Monthly News from the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI), October 2026

October was a busy month for RCI, with the Carbon Flows 2026 Update, a presentation at the Commission’s Biotech Act II workshop, and lots of conversations at the Global Bioeconomy Summit. November starts with our General Assembly, and we will publish the results of our Biodiversity project on 12 November.

RCI Carbon Flows Report – 2026 Update published

On 28 October, RCI published the Carbon Flows 2026 Update, a compilation of supply and demand of fossil and renewable carbon for chemicals and derived materials at global and European level. The 80-page report is free of charge, and we believe it will be a milestone to strengthen the data baseline for renewable carbon. 

The update introduces a new “system approach” that traces carbon flows from feedstock to products along more than 40 chemical value chains and systematically excludes double counting. Key findings for the reference year 2023:

• Global: Carbon feedstock demand for chemicals and derived materials was 660 Mt/year. Of this, 86% was fossil, 10% biomass and 4% recycling, while CO₂-based carbon was negligible.
• EU-27: Demand was 85 Mt/year, with bio-based and recycling shares of 8% and 9%. This corrected baseline is essential for setting realistic renewable carbon content targets.
• Scenario: The report includes an explorative net-zero scenario for the global chemical industry in 2050. It is deliberately not a prediction.

Read the full report and press release: Carbon Flows Update 2026 and press release.

A big thank you to our Project Advisory Board for its input and guidance. A solid, transparent baseline is a critical piece for evidence-based policy-making, and the report would not be what it is without you.

Biotech Act II – Stakeholder Workshop on 12 October with presentation by RCI

The European Commission (DG GROW) held a stakeholder workshop on Biotech Act II to present the current stage of Biotech Act II proposal and preparation and results of call for evidence were presented. Preliminary policy options were shared and it was discussed how to strengthen industrial biotechnology and biomanufacturing in the EU. RCI was invited to a presentation slot on the Carbon Flows 2026 Update, where we shared first insights from the report with Commission representatives and stakeholders. 

The Commission’s decision to put carbon flows on the agenda shows the growing interest of policy-makers in a solid data baseline for the transition from fossil to renewable carbon. 

Publication of the proposal has been moved from the fourth quarter of 2026 to the first half of 2027, with an impact assessment expected to be presented in the first quarter of 2027. During the workshop, DG GROW also indicated that it considers CCU a potential source of “fourth-generation” feedstocks.

More on the workshop: https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/events/stakeholder-workshop-biotech-act-ii-12-october-2026-2026-10-12_en

Critical Chemicals Alliance: 2^nd GA on 08 October

The second General Assembly of the Critical Chemicals Alliance (CCA) took place in Creutzwald, France, on 8 October. RCI was present, and the outcomes of the four working groups were validated. 

In our view, innovation and new chemical pathways received insufficient attention across the working groups. Calls for a second phase focused on innovation, supported by other stakeholders, were rejected. Working Group 2 on trade will continue its monitoring activities, but no similar extension is planned for the other groups.

The Commission said it would address chemical innovation separately at a later stage, without making concrete commitments. We will continue to advocate for greater attention to innovation and welcome your suggestions on how best to take this forward.

Global Bioeconomy Summit, 19-22 October

RCI attended the Global Bioeconomy Summit, which brought together over 1,400 participants. 

RCI attended the Global Bioeconomy Summit on 19–22 October, which brought together over 1,400 participants. The event featured the unveiling of an Irish Bioeconomy Strategy and a Global Bioeconomy Vision 2040, as well as the launch of the Bio-based Europe Alliance. 

The Irish Prime Minister, other ministers and Commissioner Roswall participated in the summit. RCI also joined a workshop of the International Bioeconomy Forum, hosted by DG RTD, on metrics, indicators and standards for the bioeconomy. Overall, the summit sent a positive signal for the sector.

WG Policy – Meeting on 25^th October

a) PPWR Art. 8 review: bio-based content in plastic packaging. The Commission is reviewing bio-based content in plastic packaging under the PPWR, and the consultation deadline is 13 January. RCI will prepare a response.

b) Germany: Action Plan for Sustainability. In its recently adopted Action Plan for Sustainability, Germany announced measures to increase the share of drop-in bio-based plastic in packaging. We welcome this positive signal and want to keep the conversation going on the full range of renewable carbon sources.

c) RCI position paper on cascading use. RCI has started work on a position paper on the cascading use of biomass, with a focus on overall use efficiency and a better balance between energy and material uses.

WG Sustainability – Meeting on 30^th September

Recycling and LCA project: The project compares life cycle assessment methodologies for recycling. Module 1 is due by end of October/early November, with a workshop planned for mid-November.

SBTi white paper: RCI is finalising a white paper documenting its input to the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard v2.0 consultation.

Biogenic carbon accounting: RCI signed a joint statement on biogenic carbon accounting and shared it with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

Running Project: Mass Balance

The Project Advisory Board met on 28 October to work on a draft RCI position on credit-based mass balance attribution, with a view to ISO and European Commission standards. Most project modules are nearly complete.

RCI General Assembly 2026

Our annual General Assembly takes place on 3-4 November. RCI will look back at the past year and discuss new project ideas for the coming year.

Member News – Congratulations to the Verbio plant opening in Bitterfeld

RCI was invited to speak at the opening of Verbio’s new plant in Bitterfeld, Germany. Verbio has brought ethenolysis/metathesis based on rapeseed methyl ester into commercial production, with a capacity of 60,000 t/year. ⚠️ Please confirm with Verbio that the figures (including the roughly €100 million investment) and the “first worldwide” claim may be quoted.

This is a remarkable step for a mid-sized company, and a strong signal for what biodiesel-based feedstocks can contribute to the chemical industry. Congratulations to the whole Verbio team!

Partner Event – Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC)

The Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC) brings together industry leaders, technology providers, researchers, investors and policy-makers to discuss how innovative recycling can help close carbon loops, strengthen raw-material resilience and meet ambitious EU recycling targets.

This year’s program covers plastics and polymer recycling, with a special focus on textiles and PVC. Dedicated sessions look at key technologies such as dissolution, depolymerisation, pyrolysis and thermochemical recycling, as well as digitalisation, financing and the scale-up of commercial solutions. With nearly 300 participants, ARC has become a key international meeting point for the sector.

Full program and information: https://advanced-recycling.eu

Source

Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI), original text, 2026-11-04.

Supplier

European Commission
Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI)
VERBIO - Vereinigte BioEnergie AG

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