Measuring the Bioeconomy - BioMonitor

During the last twenty years, EU policymakers have placed high priority on expansion of bio-based value chains based on indigenous feedstock to reduce use of petrochemicals, mitigate climate change, reduce import dependency and promote local economies. This is evident from a multitude of EU policy initiatives and research programmes, including the recent European Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (Wesseler and von Braun, 2017). Statistics and methods measuring the contribution of the bioeconomy to reaching the societal objectives is relatively well developed for sectors and products that belong to food, feed, pulp & paper and bioenergy chains. However, there is a confirmed lack of information and statistics for emerging innovative industries, such as chemistry and materials sectors that process biomass into bio-based intermediate and end products. This includes (i) a lack of a comprehensive database with statistics for industrial uses of biomass – so far data among different databases are fragmented and non-comparable; (ii) a missing transparent methodology for data collection – so far bio-based data collection mostly relies on industry surveys and estimations of experts; and (iii) a lack of value chain integrated data and indicators illustrating flows from raw materials to industrial end products.
The overall objective of the Monitoring the Bioeconomy (BioMonitor) project is to establish a statistics and modelling framework for the bioeconomy that is effective (supported by a stakeholders’ platform) and robust (compatible with and implementable in existing systems of statistical and customs offices, laboratories and industries). The framework will enable the quantification of bioeconomy and its economic, environmental and social impacts in the EU and its Member States via a wide range of indictors. Interlinks with current CEN standardisation work related to bio-based products will be established from the outset of the project.