As part of its contribution to the European Commission’s public consultation "Towards a circular, regenerative and competitive bioeconomy", Ecologic Institute has actively supported the policy discourse through targeted publications and strategic engagement. Developed under the Horizon Europe projects SCALE-UP and 3-CO, these outputs reflect concrete regional experience and promote a transition that respects ecological boundaries, strengthens regional governance, and ensures social inclusion.

The featured policy papers address three critical dimensions of the bioeconomy transformation: environmental sustainability, governance innovation, and social empowerment. Together, they provide evidence-based recommendations for the ongoing revision of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy. The insights are rooted in hands-on experience from across Europe, ranging from environmental monitoring and multi-level governance to grassroots innovation – and reinforce the need for a just, place-based and resilient bioeconomy. These policy insights were showcased at the European Rural Circular Bioeconomy Conference (EuRCBC), held on 13 and 14 May 2025 in Brussels and online, where the SCALE-UP project played a central role. 

Scaling up biobased production within ecological boundaries 

This policy brief emphasizes that increasing efficiency in the bioeconomy must go hand in hand with respecting ecological boundaries. Drawing on sustainability assessments in six European pilot regions, it highlights the need for better environmental monitoring, regionally available data, and strategic supply chain development. The brief calls for integrated monitoring frameworks that include precautionary principles and link bioeconomy activities to soil health, water quality, and biodiversity. Regional observatories are presented as promising tools to guide biomass mobilization while staying within local environmental limits. 

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From Strategy to Action for a Regional, Participatory, and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy

This joint policy paper – developed with RuralBioUp, BioRural, and MainstreamBIO – advocates for a participatory, regionally grounded bioeconomy. It identifies four key priorities: capacity building, sustainable biomass mobilization, policy coherence, and tailored finance. Based on extensive stakeholder engagement, the paper highlights the importance of supporting primary producers, enabling inclusive governance structures, and fostering cooperative business models. It also calls for alignment between EU strategies and regional implementation, recommending structured multi-actor platforms and better integration of rural actors into decision-making and funding processes. 

More about the policy paper on "From Strategy to Action for a Regional, Participatory, and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy"

Enabling change from the ground up: Fostering social innovation in the bioeconomy

Social innovation is essential for a bioeconomy that is not only green, but also just and inclusive. This policy brief examines grassroots initiatives across Europe – such as community farming, reuse hubs, and local cooperatives – and explores the barriers they face. It recommends targeted EU and national support for social innovators, including flexible funding, fair access to certification, and stronger policy recognition within the bioeconomy framework.

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Event Spotlight

European Rural Circular Bioeconomy Conference (EuRCBC)

13–14 May 2025 | Brussels & Online

At the EuRCBC, Ecologic Institute and the SCALE-UP project led critical exchanges on how to advance a place-based, inclusive, and competitive bioeconomy. Held at Comet Louise in Brussels, the conference brought together stakeholders from policy, industry, research, and local communities. SCALE-UP team members Holger Gerdes, Zoritza Kiresiewa, and Gerardo Anzaldúa actively contributed through keynote pitches, panel discussions, and breakout sessions.

Highlights included:

• Fire-pitch presentation on SCALE-UP’s mission to support six diverse pilot regions.
• Panel dialogues on integrated governance, innovation barriers, and biomass mobilization.
• Joint policy brief launch on bridging gaps in the rural bioeconomy, co-developed with sister projects RuralBioUP, BioRural, and MainstreamBIO.
• Live-scribe visualization capturing the "river of ideas" flowing from the projects and participants.
   

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