The bioeconomy is nothing new. It exists already and has recently become a policy priority in Europe. The European bioeconomy is worth nearly €2 trillion and provides more than 22 million jobs to EU citizens. It encompasses the sustainable production of renewable resources and their conversion into food, feed, fibres, materials, chemicals and bioenergy through efficient and/or innovative technologies.
A cornerstone of the bioeconomy are biorefineries that use biomass, by- and co- products and waste instead of fossil resources as their raw material. In the bioeconomy, land use and food security are optimised through a sustainable, resource-efficient and largely waste-free utilisation of Europe’s renewable raw materials therefore contributing to a circular economy. The bioeconomy offers huge potential to tackle societal challenges such as resource efficiency, climate change, maintaining European competitiveness and creation of jobs. It will play an important role in boosting Europe’s competitiveness by revitalising rural areas, thus providing growth and jobs over the next decades. The vision of the European Bioeconomy Alliance is for a competitive, innovative, energy secure and sustainable Europe: leading the transition towards a post-petroleum society while decoupling economic growth from resource depletion and environmental impact. Our members are committed to support the development of the bioeconomy in Europe provided that a framework to ensure a fair, predictable and coherent basis for business to operate is guaranteed.