How to expand the update of bio-based products

There are many ingenious and innovative ideas for creating bio-based products coming from different sectors, that have the potential for improving the collaboration between actors in the bioeconomy. In this scenario, stimulating the consumers perception and acceptability towards bio-based products, can have a direct impact on incrementing the offer of such products from the brands, and consequently increasing the demand of bio-based resources from the industry.

To support countries where bio-based business sector is less mature or not developed, like the case of Slovakia that imports more bio-based products than is using rather than developing its local resources, the following recommendations have been identified.

Universities around Europe and the world could contribute to the awareness of the importance of bio-based products by holding more educational lectures, including not only students but also the wide public.
To contribute to a wider exposure, bio-based sector should put more effort into communication which could represent “louder” advertisements in media, especially by focusing on success stories and examples of real bio-based products out there, outlining that they are in line with sustainability, environmental and climate goals.
Recognising the environmental values associated with bio-based products can also be supported by standardised certification, so that people can easily recognise bio-based products.
There are several bioeconomy strategies at different levels European, national and in some cases also regional, but there is a lack in concrete implementation plans of these strategies. The development of a common bioeconomy narrative could effectively support this process.
There is a general need to help SMEs to overcome operational stress and a capacity shortage with respect to innovation as well as a stronger integration into emerging transnational and global value chains, what would also be supported by enhancing a better level of dialogue and cooperation among all the actors in the quadruple helix.

All the ideas and recommendations for boosting bio-based economy presented above are widely discussed in several documents developed by Biobridges project, which summarise the outputs collected from several co-creation workshops all around Europe.

Access to these documents below:

Recommendations to enhance collaboration among industry, brand owners and consumers (CLICK HERE)
Proceedings from EU, national and regional co-creation events and policy debates (CLICK HERE)

This article is brought to you courtesy of the Biobridges project in which Pedal Consulting is a partner.

Author: Robert Miskuf (PEDAL Consulting)