{"id":169409,"date":"2025-10-21T07:41:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T05:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=169409"},"modified":"2025-10-20T11:51:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T09:51:31","slug":"strengthening-europes-bioeconomy-through-smarter-certification-what-policy-can-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/strengthening-europes-bioeconomy-through-smarter-certification-what-policy-can-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Strengthening Europe\u2019s Bioeconomy through Smarter Certification \u2013 What Policy can do"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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As Europe accelerates its transition toward a sustainable, independent and competitive bioeconomy, CSLs are taking centre stage. These systems are essential for ensuring traceability, building trust and aligning market practices with the EU\u2019s sustainability goals. However, as the Horizon Europe BioReCer project highlights, current certification approaches struggle to keep pace with the challenges of certifying biological feedstocks, especially biogenic waste and residues, and complex bio-based value-chains.\u00a0Without effective CSLs, the uptake of bio-based products is slowed, undermining both competitiveness and sustainability of the EU.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BioReCer (Biological Resources Certifications Schemes) therefore aims at assessing and complementing current certification schemes for biological resources according to the new EU sustainability goals to enhance bio-based circular systems. To this end, BioReCer has drafted a policy brief that addresses how EU policy can support the valorisation and certification of biological waste and by-products.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key challenges of bio-based value-chains<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Biological feedstocks differ significantly from fossil raw-materials. Their natural variability and seasonal availability require assessment frameworks tailored to biological cycles. Infrastructure Gaps, i.e. lack of hubs and collection systems, weakens viability. At the same time, complex or fragmented supply chains hamper transparency and traceability. Furthermore, inconsistent regulations across EU member states, and the difficulties estimating the economic value of certification create major barriers for businesses, especially SMEs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tailor-made solutions offered by BioReCer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In its three-year runtime, BioReCer tackled these challenges by developing an assessment framework for bio-based value-chains based on biogenic waste, wastewater and residues in four relevant business areas: forestry, agriculture, fishery and municipality. Furthermore, product passports and a digital tracking tool (BioReCer ICT tool, BIT<\/a><\/strong>) for bio-based value-chains were created. The project members also implemented new sustainability and circularity indicators into existing CSLs to fit them to biological feedstocks, hereby supporting their use and valorisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stakeholder-specific recommendations for the up-take of biological feedstock and bio-based value-chains<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The BioReCer project culminated in the development of a concise policy brief based on these solutions and other findings, containing recommendations that address three different target groups, that are important for the acceptance of bio-based products by industry and the general public:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Businesses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tracking & Traceability (T&T) systems and electronic identification passports should be adopted to verify bio-based claims and simplify audits.
Tools like the BioReCer BIT platform can be used to navigate the certification landscape and choose the right CSLs.
CSLs should be integrated into business strategy to anticipate regulations, cut compliance costs and gain a competitive edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For CSL Owners & Stakeholders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n