Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper), The bio-economy “has to be at the heart” of the green transition, a major conference in Brussels was told.
It was one of the keynote messages to emerge from the two-day stakeholder forum, attended by more than 500 delegates.
The high-profile conference was hosted by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), a €2 billion public-private partnership advancing the European bio-based sector.
The event sought to foster sustainability and create new business models to help shift Europe from fossil-based to bio-based production and consumption.
Held on 6-7 December at The Egg venue in Brussels, the gathering brought together industry leaders, experts, researchers, policymakers, and enthusiasts from Europe and beyond.
CBESF23 – CBE JU Stakeholder Forum 2023 – sought to provide a platform for “thought-provoking” discussions, showcasing cutting-edge technologies and inspiring actionable solutions “for a greener future.”
It showcased the latest advancements in the bio-based sector, sustainable practices, and their impact on the European and global landscape
Over 50 renowned speakers representing the bio-based sector, industries taking up bio-based solutions, research and innovation providers, public sector, local authorities, and other stakeholders shared insights on what drives the sector’s contribution towards a sustainable future for Europe.
Nine panel discussions explored key challenges and opportunities in the bio-based sector, across three themes:
· How to stimulate demand for circular bio-based solutions?
· How to facilitate access to finance to scale up circular bio-based production in Europe?
· What R&I is needed to keep the European leadership in the bio-based sector in the medium-long term?
An exhibition of 30 innovative bio-based solutions made by CBE JU-funded projects demonstrated the industry’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of technological advancements and the readiness of these solutions for market uptake.
Elsewhere, two workshops focussed on measures to support a successful bio-based sector’s roll-out in Europe: providing the education and training that address the skills needed in the sector and making the sector attractive for young professionals.
Over 500 participants from over 40 countries were present, representing the private sector (35%), research and education (27%) and the public sector (17%). Some 35% of all participants came from small and medium businesses.
The event heard that CBE JU is a “success story” in advancing the European bio-based sector by de-risking investments and engaging a fragmented stakeholder community around a common goal.
An event spokesman said, “Bio-based production must reach beyond the replacement of fossil-based products with bio-based ones: it has to be circular, minimize the use of natural resources and consider environmental, social and economic impacts.
“The regional dimension is key in the economy since biomass is locally sourced and the bio-based sector is an important booster of local economies. Regions are also important drivers of innovation.
“The European bio-based sector needs to present a strong common narrative to support the take-up of bio-based solutions by both large industries and consumers.”
The spokesman added, “The shift from fossil-based to bio-based production and consumption requires consistency in legislation and policy objectives, supportive industrial regulation, access to finance, and adapted standardization.
“The transition to a circular bio-based economy can only happen through true collaboration among all stakeholders, ranging from primary producers to researchers, to small businesses and large industries as well as acceptance by consumers.
Catia Bastioli, CEO of Novamont represents CBE JU’s private partner the Bio-based Industries Consortium, and opened the forum.
Bastioli said the bio-economy “should be a pillar of the Green Deal to rethink the production, use, and end-of-life of bio-products, wasting nothing and promoting participatory innovation.”
Further comment came from Marc Lemaître, of the European Commission, who said, “Europe needs to move from the linear to the circular model of economy and the European Green Deal is making much better use of the resources.”
Also commenting, Nicoló Giacomuzzi-Moore, CBE JU Acting Executive Director, wants the bio-economy “to be at the heart of the green transition, seeing the concrete results achieved by our community.”“Europe must lead this revolution making the best of its talents, achieving a high level of sustainability, social fairness and inclusion, and industrial competitiveness.”
