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Foreword

The Joint Research Centre of EU Commission has recently published ‘Trends in the Bioeconomy’ which provides insights into the progress towards a sustainable bioeconomy and the state of national and regional strategies in EU Member States. This was made possible by the EU Bioeconomy Monitoring System (EU-BMS) which tracks progress towards multiple objectives, including food security, sustainable management of resources as well as mitigating use of non-renewable resources. EU-BMS is managed and further developed by the Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy (KCB).

The report indicates the importance of biobased plastics and underlines that these are addressed in all the national bioeconomy strategies examined. Furthermore, it points out that biobased plastics are included in the sectors with the highest increase in Gross Value Added (GVA), experiencing a positive change of 6% within the last decade. Lastly, the policy section of the report argues that the ‘EU policy framework on biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics’ calls on fresh policy initiatives that take a more systemic perspective.

Stories relating to the commercial development of biobased plastics include a multi-year collaboration fostered between the Dutch Avantium N.V. and Thai SCG Chemicals to pilot the production of Polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), a biodegradable, recyclable polyester. The partnership aims to accelerate the adoption of Avantium's innovative technologies in Southeast Asia, fostering the growth of sustainable materials and contributing to a circular economy...

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