Defining and monitoring the bioeconomy - a socioeconomic perspective

This chapter emphasises the strong interlink between the diversity of bioeconomy visions that emerged around the world in recent decades and the framing of bioeconomy statistical frameworks. Today, two main visions of the bioeconomy coexist. One is science and technology centered, depicting the bioeconomy as a core element of the biotechnology industry. Associated bioeconomy statistical frameworks emphasise the role of research and innovation and information technology activities within their sectorial scope and delineate bioeconomy activities according to the processes they implement. The other vision is more centered on the objective of substituting non-renewable resources in the production of bio-based products and bio-based energy. Associated statistical frameworks restrict their scope to those activities that either produce or transform biomass. Using the example of the value-added indicator, the chapter shows that these two visions and associated frameworks yield very different estimates. A second part illustrates different development strategies across the European Union through the lens of the statistics of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, showing bioeconomy orientations in Europe distribute around the concentration/diversification and labour-intensive/labour-productive axes. The statistics used for that analysis are compared with four other quantification methods, highlighting (1) their complementarities for the monitoring of bio-based markets, bio-based services, bioeconomy sourcing activities (upstream activities), and (2) the use of economic multipliers for identifying the sectors that have the highest potential for generating additional outputs.

RONZON Tevecia;  EL MELIGI Andrea;  GURRIA Patricia;  MAINAR CAUSAPÉ Alfredo;  PHILIPPIDIS George;  M'BAREK Robert; 

2025-06-10

Edward Elgar Publishing

JRC142373

9781800373488 (online),   

https://www.elgaronline.com/edcollbook/book/9781800373495/9781800373495.xml,    https://www.elgaronline.com/edcollchap/book/9781800373495/chapter2.xml,    https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800373495.00009,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC142373,   

10.4337/9781800373495.00009 (online),