Traveling Across Europe on the Road to a Circular Bioeconomy
The circular bioeconomy aims to enhance the productivity of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries by optimizing the use of natural resources in these sectors. It emphasizes recycling residues and waste products to generate energy, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, while also enabling carbon sequestration. These efforts contribute significantly to the transition from non-renewable resources, such as petroleum, to renewable ones—helping to mitigate and adapt to climate change, while also enhancing rural development and preserving biodiversity.
Although the circular bioeconomy is a relatively new concept, it has recently gained significant momentum as countries develop their own plans and programs. Because the bioeconomy is diverse, it takes different forms depending on national contexts and environmental conditions. This month, I participated in several events that highlighted both the hopes and challenges associated with building the bioeconomy.
The Californian Visit to Denmark
I was part of a California delegation to Denmark aimed at building collaboration between the Danish government, Danish companies, and the state of California. California has a strong agricultural sector and is a leader in bioeconomy research and environmental innovation. However, the Central Valley, where most of California’s agricultural activity takes place, remains relatively impoverished.
The premise of the visit was that Denmark, with its world-class agricultural sector and leading life science and agribusiness companies, could offer valuable lessons on how to build a thriving bioeconomy. At the same time, collaboration with the University of California could help advance technology-based products and innovations.
We were impressed by Denmark’s ability to balance the interests of agriculture, industry, government, and the environment in pursuit of initiatives that are broadly beneficial to society. Denmark stands out as a model country, combining a strong capitalist ethos with a world-class welfare state. We also enjoyed the high quality of life in Copenhagen, particularly the creative architectural design that seamlessly integrates the old with the new. A big surprise was the food; we visited Noma, which has been ranked the world’s best restaurant four times in its history, and were amazed by the attention to detail and the beauty of the ambiance.
During our visit, we were particularly impressed by the Danish dairy farms and regional recycling models, which successfully circularize multiple waste streams to generate valuable products—ranging from natural gas to food products. The Danish universities have shown us a wide variety of research initiatives, including one that is transforming carbon into valuable products that can replace concrete in construction. The Danes recognize the folly of the EU’s restriction on the use of GMOs and CRISPR, and I expect Danish companies to establish the capacity to produce new products using modern agricultural biotechnologies in California. I also hope that we will be able to establish a regional joint venture in the Central Valley that will circulate waste products from agriculture and forestry to produce valuable products and reduce pollution and the risk of fires.
The Black Soldier Fly Conference in Cambridge
One of the greatest challenges of the bioeconomy is developing technologies that can convert waste into valuable products. However, the black soldier fly (BSF) has this capacity. Its larvae can consume a wide range of organic waste—including food residues, manure, and even forestry by-products—and transform it into protein, oil, and fertilizer. Scientists face challenges in breeding high-quality fly strains, designing effective feeding systems, and producing high-value outputs. Because different feedstocks generate distinct products, a major challenge lies in establishing supply chains that minimize overall costs while ensuring safety in both production processes and final products.
I was fortunate to be invited to speak at the BSF conference at St. John’s College, Cambridge. The college is renowned for its grand chapel, extensive historic buildings, and the Bridge of Sighs, which spans the River Cam. Punts—flat-bottomed boats propelled by a long pole—are a common sight on the river, offering iconic views of the college and a source of income. Dining in the centuries-old halls felt like a Harry Potter experience, and staying in the “New” Court (a 200-year-old collection of palaces) offered the unique combination of historic charm and modern amenities.
In my talk, I suggested that the BSF sector is in a takeoff phase: it is already commercial, generating close to a billion dollars in sales, yet still constrained by costs, regulations, and technical risks. Production facilities now exist in Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia, with some capable of processing tens of thousands of tons of organic waste annually. BSF protein is already used in aquaculture, poultry, and pet food. The industry has developed advanced technologies, including vertical farming of larvae, automated rearing and harvesting, and biorefineries that extract protein, fat, and other co-products. Market estimates project the BSF industry will reach $2–3 billion by 2030.
The sector’s future, however, depends on continued innovation to expand the range of feedstocks that BSF larvae can consume, reduce processing costs, attract new investment, create market opportunities, and navigate evolving regulations. Regulation is especially crucial, as restrictions on allowable feedstocks and the use of biotechnology to improve BSF strains could significantly limit the industry’s potential. Much of today’s innovation originates in the EU, yet the region also enforces some of the world’s strictest regulations. In contrast, China is rapidly scaling its BSF industry, viewing it as a strategic tool to reduce reliance on imported American soybeans for livestock feed. I speculated that within ten years, BSF revenues could surpass one billion dollars in China and India, reach hundreds of millions in Africa and North America, but remain much smaller in Europe unless regulatory frameworks become less restrictive.
Presentation at Brussels
I was invited to Brussels to present my perspective on how Europe can build a stronger circular bioeconomy to address major global challenges, including climate change, food security, biodiversity loss, and rural development. I emphasize that the challenges are both scientific and political, requiring compromises between the needs of the present and the responsibilities to future generations, as well as between risk-taking and benefits.
The bioeconomy is diverse and has many forms, including a biotechnology-focused bioeconomy that emphasizes genetics and synthetic biology. A resource-oriented bioeconomy, centered on agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. A circular bioeconomy, which reuses waste and creates new value from by-products. A green or eco-bioeconomy, which protects biodiversity and provides ecosystem services. Every country should find its optimal combinations. Building the bioeconomy requires a substantial investment in research that will lead to the development of supply chains consisting of growing feedstock, processing, and distributing it.
The bioeconomy faces real challenges. Scaling up technologies is costly, returns are uncertain, and rules differ across countries. Regulations often restrict the types of waste that can be used or slow down the adoption of biotechnology. Social acceptance, competition with fossil fuels, and uneven global investment also hinder progress.
For Europe, the bioeconomy is already significant, contributing around €2.4 trillion (about 5% of GDP). The region has strengths in sustainability, research, and consumer demand, but faces constraints: high costs, limited biomass, and fragmented regulations. Meanwhile, the United States and Asia are investing heavily and growing rapidly, with China viewing the sector as a means to reduce its dependence on imported soybeans.
My main message was: if Europe embraces innovation, reduces unnecessary regulatory barriers, and invests in circular systems, it can become a global leader in the bioeconomy. This would not only support climate action and biodiversity but also create new industries, jobs, and opportunities for rural and coastal communities.
The lessons of my European trip are global. Humanity is facing major challenges, including climate change, loss of biodiversity, food insecurity, and excessive dependence on non-renewable resources. The bioeconomy can provide many solutions; building it will involve investments in research, development, education, and human capital, as well as awareness, which are essential to establish new circular bioeconomy industries. It will require policies that strike a balance between risk and benefits, provide the right incentives, and leverage new scientific insights. Building the bioeconomy will entail some risk, but not taking the challenge will be riskier.
No comments:
Post a Comment