Bioeconomy: a new perspective for a sustainable and smart future

Abstract

Bioeconomy is a tool for achieving the goals of sustainable development. About 22 percent of the total market size of the bioeconomy has been estimated to come from food and feed loss and waste. Food loss and waste is equivalent to about 1.6 billion tonnes of food yearly, and it is expected to grow to 2.1 billion tonnes by 2030. However, biomass coming from food loss and waste can still be used in a productive and regenerative way. For example composting, which supports soil health, helps optimize the value of discarded food and other forms of biomass over time, leading to the notion of a “circular bioeconomy”, where biological materials are repurposed, reused, recycled and renewed. The bioeconomy is not only about biomass, it also promotes bio-based processes and tools carried out by and with the help of micro-organisms, animal and plant cells and their components. These processes and tools include breeding, bioinformatics, technologies and methods for data analysis and production processes for industrial biotechnology. Biotechnology includes traditional, low-tech approaches, such as microbial fermentation, to more advanced technology-driven approaches such as bionics, artificial intelligence, and carbon capture. Examples include: fermentation, where micro-organisms convert sugars from plants, animals or residues into alcohol or acid for the production of food additives, bioethanol, biopharma, or bioproducts, such as biofertilizer. For instance, today, 100 percent of vitamin B2 on the global market is produced by fermentation using industrial biotechnology; carbon capture, where micro-organisms such as microalgae capture carbon emissions from farms, landfills or heavy industry, and convert atmospheric carbon into valuable materials; digital sciences and data analysis tools, which can optimize and upscale all these applications – e.g. biotechnology is used for plant and animal disease diagnosis, cell culture, bio-based sensors and for the characterization and conservation of genetic resources for food and agriculture.