The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), Europe’s leading industry association putting circularity, innovation and sustainability at the heart of the European bioeconomy, has published the first three in a series of new reports mapping bio-based potential and opportunities for green growth in Central and Eastern Europe.
The new reports for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania illustrate the untapped potential in these three countries identifying new opportunities for the primary sectors, the food and beverage sector, the blue bioeconomy, bio-based chemicals, etc. through opportunities to valorise side streams and waste that today have low or no value.
“BIC is committed to furthering the deployment of the bio-based economy in the EU-13. These reports indicate the bio-based sector’s vast and untapped potential to stimulate green growth and integrate new actors into bio-based value chains”
Dirk Carrez, BIC Executive Director.
The European bioeconomy already represents 11% of EU GDP (EU JRC report 2020) and these reports demonstrate the importance of building on Europe’s green growth potential in the next EU public-private partnership – Circular Bio-based Europe.
For its part, BIC will build on the report’s findings through engagement with national authorities and local stakeholders.
These three reports are the first in a series of country reports that will cover Central and Eastern Europe.
New reports for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia, produced as part of the BBI JU-funded CELEBio project, and two updated BIC reports for Poland and Romania, will be available later this year.
Note to editor
The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) is the private partner in the €3.7 billion public-private partnership with the EU – the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU).
Its membership includes 240+ industry members covering the whole value chain, from primary production to the market, across multiple and diverse sectors including agriculture & agri-food, aquaculture & marine, chemicals and materials, including bioplastics, forestry and pulp & paper, market sectors, technology providers and waste management & treatment.
As part of its continuing efforts to identify new green growth opportunities, BIC will also be producing additional country reports for other EU members in the near future.
ESTONIA
Estonia offers substantial opportunities for the bio-based industry.
The potential of the country for bio-based activities comes across very clearly from the information gathered from publicly available sources, even though this information is not complete.
Situated on the banks of the Baltic Sea and including over 2000 islands and islets, Estonia’s landscape is a mix of plains and low hills.
Half of the country is covered by forests, while around a third of the country is agricultural land.
Agriculture, forest-based and chemical industries are among the strong drivers of Estonia’s economy.
Also present are healthy food and beverages and wood-processing industries.
Among the bio-based sectors, wood processing and agriculture take the leading role in terms of production value.
Read the report
mapping estonias bio-based potential bic country report
LATVIA
Latvia offers substantial opportunities for the bio-based industry. Situated on the banks of the Baltic Sea, Latvia’s landscape is mostly plains and undulating midlands. Roughly half of the country is covered by forests, while around a quarter of the country is agricultural land.
Agriculture, forestry and chemical industries are among the strong drivers of Latvia’s economy.
Also present are a healthy blue economy, food and beverages, food-processing and wood-processing industries.
Despite being mostly a services economy (80% of GDP) and having a highly urbanised population (76%), agriculture and forestry still play an important role in the country’s economy, accounting for 4% of GDP and 7% of employment (higher than the EU average).
These industries are a sound basis for a bio-based industry in Latvia.
The presence of a well-organised innovation support infrastructure contributes to a significant list of ingredients for a sustainable bio-based sector.
In addition, the country was the first among the Baltic states to issue a bioeconomy strategy that should be great support for local, regional and national bio-based operations.
Read the report
mapping latvias bio-based potential bic country report
LITHUANIA
Lithuania offers substantial opportunities for the bio-based industry. Situated on the banks of the Baltic Sea, Lithuania’s landscape is a mix of plains and low hills.
Almost half of the country is arable land, while around a third of the country is covered by forests.
Agriculture, forest-based and chemical industries are among the strong drivers of Lithuania’s economy.
Also present are a healthy blue economy, food and beverages, food-processing and wood-processing industries.
A leading role is for the agriculture and food industries with a combined contribution of around 10% of the GDP.
These industries are a sound basis for a bio-based industry in Lithuania.
The presence of many international actors in the biotechnology sectors and a well-organised innovation support infrastructure contribute to a significant list of ingredients for a sustainable bio-based sector.
In addition, the country is currently drafting a bioeconomy strategy that should be great support for local, regional and national bio-based operations.
Read the report
mapping lithuanias bio-based potential bic country report.pdf
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Bio-based sector offers new opportunities for green growth in EU-13