular-
bioeconomy  processes  and  technologies  within  urban  areas  should  be  further 
developed to diversify the sustainable sourcing of biomass and to create new business 
opportunities.  

  The pilot on carbon farming will encourage Member States to establish a fund to buy 
carbon  credits  from  farmers  and  forest  owners  who  implement  specific  projects  that 
aim at increasing soil and biomass carbon sequestration and/or reducing emissions in 
the livestock sector or that are related to fertilizer use. 

  "Living labs" will be set-up to develop and test place-based innovations based on 
ecological  approaches  and  circularity  in  primary  production  and  food  systems. 
This  will  allow  adapting  innovations  to  site-specific  needs,  involving  the  relevant 
stakeholders and facilitating their further adoption and deployment. 

In  order  to  ensure  that  all  territories  of  the  Union  have  the  opportunity  to  develop  their 
bioeconomy  potential,  an  EU  bioeconomy  policy  support  facility  for  Member  States 
(Action  2.3)  will  be  set  up  under  Horizon  2020.  It  will  support  the  development  of 

42 

SWD(2017)128, Report on the Blue Growth Strategy Towards more sustainable growth and jobs in the 
blue  economy,  31.03.2017;  SWD(2017)118,  European  Union  Strategy  for  the  Baltic  Sea  Region, 
20.03.2017.    

9 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
national/regional bioeconomy strategies, including remote areas and candidate and accession 
countries.43  

The systemic and cross-cutting nature of new and emerging bioeconomy approaches and new 
value  chains  will  need  new  education  and  skills  (Action  2.4).  These  must  be  adapted  to 
different  needs  across  bioeconomy  sectors  (e.g.  at  the  interface  of  agrology,  biorefining, 
ecology  and  other  disciplines),  to  be  capable  of  responding  quickly  and  flexibly  to  the 
emerging and ever-growing needs of the bioeconomy. The piloting of vocational and higher 
education  curricula, 
the  development  of 
entrepreneurship programmes will contribute to this action.  

involvement  of  social  partners  and 

the 

4.3 Understand the ecological boundaries of the bioeconomy 

For  the  bioeconomy  to  deliver  on  sustainability,  we  must  be  able  to  better  understand  and 
measure its effects and impacts on the ecological boundaries of our planet. This is necessary 
to develop the bioeconomy in a way that attenuates pressures on the environment, values and 
protects biodiversity and enhances the full range of ecosystem services. The following actions 
aim  at  increasing  the  overall  knowledge  and  monitoring  of  the  bioeconomy.  All  of  them 
respond to the need to have an in depth knowledge of the sustainable biomass supply limits at 
the  local,  regional  and  global  level.  This  knowledge  will  feed  into  the  other  operational 
actions of this strategy. These actions will provide the foundation to reinforce the resilience of 
land  and  marine  ecosystems,  enhance  their  biodiversity  and  ensure  their  contribution  to 
climate mitigation while transforming our fossil-based economy into a bio-based economy. 

Enhancing  the  knowledge  base  and  understanding  of  specific  bioeconomy  areas  (Action 
3.1)  will  be  based  on  acquiring  more  data,  generating  better  information  and  systemic 
analysis (for example through artificial intelligence) of data and information including: 

-  The status and resilience of terrestrial (agricultural and forest) and marine ecosystems 
and their biodiversity. This  includes their related socio-economic costs and benefits, 
and  their  capacities  to  serve  as  a  sustainable  domestic  biomass  source,  to  sequester 
carbon and to increase climate resilience.  

-  The  sustainable  biomass  availability  as  well  as  public  and  private  bioeconomy 

investments.  

Enhancing  the  knowledge  base  will  include  forward  looking,  cross-sectoral  assessments, 
modelling and scenarios. Progress in the bioeconomy will be systematically monitored for a 
inclusive  governance  and  coherent  policy-making.  The  status  of 
responsible  and 
biodiversity, ecosystem, degraded land areas and land at risk of climate change impacts, 
such as desertification will also be monitored, to restore land based and marine ecosystems. 

43 

For example, the BIOEAST initiative offers a shared strategic research and innovation framework for 
sustainable bioeconomies in Central and Eastern Europe; http://www.bioeast.eu/  

10 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
The Commission will implement an EU-wide, internationally coherent monitoring system 
(Action 3.2) to track the progress towards a sustainable, circular bioeconomy in Europe and to 
underpin related policy areas. Knowledge gained will be used to provide voluntary guidance 
for operating the bioeconomy within safe ecological limits (Action 3.3). 
The benefits from biodiversity-rich ecosystems will be better integrated in primary production 
through a specific support to agro-ecology, the development of microbiome-based solutions, 
new  tools  to  integrate  pollinators  in  value  chains  and  specific  support  for  agro-ecology 
(Action 3.4).  
The data and information generated in these actions will be made publicly available through 
the Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy.  

5. Conclusion  

The  finite  biological  resources  and  ecosystems  of  our  planet  are  essential  to  feed  people, 
provide clean water and affordable and clean energy. A sustainable bioeconomy is essential to 
tackle  climate  change  and  land  and  ecosystem  degradation.  It  will  address  the  growing 
demand for food, feed, energy, materials and products due to an increasing world population, 
and reduce our dependence on non-renewable resources.  

Deploying  a  sustainable  and  circular  bioeconomy  will  boost  the  competitiveness  of  the 
bioeconomy  sectors  and  support  the  creation  of  new  value  chains  across  Europe  while 
enhancing  the  overall  status  of  our  natural  resources.  Such  a  bioeconomy  will  rely  and 
capitalise mainly on domestically available sustainable renewable resources, and on advances 
in sciences, technologies and innovations merging the physical, digital and biological worlds, 
in some of the EU’s most significant sectors and industries.  

This Strategy proposes actions to support rural and coastal development, also in remote areas, 
ensuring  a  more  proportionate  sharing  of  the  benefits  of  a  competitive  and  sustainable 
bioeconomy across European territories and value chains. These actions will ensure that the 
bioeconomy  respects  the  limits  of  our  planet. A  sustainable  bioeconomy  must  value  natural 
resources and diminish environmental pressures and increase the use of sustainable renewable 
products,  restore  and  enhance  ecosystems’  functions  and  biodiversity.  It  will  promote  more 
sustainable, circular and post-waste food systems and primary production on land and sea.  

Delivering  a  sustainable  circular  bioeconomy  means  that  our  economic  prosperity  and  the 
health  of  our  environment  will  mutually  reinforce  one  another.  To  ensure  the  effective 
delivery of the proposed policy goals, the Commission will report regularly on the progress of 
the Action Plan and is committed to adapting or discontinuing activities that do not contribute 
to the objectives of the Strategy in a satisfactory manner. 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Action Title 

Who 

1 Strengthen and scale-up the bio-based sectors, unlock investments and markets 

1.1  Mobilise  public  and  private  stakeholders,  in  research,  demonstration  and  deployment  of 
sustainable, inclusive and circular bio-based solutions 

Commission, Member States and Regions, 
stakeholders 

1.2 Launch of the EUR 100 million Circular Bioeconomy Thematic Investment Platform  

Commission 

1.3 Study and analysis of enablers and bottlenecks and provide voluntary guidance to the deployment 
of bio-based innovations 

Commission 

1.4  Promote  and/or  develop  standards  and  emerging  market-based  incentives,  and  improve  labels 
applicable  to  bio-based  products  on  the  basis  of  reliable  and  comparable  data  on  environmental  and 
climate performance 

Commission and Member States/stakeholders 

1.5  Facilitate  the  development  of  new  sustainable  biorefineries  and  confirm  the  type  and  estimated 
potential44   

Commission and Member States 

1.6  Research and innovation investments for the development of substitutes to fossil based materials 
that are bio-based, recyclable and marine-biodegradable, and of bio-remediation methods by mobilising 
the key actors in the relevant value chains including the plastics value chain and to contribute to plastic-
free, healthy and productive European seas and oceans 

Commission, stakeholders 

44 

Some reports estimate this potential with up to 300 new biorefineries by 2030 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Action Title  

Who 

2  Deploy local bioeconomies rapidly across Europe 

2.1 A Strategic Deployment Agenda for sustainable food and farming systems, forestry and bio-based 
production in a circular bioeconomy 

Commission, Member States, private sector, 
stakeholders 

2.2  Pilot  actions  to  support  local  bioeconomy  development  (rural,  coastal,  urban)  via  Commission 
instruments and programmes 

Commission, Member States, regions, 
municipalities and other stakeholders 

2.3 Set up an EU Bioeconomy policy support facility  and a European Bioeconomy Forum for Member 
States 

Commission and Member States 

2.4 Promote education, training and skills across the bioeconomy 

Commission and Member States 

3 Understand the ecological boundaries of the bioeconomy  

3.1 Enhance the knowledge on the bioeconomy, including on biodiversity and ecosystems, to deploy it 
within safe ecological limits and make it accessible through the Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy 

Commission, Member States, International 
Organisations, IPBES 

3.2 Increase observation,  measurement, monitoring and reporting  capabilities and build an EU-wide, 
internationally  coherent  monitoring  system  to  track  economic,  environmental  and  social  progress 
towards a sustainable bioeconomy  

Commission , Member States, private sector 

3.3 Provide voluntary guidance to operate the bioeconomy within safe ecological limits 

Commission 

3.4  Better  integrate  the  benefits  of  biodiversity-rich  ecosystems  in  primary  production  through  a 
specific  support  to  agro-ecology,  the  development  of  microbiome-based  solutions,  and  new  tools  to 
integrate pollinators in supply value chains 

Commission, Member States, private 
stakeholders 

13