Forming stakeholder alliances to unlock alternative and unused biomass potentials in bioenergy regions

Pehlken, Alexandra; Madena, Kirsten; Aden, Christian; Klenke, Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.05.052

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Horticultural activities, mainly tree nursing, are of minor relevance. The soil and climate allow for crop production over the entire vegetation period [14].…”

Section: Identification Of the Regionally Available Biomass Potentialmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This becomes even more important if there is a strong competition for either biomass supply or even land. By means of an extended bioenergy network with more participants than farmers only, biomass can be used in a more sustainable way, as shown by others [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Recently, bioenergy and cascading of the use of biomass have been integrated in bioeconomy concepts and their realization in various settings [21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A detailed discussion of the public acceptance of bioenergy can be found in the review of the European Framework for the Diffusion of Biogas Uses [27]. The more tangible the projects of bioenergy plant installations become and the closer they are installed to the environments of peoples' concerns, the lower will be the acceptance of those projects [14]. However, this is in accordance with the review [27] that public acceptance increases when information is given early, i.e., during the planning phase of a biogas plant.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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More Sustainable Bioenergy by Making Use of Regional Alternative Biomass?

et al. 2020

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Bioenergy is a building block of the ongoing transformation toward renewables-based energy systems. Bioenergy supply chains are regionally embedded and need to be seen in a place-based context with specific characteristics and constraints. Using a German case study, the potential of regionally embedded bioenergy chains in the past and the future is analyzed and discussed in this paper. The analysis integrates socio-ecological data and applies sustainability criteria in a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) using the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enriched Evaluation (PROMETHEE) methodology. The case study is focused on an industrial biogas fermenter in northwestern Germany, which currently uses predominantly maize as a substrate for bioenergy. Objectives for future development according to the ambitions of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) discussion are set and include the involvement of the farmer as biogas plant operator and other regional stakeholders. Since the focus of the research is put on the contribution of alternative biomass, such as grass, for the optimization of bioenergy settings, the question concentrates on how different mixtures of alternative biomass can be embedded into a sustainable management of both the landscape and the energy system. The main findings are threefold: (i) bioenergy supply chains that involve alternative biomass and grass from grasslands provide optimization potentials compared to the current corn-based practice, (ii) with respect to more sustainable practices, grass from grassland and alternative bioenergy supply chains are ranked higher than chains with increased shares of corn silage, and, more generic, (iii) optimization potentials relate to several spheres of the social–ecological system where the bioenergy structure is embedded. To conclude, sustainable enablers are discussed to realize optimization potentials and emphasize the integration of regional stakeholders in making use of alternative biomass and in making regional bioenergy more sustainable.

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“…Horticultural activities, mainly tree nursing, are of minor relevance. The soil and climate allow for crop production over the entire vegetation period [14].…”

Section: Identification Of the Regionally Available Biomass Potentialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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More Sustainable Bioenergy by Making Use of Regional Alternative Biomass?

et al. 2020

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“…Taking into account decentralization issues of bioenergy supply chains, it is essential to maintain a dialog with stakeholders in order to define the target criteria of this process. The bioenergy production industry requires multi-stakeholder approach, which guarantees that the different concerns, especially concerns directly affected by policy decisions, are heard and taken into account [38,39]. Stakeholders' dialogue helps to balance between economic development, environmental issues, and social concerns [40].…”

Section: Bioenergy Supply Chain Social Sustainability Risksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Sustainability Dilemma: Escape or Communicate? Managing Social Risks Upstream of the Bioenergy Supply Chain

2020

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Supply chain risk management has been well researched over the years. However, management of social risks in bioenergy supply chains has been studied less in contemporary research. The ability of bioenergy companies to identify, properly address, and communicate social sustainability has become crucial for many global producers. In order to meet current EU’s energy and climate targets, the development of sustainable bioenergy production is vital. However, over last decade, research of bioenergy production supply chains has indicated that upstream areas of global bioenergy production systems are vulnerable in terms of social sustainability risks. The main objective of this research was to demonstrate how the socially sustainable supply chain practices in bioenergy supply chains can help a production company manage social risks and resources-use related conflicts upstream of the supply chain. These practices can be applied in the process of negotiation between bioenergy producers, local authorities, and communities for creating win-win situations for all parties while planning new bioenergy production systems. This study pays special attention to social sustainability risks at the upstream of the supply chain in countries of raw material origin. Use of social sustainability practices intends to help identify, assess, and address social risks of supply chain activities for bioenergy companies. Moreover, such practices aim at supporting companies and their stakeholders in making right choices and preparing effective strategies ahead of time. We based our research on empirical evidence and offer solutions to multi-national bioenergy production companies on how to manage social risks, allowing them to make the right decisions and necessary adjustments before entering potential markets. Our findings show that even avoidance of market entrance can carry sustainability-related social risks for both the company and the local communities. We suggest that although the financial element plays an important role in decision-making, the no-go decision often means missed opportunities for local communities to improve their respective sustainability states.

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“…CU was often only mentioned secondarily, as in Gasol et al [31], Ariffin et al [32], or Böttcher et al [33]. In addition, some studies only mentioned the term cascading [34][35][36][37][38], but did not define what was understood when using the term.…”

Section: Cascading Utilization-a Literature Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cascading Utilization of Wood: a Matter of Circular Economy?

Mair

Stern

2017

Curr Forestry Rep

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Purpose of Review The aim of this study was to analyze the differences and similarities between the concepts circular economy (CE) and cascading utilization (CU) and the interactions between these concepts. The method chosen for this study was a qualitative content analysis, which was conducted on academic CU publications that appeared between 1990 and 2016. To identify connections between CU and CE, the findings of this study are compared to the results of a recent review on CE. Recent Findings From the perspective of the broader goals of CE and CU, both concepts promise to increase resource efficiency by supporting the multiple use of a resource. Research conducted on both concepts has included analyses of the environmental impacts of the CU or CE systems and descriptions of frameworks and tools used to develop cascade chains or measure the circularity of a given resource. Even though the concepts have many similarities, the research has mostly been conducted independently, and the number of connections between the two concepts is surprisingly low. Summary In general, the results of the analysis supported the hypothesis that CU and CE have many parallels and similarities. The CU concept addresses primarily resource management whereas CE provides a more holistic approach. Practically, the publications on CE include considerations of many kinds of resources, whereas publications on CU include a stronger focus on bio-based materials. Despite these differences, CU was shown to clearly fit into the CE concept in that it provides a specific focus on the utilization possibilities (e.g., reuse, recycling, and up-cycling) of a given resource. The term CU may be used whenever one or more of these measures are used.

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Forming stakeholder alliances to unlock alternative and unused biomass potentials in bioenergy regions

Cited by 23 publications

References 13 publications

More Sustainable Bioenergy by Making Use of Regional Alternative Biomass?

More Sustainable Bioenergy by Making Use of Regional Alternative Biomass?

Social Sustainability Dilemma: Escape or Communicate? Managing Social Risks Upstream of the Bioenergy Supply Chain

Cascading Utilization of Wood: a Matter of Circular Economy?

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