The European Commission’s scienceand knowledge service

Joint Research Centre

JRC activities on Bioeconomy

Visit of Unione Industriali Varese

Andrea Camia

EC Joint Research Centre, Directorate for Sustainable Resources, Bioeconomy Unit

EU Bioeconomy policy

2012: Bioeconomy Strategy and Action Plan

EC Communication (COM(2012)60)

2017: Review of the Bioeconomy Strategy

SWD(2017)374

2018: Updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy and

Action Plan

(COM(2018)673 & SWD(2018) 431)

Bioeconomy Strategy

Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy

Bioeconomy Strategy and Action Plan:

Knowledge and Monitoring of EU Bioeconomy

Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy

Identifying and filtering relevant information from different sources and making it accessible

Bringing together researchers, policymakers and other experts in the fields through a Community of Practice

Analysing, synthesising and communicating available evidence

Enhancing the knowledge base (for policymaking) on the bioeconomy

Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy

Bioeconomy Strategy

Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy

Bioeconomy Strategy and Action Plan:

Knowledge and Monitoring of EU Bioeconomy

Enhance Knowledge on the Bioeconomy

To provide the knowledge-base and forward looking capacity on bioeconomy

Addressing impacts

linked with production

and use of biomass,

competition and

synergies between

sectors for biomass

resources

Source: Biomass flows in the European Union, EUR 28565 ENPlease note: Supply and use figures might not match due to estimation errors, stock

changes, waste and/or loss of biomass or differences in the data sources used

Biomass flows in the European Union – Cross sectorial SUPPLY

USES

2015

Biomass used for the Bioeconomy

Feed and food

productsCrops

Bio-materials

Bioenergy

Crop residues

Grazed biomass

By-& co-products(incl. wood pellets)

Primary woody biomass

Feed and bedding (incl. animal based food:

33730)

Plant based food

Heat & Power

Solid wood products

Wood pulp

Processed products (biomass eq.)

ForestryAgricultureFisheries &aquaculture Algae

European biomass resources

Food waste generated along the food supply chain

Caldeira, C., De Laurentiis, V., Corrado, S., van Holsteijn, F., Sala, S. Quantification of food waste per product group along the food supply chain in the EU: a mass flow analysis. (2019) Resources, Conservation and Recycling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.06.011

Primary production Processing Retail Consumption

2011 data

Wet mass (million tonnes)

European biomass resources

Mapping crop residues production

Spatially explicit• Total residue production• Crops and crop groups

Based on restrictions identified with National Forest Inventories (NFIs)

Applied restrictions:

Country-specific thresholds defined

Work with NFIs in progress!

1. Limited increment (too little yield for wood supply)

2. Protected Areas

3. Slope

4. Distance from roads

5. Tree species

6. Natura2000

European biomass resources

Mapping Forest Available for Wood Supply

Economic and social dimensions of the EU bioeconomy

Bioeconomy in Italy vs

EU Member States (2015)

(Source: Ronzon & M’barek, 2018; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061745)

(source: https://ec.europa.eu/knowledge4policy/bioeconomy/country/italy_en)

(13% of EU total)

(10% of EU total)

Strengthen and scale up the bio-based sector:

EU to lead on innovative bio-based products

Source: Spekreijse et al. (2019) Insights into the European market of bio-based chemicals. Analysis based on ten key product categories. Joint Research Centre. doi:10.2760/549564, JRC112989.

Strengthen and scale up the bio-based sector:

Biorefineries for a sustainable re-industrialisation

• 803 biorefineries:

• bio-based chemicals

• liquid biofuels

• bio-based composites and fibres

• integrated biorefineries (products + energy)

• Agricultural resources are the feedstock source used by

most biorefineries in all EU countries with the exception of

Finland, Sweden and Portugal.

• Marine and waste resources are relevant in some

countries but not yet highly exploited in biorefineries.

Source: Parisi, C. (2018). "Research Brief: Biorefineries distribution in the EU". European Commission - Joint Research Centrehttps://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/brochures-leaflets/biorefineries-distribution-eu

Bioeconomy Strategy

Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy

Bioeconomy Strategy and Action Plan:

Knowledge and Monitoring of EU Bioeconomy

Building a bioeconomy monitoring system for the EU

'The Commission will implement and EU-wide, internationally

coherent monitoring system to track the progress towards a

sustainable, circular bioeconomy in Europe and to underpin

related policy areas'

COM(2018) 673 final

LCA-based approach to assess environmental impactsof the EU bioeconomy

End of life DisposalUseProcessingHarvestProduction

The JRC host the European Platform on LCA

and support the development of the European Product

Environmental Footprint.

Operate the Bioeconomy within safe ecological limits :

Plastics Life Cycle Assessment

Development of a method and case studies for LCA of plastics

Test in screening

LCAs

Stakeholder consultation

Final LCA method

10 full LCAs

Draft LCA method

• Elaborate a robust LCA-based methodology to evaluate environmental impacts of alternative plastics feedstocks

• Apply it on specific case-studies

ThanksAny questions?You can find us at EC-Bioeconomy-KC@ec.europa.eu