EUBA Contribution to the EU Bioeconomy Strategy Consultation

The European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA) sectors bring together 29 million professionals who produce, use, refine and transform bio-based renewable feedstock into food, feed, chemicals, manufacturing materials, biofuels, and bioenergy. Many of these products can successfully be deployed across sectors and industries, with equal or better performance than fossil-based competitors.

The bioeconomy can thus drive forward the transition away from a fossil-based society and should therefore be considered a core pillar of the EU’s industrial policy. Investments and innovation in the EU bioeconomy have shown their potential.
For further information, please see the EUBA best-practice case studies and publication ‘The Bioeconomy Blueprint: Building a circular and resilient Europe’.

The forthcoming new EU Bioeconomy Strategy must hence guide initiatives stemming from the Clean Industrial Deal and the Vision for Agriculture and Food, the future Biotech Act, as well as be streamlined in other relevant policies going forward. The objective must be to build a reliable policy framework in which the bioeconomy can attract capital, contribute to sustainable growth and fulfil its immense potential. This will be for the benefit of greater EU resilience and autonomy, global competitiveness and as well as climate and environment.

Today 90-95% of the embedded carbon in chemicals and materials (e.g. plastic, rubber, adhesives, detergents, additives, pharmaceuticals, personal care) comes from fossil sources, such as oil, natural gas, and coal. As to transport, according to Eurostat, in 2023 around 90% of the energy used in the EU was of fossil origin. To achieve lower GHG emissions, fossil carbon sources must, step by step, be replaced with renewable carbon sources such as biomass, CO2 utilisation, and recycled biomaterials.

In this context, availability and access to sustainably sourced biomass are important. A recent study by the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) concludes that at least 20% of the overall carbon demand of the chemical and derived material sector in 2050 can be sustainably provided with biomass, In the EU and globally, and without compromising the food and feed supply and the demand for biofuels. A coherent approach to sustainability should also consider the energy used across the supply chain. In this context, bioenergy can contribute to ensuring that the whole system remains defossilised and renewable.

As a first step, the Bioeconomy Strategy must set the right direction by taking action in the following policy areas:

• Security of investment
• Market access
• Innovation and skills

Read more in the complete paper by clicking here.