1 Introduction
Antje Klitkou, Arne Martin Fevolden and
Marco Capasso
Organic waste and other residual materials from bio- based industries and
households are of increasing value in today’s economy. Substances that have
long represented a cost to the economy are now becoming a valuable
resource. Exploiting the full potential of these resources requires increased
innovation and systemic change as well as better regulation and governance –
or, in other words, a transition to a sustainable bioeconomy.
The transition to a sustainable bioeconomy has been on the agenda in
policy, academia and business circles worldwide. Developing this sustainable
bioeconomy is considered to be critical for several reasons: the need for the
sustainable use of resources, the growing demand for food, materials and
energy, and the need to decouple economic growth from environmental
degradation. However, a sustainable bioeconomy will only emerge when
certain challenges are addressed.
First, the entire economy must be involved in the transition process. The
sustainable and circular bioeconomy will not only transform traditional bioindustries such as food production and forestry, it will also transform all sectors
of the economy. Fossil resources must be replaced by renewable bio- resources
in many industries and organic residuals and side- streams must be exploited for
sustainable value creation. The transition requires a focus on the circularity of
value creation: side- streams and former waste streams can become new input
factors for new value circles. The valorisation of waste streams necessitates a
higher degree of coordination along and across industries.
Second, a wide range of policy instruments must be employed. Traditional
policy instruments, such as generic tax exemptions and R&D funding, are
insufficient to foster such a comprehensive transition process and need to be
complemented by other types of instruments, such as public procurement,
new standards, regional specialisation strategies and entrepreneurship initiatives. In addition, policymakers must take into account the geographic
embeddedness of the waste streams and the need for changes in the established rules of the game.
Third, researchers from diverse fields of study must be involved. The
transition to a bioeconomy is a complex process and therefore interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches need to be developed in order to
Antje Klitkou, Arne Martin Fevolden and
Marco Capasso
Organic waste and other residual materials from bio- based industries and
households are of increasing value in today’s economy. Substances that have
long represented a cost to the economy are now becoming a valuable
resource. Exploiting the full potential of these resources requires increased
innovation and systemic change as well as better regulation and governance –
or, in other words, a transition to a sustainable bioeconomy.
The transition to a sustainable bioeconomy has been on the agenda in
policy, academia and business circles worldwide. Developing this sustainable
bioeconomy is considered to be critical for several reasons: the need for the
sustainable use of resources, the growing demand for food, materials and
energy, and the need to decouple economic growth from environmental
degradation. However, a sustainable bioeconomy will only emerge when
certain challenges are addressed.
First, the entire economy must be involved in the transition process. The
sustainable and circular bioeconomy will not only transform traditional bioindustries such as food production and forestry, it will also transform all sectors
of the economy. Fossil resources must be replaced by renewable bio- resources
in many industries and organic residuals and side- streams must be exploited for
sustainable value creation. The transition requires a focus on the circularity of
value creation: side- streams and former waste streams can become new input
factors for new value circles. The valorisation of waste streams necessitates a
higher degree of coordination along and across industries.
Second, a wide range of policy instruments must be employed. Traditional
policy instruments, such as generic tax exemptions and R&D funding, are
insufficient to foster such a comprehensive transition process and need to be
complemented by other types of instruments, such as public procurement,
new standards, regional specialisation strategies and entrepreneurship initiatives. In addition, policymakers must take into account the geographic
embeddedness of the waste streams and the need for changes in the established rules of the game.
Third, researchers from diverse fields of study must be involved. The
transition to a bioeconomy is a complex process and therefore interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches need to be developed in order to