Our mission to unleash the potential of the bioeconomy, accelerating Europe on its path to climate-neutrality and generating sustainable growth via a coalition platform to identify and create demonstration projects showing the value of the bioeconomy
The bioeconomy plays a vital part in Europe’s economy, employing 18 million people (9%) of the European workforce; and with the right policy framework, it can create 1 million new green jobs by 2030
Spanning all of Europe’s natural ecosystems: agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, and the products and waste streams that arise from these activities; the bioeconomy includes food and feed, forest and crop residues, sewage and manure, bioenergy, biofuels, and bio-based chemicals and materials.
Led by Xynteo in partnership with Avril, DB Schenker, Lantmännen, Scania, Shell and Yara, the BioAdvantage Europe coalition came together to present a unified voice to help EU policymakers drive a green recovery in Europe.
Making a positive impact on limiting global warming now
Supporting the bioeconomy is crucial for the health of our planet as well as contributing to sustainable growth in Europe. It is vital for achieving the goals of the European Green Deal and becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. With EU emissions from the energy and transport sectors needing to halve from 2020 to 2030, the bioeconomy can rapidly decarbonise industries at scale in the crucial period before 2030 (when electrification can first be expected to make a substantial impact) through the development of new sources of biofuels.
The transport sector is already undergoing a big change and moving towards electrification at scale, however, to create significant decarbonisation now, there is a need to develop and utilise sustainable biofuels in hard-to-abate sectors such as shipping, aviation and heavy-duty road transport as they transition to electrification in decades to come. The bioeconomy can create a just, future-fit economy, rather than restoring one no longer fit for purpose.
Unleashing the potential of the Bioeconomy
Supporting the bioeconomy is crucial for the health of our planet as well as contributing to sustainable growth in Europe. It is vital for achieving the goals of the European Green Deal and becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
A thriving bioeconomy will reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a combination of sustainable forestry, better agricultural practices, bioenergy and more efficient use of waste. It will bring rural communities and regions back into the heart of the European economy and enable the Green Deal’s “Farm to Fork” programme by fostering new green jobs, stimulating innovation and contributing to a more circular economy, while also bringing other social and environmental benefits.
-
Image
-
Image
-
Image
-
Image
-
Image
-
Image
Biofuel demonstration projects
Biofuels have a significant role to play in decarbonising transport systems over the coming decades, as liquid fuels will continue to be critical for sectors such as marine, aviation and heavy-duty transport. As EU climate policy begins to drive up demand for these fuels, a challenge remains in scaling the supply of sustainable and affordable biofuels.
The opportunity
Through the BioAdvantage Europe coalition, Scania and Yara saw a need to address the market gap by exploring the feasibility of recovering Europe’s contaminated and underutilised land for sustainable biofuel production. If this proved to be feasible, we could demonstrate to policymakers and businesses in the bioeconomy that there is a commercially viable, environmentally and socially sustainable solution.
To explore this opportunity, we created a robust feasibility study that explored the potential of growing feedstocks for sustainable biofuels on European land not used for food or feed.
The impact
After establishing the feasibility of this opportunity, we are now in the process of designing a demonstration project with Shell, Syngenta and Cargill to explore the commercial opportunity of remediating contaminated and/or degraded land for sustainable biofuels in European regions.
More to come soon.
We have major opportunities in europe to demonstrate to the world it is possible to have a thriving bioeconomy while protecting and restoring biodiversity and the broader environment.
Member of the European Parliament
Interviewed by Bioadvantage Europe
Policy papers
The bioeconomy can create 1 million new green jobs in rural and industrial Europe. This includes high-skilled high-value jobs that will accelerate Europe’s competitive advantage. To get there, the BioAdvantage Europe coalition collaborate with leading businesses and policymakers in the bioeconomy through policy roundtables and workshops to produce a series of policy papers.
How the Bioeconomy can help seal the European Green Deal
A thriving bioeconomy will be crucial for meeting the goals of the European Green Deal and the Paris Accord on climate – but time is short, and we must act now.
How the bioeconomy can support a European recovery
The European Recovery Plan is a double opportunity: to restart and strengthen the economy after the impacts of COVID-19, and to put Europe on the path to net zero emissions by 2050. The bioeconomy can take us there.
How the bioeconomy can contribute to Europe's climate and biodiversity goals
The bioeconomy will be crucial for achieving Europe’s climate and biodiversity goals. As a sector defined by its relationship with the natural world, Europe’s bioeconomy must lead on the transition to a sustainable, green economy.
How the bioeconomy can contribute to job growth and innovation in Europe
The bioeconomy sector is a great source of innovation and growth. However, to realise its full potential and create new, green jobs and future-fit growth in Europe, it requires an integrated, coherent and clear policy framework.
The European bioeconomy and the Fit for 55 Package
2021 is the year to establish the roadmap to a 55% GHG emission reduction by 2030, helping steady the impact of global warming and to achieve a stable climate below 1.5C. This coalition believes the bioeconomy must be placed, with other solutions, at the centre of this roadmap and forthcoming revisions in the Fit for 55 Package.
The European bioeconomy and the CAP & Farm to Fork Strategy in support of Europe’s farmers
A harmonised Common Agricultural Policy, Farm to Fork Strategy and Biodiversity Strategy that enables farmers to implement sustainable agricultural practices while improving their profitability can help guarantee the long-term availability of sustainable biomass and unleash the potential of the bioeconomy.
Building on the Fit for 55 Package
BioAdvantage Europe welcomes the increased level of ambition shown in the Commission’s landmark package of legislative proposals, aimed at reaching the EU’s 55% emissions reduction target by 2030 – the ‘Fit for 55 Package’.
