Bioeconomy futures: Expectation patterns of scientists and practitioners on the sustainability of bio‐based transformation

Abstract

Economic sectors relying on the use of biological organisms, processes, and principles to create products and services are expected to experience accelerated growth due to innovation in the bioeconomy. Associated benefits and risks for sustainable development are increasingly subject to societal debate. We compiled expectation patterns from a global survey with bioeconomy experts and a systematic literature review identifying areas of consensus and controversy across dimensions of the sustainable development goals (SDG). Positive connotations dominated in both expert opinions and the scientific literature, but the level of consensus varied across sectors of the bioeconomy and in relation to applied methodological approaches (scientific literature) and type of employer (experts). In both sources, we found more differentiated views on potential impacts of bioeconomic development pathways on sustainability in more established bioeconomy-related discourses, which indicates that expectation patterns in more recent fields of bio-based innovation are subject to early "hype cycle" dynamics. Our findings suggest the need to systematically mainstream sustainability risk appraisals across relevant application contexts in technology impact assessments for the bioeconomy.

Towards a territorial definition of a circular economy: exploring the role of territorial factors in closed-loop systems

“…Unlike inert materials, that need to be kept in closed-loops, biotic materials in a biobased economy are to be used in cascades, providing economic systems with greater degree of flexibility and adaptive capacity. However, the uncertainties surrounding massive transformations of product segments from fossil-based to biobased alternatives require careful valuation of sustainability risks (Biber-Freudenberger et al 2020).…”

More Sustainable Bioenergy by Making Use of Regional Alternative Biomass?

“…In redesigning the bioenergy sector, local knowledge, public health, and the community's resilience should not be neglected, while social-environmental benefits should be considered in addressing the viability of bioenergy plants [1]. For the time being, integration of bioenergy in a broader bioeconomy is an ambition rather than a substantiated way [7][8][9]. This study has already demonstrated the diversity of options and implications of bioenergy.…”

“…Energy represents one SDG (Affordable and Clean Energy) with priorities on renewables. Bioenergy can make a significant contribution in that respect [8]. Biomass production and its use for energy supply interfere with several other SDGs, i.e., Life on Land, Zero Hunger, or Responsible Production and Consumption.…”

“…Bioenergy is part of a nexus of societal needs and calls for fair balance with other dimensions of sustainable development [9]. The SDG indicators have potential to play a decisive role in that respect and enable a wide range of stakeholders and decision-makers to plan and act in progressing toward the goals and targets [8].…”

Green Growth and Agriculture in Brazil

“…Previous studies indicated that process innovations are fundamental for reducing carbon emissions by changing from carbon-emitting fossil fuels to renewable energy, promoting energy conservation and efficiency [20,21] and bioeconomy, such as organic food cultivation, plays a special rule in green growth [13]. Biber-Freudenberger, L. et al [22] is associated bioeconomic sectors with innovations. In the case of the food and feed sector, the main innovations are organic farming, integrated pest management and ecological intensification.…”