EU Unveils New Bioeconomy Strategy, Industry Groupโข Hails “Essential Elements” for โขGrowth
Brussels, Belgium โค – The European Commission’s newly released bioeconomy โstrategy โขisโ receiving praise from the European Bioplastics (EUBP), who see it as a crucial stepโค towards a thriving โmarketโ for bio-based materials. The strategy, announced recently, focuses on implementation, โsimplification, andโ market expansion – priorities EUBP strongly supports.
The EUBP acknowledges Europe’sโ leading position in biopolymerโ innovation, but points to notableโ hurdles hindering industry growth, including a fragmented landscape of standards, inconsistentโฃ recognition of biologically-derived โขcontent, and insufficient market demand. They โคbelieve the announced measures are “essential elements” for establishing a coherent single market for bio-based โฃmaterials.
A key component of the strategy, according to EUBP, isโค the European Alliance for Materials of Biological Origin, whichโ projects a demand โofโ โฌ10 billion by 2023. Combined with the forthcoming Bioeconomy โขInvestment Deployment Group, this alliance is expected to mitigate investment risk andโ facilitate financing for pioneering facilities, ultimately bolsteringโฃ production capacity within Europe.
Though, EUBPโฃ isโ urging the Commission to swiftly โฃtranslate these commitments intoโ concrete legislation impacting products, packaging, waste management, environmental regulations, and climate policy. They emphasize the need for consistent recognition ofโฃ bio-based content, biodegradability, compostability, and designโฃ for circularity – alongside existing efforts inโ reuse and recycling – to avoid conflicting policy signals.
The strategy’s reaffirmation of the โคprinciple of cascading use – prioritizing โคhigh-value material applications of enduringโ biomass over energy uses – also garnered support. EUBPโ stressed the โimportance of robust sustainability criteria,traceability,and equitable โaccess to secondaryโข biomass flows โฃto ensure both environmentalโฃ integrity andโ industrial resilience. Any future sustainability criteria for biomass, they argue, should build upon existing RED โcriteria and incentivize defossilization, ratherโค than creating newโค barriers.
Furthermore, EUBP advocates forโข expandingโฃ solutions for end-of-life management, such as biodegradability and compostability for specific plastic applications, citing benefits likeโข improved biowaste collection and composting โquality. They also callโข forโข clear โขand applicable productโฃ labeling to reduce consumer and industry confusion, offering to collaborate withโข the Commission on practical implementation โขstrategies.
For more facts โon the โขEU bioeconomy strategy, visit https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/bioeconomy-strategy_en. Details on the European Bioplastics โฃinstitution canโค be found at https://www.european-bioplastics.org/.