Green, circular, bio economy: A comparative analysis of sustainability avenues

Evaluation of bioeconomy in the context of strong sustainability

“…In order to thoroughly examine the role of bioeconomy in the context of sustainability, we exploited ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases by applying the query “bioeconomy AND sustainability.” The role of bioeconomy in sustainability (or sustainable development) was analyzed by Aquilani, Silvestri, Ioppolo, and Ruggieri (), Loiseau et al (), Ramcilovic‐Suominen and Pülzl (), Sadhukhana et al (), Lainez et al (), Koukios et al (), D'Amato et al (), Zilberman, Gordon, Hochman, and Wesseler (), Biber‐Freudenberger, Basukala, Bruckner, and Börner (), and Schütte (). Considering the development of bioeconomy and the two types of sustainability (weak and strong), Loiseau et al () argued that the conventional bioeconomy concept is rather related to weak sustainability as it focuses on using natural resource inputs in the production processes.…”

“…Considering the development of bioeconomy and the two types of sustainability (weak and strong), Loiseau et al () argued that the conventional bioeconomy concept is rather related to weak sustainability as it focuses on using natural resource inputs in the production processes. D'Amato et al (), considering weak/strong sustainability visions, stated that the concept of bioeconomy remains limited in questioning economic growth. Ramcilovic‐Suominen and Pülzl () also noted that the bioeconomy framework and policy lean towards weak sustainability, whereas environmental and social concerns are less important when seeking for the development of the bioeconomy.…”

“…In 2018, the EU bioeconomy strategy was renewed. Therefore, bioeconomy has become an important element of the EU political agenda (D'Amato et al, ; Ramcilovic‐Suominen & Pülzl, ). Subsequently, many European countries adopted national bioeconomy strategies aimed at creating sustainable, low‐impact value chains covering different areas and involving multiple stakeholders (Ladu & Blind, ).…”

“…A body of literature on bioeconomy has shown that its development can contribute to food security, climate change mitigation, job creation, and biosecurity (Sheppard et al, ; EC (European Commission), ; Woźniak & Twardowski, ; Aguilar, Wohlgemuth, & Wohlgemuth, ; Budzinski, Bezama, & Thrän, ; D'Amato et al, ; Bell et al, ; Ingrao et al, ; Näyhä, ). Bioeconomy promises both economic growth and environmental gains through the conversion of renewable biological resources into food, fuel, chemicals, and fiber (Devaney & Henchion, ).…”

“…Commission), 2012a; Woźniak & Twardowski, 2018;Aguilar, Wohlgemuth, & Wohlgemuth, 2018a;Budzinski, Bezama, & Thrän, 2017;D'Amato et al, 2017;Bell et al, 2018;Ingrao et al, 2018;Näyhä, 2019). Bioeconomy promises both economic growth and environmental gains through the conversion of renewable biological resources into food, fuel, chemicals, and fiber (Devaney & Henchion, 2018).…”