BioWay - Pathways towards a prosperous and just EU bioeconomy

OeNB Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Jubiläumsfonds)

The EU bioeconomy is a promising sector in the context of societal challenges such as climate change, fossil fuel dependencies, novel material use and potential food scarcities, and could play a key role in a socio-ecological transformation of the EU society. However, an ambiguous physical carrying capacity, large land related greenhouse gas emissions at the global level, overconsumption in Western societies and generally low income levels in the socio-economic context, among others, call for an assessment framework that supports a prosperous and just development of the EU bioeconomy, i.e. increasing its contribution to societal needs within environmental limits. BioWay will explore the concept of societal needs and develop an innovative approach to monitor and assess the social, ecological and economic performance of bioeconomy sectors in fulfilling the societal needs. We will apply a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative approaches, with the aim to identify efficient transformation pathways within the EU bioeconomy.