European standards supporting the market for bio-based products

The term bio-based product refers to products wholly or partly derived from biomass, such as plants, trees or animals (the biomass can have undergone physical, chemical or biological treatment). It is important to understand what the term bio-based product covers and how it is being used. A standard defining general tersm to be used in the field of bio-based products, EN 16575, was published by CEN in August 2014. In this page you can find a selection of the definitions included in the standard.

Some of the reasons of the increasing interest in bio-based products lay in their benefits in relation to depletion of resources and climate change. Bio-based products could provide additional product functionalities, less resource intensive production and efficient use of all natural resources.

Nevertheless, companies, governments and consumers are confronted with numerous uncertainties. These may limit new products and technologies from growing into full-scale commercial applications. In this context, European Standards have been identified as essential elements in aggregating demand of existing and new bio-based products.

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Download the new brochure ‘European standards supporting the market for bio-based products‘