High time for bioeconomy

ABSTRACT

This article discussed the bioeconomy, operating in cycles, the state of Europe, and where opportunities and deficits exist with Hans Mayrhofer, Secretary General of the Ecosocial Forum Austria & Europe. Since the European Commission introduced the Knowledge-Based Bioeconomy in 2005, the bioeconomy has evolved in more than 60 nations from a research-focused strategy to a political one. This is supported by the advantages of biological resources over those derived from fossil fuels, as well as the advantages for innovation, biodiversity, and climate change. This article also addresses strategies for overcoming these obstacles and suggests focusing on the bioeconomy as a societal value economy that supports the attainment of the SDGs and the circular economy. It is advised that the bioeconomy use a systemic approach and act, operate, and do commerce in chains and cycles. Following the Covid-19 epidemic, the bioeconomy will be more important than ever in the coming ten years.