On the way to the bio-economy ...

I just responded to some questions for a Swedish blog on the bio-economy. While the blog is only in Swedish, it does highlight the growing interest in the bio-economy from a diversity of sectors and people.

Hey, who are you? (Hej, vem är du?)
Born in Melbourne, Australia, I have spent the last 10 years living and working in Sweden. I am an Assistant Professor at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) based at Lund University in Sweden. I have a background in political science and environmental science, and I wrote my doctoral thesis on bioenergy in Europe looking at socio-political issues. In 2010, I was awarded funding (2010-2014) from the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS) to conduct research on “The emerging bio-economy in Europe: Investigating the role of communication and stakeholder involvement” with a focus on bioenergy and biofuels for transport.

How does it look in the bio-based society? (Hur ser det ut i det biobaserade samhället?)
It is immediately apparent that the concept of the bio-economy is interpreted differently by a diverse range of actors. An open and constructive dialogue on the bio-economy and its key components remains a vital foundation for the emerging bio-economy in Europe. The underlying principles of the bio-economy encompass using natural inputs, and expending minimum amounts of energy and waste, as all materials discarded by a process should be utilized as inputs for another process. The key components of the bio-economy are biotechnology and the biorefinery concept. Bioenergy and biofuels for transport are important outputs of the bio-economy, but a range of bio-based products are expected to also underpin the growing bio-economy. Bio-based products can include chemicals, plastics, food and feed, paper and pulp, and textiles.

What distinguishes today's society, from the bio-based society? (Vad skiljer dagens samhälle från det biobaserade samhället?)
The bio-economy represents a significant shift in socio-economic, agricultural, energy and technical systems. The concept of the bio-economy – also called the bio-based economy or the knowledge-based bio-economy in Europe – can be understood as an economy where the basic building blocks for materials, chemicals and energy are derived from renewable biological resources, such as plant and animal sources. This type of economy can meet the requirements of sustainability from environmental, social and economic perspectives. The bio-economy is being made possible by the recent surge in scientific knowledge and technical competences that can be used to harness biological processes. Significant advances can also be expected over the coming decades.