Operationalising the East African bioeconomy strategy: An assessment of industrial readiness of Uganda's banana fibre sector

Nchofoung T.N., Edoh O.M., Monkam N.

Pender A., Kelleher L., O'Neill E.

The cross-sectoral nature of the bioeconomy presents challenges for a coherent approach to its role in the transition to a low-carbon economy. To identify particular barriers and drivers of bioeconomy policy coherence, interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholder organisations active in the bioeconomy in Ireland. Analysis revealed a number of key issues constraining cross-sectoral coherence, including: a lack of integration across government, persistence of siloing and bioeconomy policy leadership gaps; a lag between regulation and bioeconomy innovation; policymaker staffing and data resource issues; and a need for improved bioeconomy awarenessraising, education and communications. Three cross-cutting policy intervention points were recommended to address these constraints: increasing policymaker bioeconomy staffing resources, developing an overarching long-term bioeconomy strategy and clarifying bioeconomy governance structures. As several of the issues in the Irish context are also presenting challenges elsewhere, the analysis and recommendations may have a wider relevance for supporting bioeconomy policy coherence.

Provin A.P., Medeiros d’Alva A., de Aguiar Dutra A.R., Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra J.B., Leal Vieira Cubas A.

This article presents a systematic integrative review of the scientific literature on banana farming waste and its potential utilization in the textile industry, particularly in relation to apparel fiber. The analysis encompasses the environmental issues in the textile industry as well as the challenges of agro-industrial waste. Additionally, the potential of banana farming waste, particularly banana fiber, fibers an alternative to mitigate the impacts of both industries, with a focus on textile material production, is emphasized. The utilization of agro-industrial waste from banana production for textile manufacturing, aligning with Circular Economy (CE) principles and, consequently, aiming to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is highlighted. The research covered ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and SpringerLink databases, additionally utilizing secondary sources such as reports from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF). As a result, the final portfolio consisted of 71 articles, which played a significant role in achieving the objective of this study, which was to compile research from the past 10 years on the use of banana farming waste in the textile industry, considering the benefits, challenges, and emerging approaches for its utilization in novel applications.

Dace E., Cascavilla A., Bianchi M., Chioatto E., Zecca E., Ladu L., Yilan G.

The transition from a linear fossil-based to a circular bio-based economy represents an opportunity and a suitable pathway for achieving several sustainable development goals. However, the transition is a complex process since it requires transformative policies, purposeful innovation, access to finance, risk-taking capacity as well as new and sustainable business models and markets. Accordingly, the first step in this transition process is the identification of barriers that are hampering the transition to a sustainable circular bio-based economy. With this motivation in mind, this study reviews grey literature to identify barriers focusing on four critical sectors facing major challenges within the current linear economy and requiring a sustainable transition most urgently: construction, chemicals, plastics, and textile sectors. Employing an adapted STEEP methodology (Social, Technological, Economical, Environmental, Political), a total of 193 different barriers have been identified and clustered under six categories: cultural, technical, economic, environmental, governance, and structural. Regardless of the sector, cultural and structural barriers are identified as the most prominent; the lack of incentives for consumer behaviour change and lack of stakeholder collaboration were the most cited barriers among the literature records. From a value chain perspective, most of the barriers are related to the material processing and product manufacturing stage. Finally, potential solutions, extracted from the grey literature, are proposed to fill the gaps and overcome the identified barriers. Many of the identified barriers are common across the four investigated sectors, indicating the solutions or measures can be applicable in a wider perspective to promote the transition in the right direction.

Barra C., Falcone P.M.

The bioeconomy, emerging as a beacon of sustainable development and global competitiveness, relies on renewable biological resources. This study investigates the interplay between institutional quality and bioeconomy performance in 28 European countries. By employing a Fixed Effect Regression and different sensitivity analyses, we unveil a robust, positive, and statistically significant relationship between the institutional quality and the socio-economic indicator for bioeconomy. The six institutional quality pillars - political stability, control of corruption, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and voice and accountability - positively impact the bioeconomy in Europe. These findings underscore the pivotal role of institutions in shaping bioeconomy performance, emphasizing the profound impact of political stability, regulatory standards, and anti-corruption measures. As a result, our research provides valuable insights for policymakers, highlighting the significance of enhancing institutional quality as a means to advance sustainability and stimulate economic growth through bioeconomy development.

Gardossi L., Philp J., Fava F., Winickoff D., D'Aprile L., Dell'Anno B., Marvik O.J., Lenzi A.

This manuscript addresses the existing governance tools and monitoring systems for implementing a sustainable and regenerative Bioeconomy in the OECD member states and G20. It takes inspiration from the outcomes of an international workshop entitled “Bioeconomy in the G20 and OECD countries: sharing and comparing the existing national strategies and policies for co-designing more effective bioeconomy governance mechanisms and monitoring systems” co-organized by the Italian Presidency of G20 environment 2021, the National Bioeconomy Coordination Board of the National Committee of Biosafety, Biotechnology and Life Sciences of the Italian Presidency of Council of Ministers and the OECD Working Party on Bio-, Nano- and Converging Technologies. The workshop aimed to share virtuous experiences, identify challenges and co-design more robust governance tools and more comprehensive monitoring systems. The manuscript outlines the current situation regarding governance and monitoring, so as to identify relevant issues and areas for further research and policy action.

Ronner E., van de Ven G.J., Nowakunda K., Tugumisirize J., Kayiita J., Taulya G., Uckert G., Descheemaeker K.K.

Population pressure, land scarcity and encroachment of nature reserves are challenging sustainable intensification of agriculture in Uganda. One of the main staple crops in Uganda is East African Highland banana. Area expansion and improved management have enhanced the economic performance of banana, yet at the expense of food security, environmental and social sustainability. While a transition of banana-based farming systems to a more sustainable future seems necessary, the desired future state and pathways of getting there may differ among actors involved. Our study aimed to co-design potential transition pathways with stakeholders along the banana value chain in Uganda, and to assess the effects of these pathways on sustainability indicators at the household level. We conducted a participatory scenario analysis consisting of: 1) stakeholders envisioning and backcasting a sustainable future for two banana-based farming systems in Uganda; 2) researchers developing and quantifying plausible future scenarios to assess their effects on locally-relevant sustainability indicators at the household level; 3) stakeholders reflecting on the results, including synergies and trade-offs between sustainability indicators. Stakeholders' envisioned future combined with main trends influencing banana-based farming systems resulted in four contrasting scenarios: Marginalisation (stagnation compared with the reference baseline); Business as usual (extrapolation of historic trends); Intensification (including Integrated Soil Fertility Management and collective marketing of banana); and Transformation (irrigation in banana, balanced crop nutrient management, cooperatives, and increased farm sizes for some as other households leave agriculture). Compared with the current baseline situation, selected sustainability indicators food self-sufficiency and farm gross margins decreased in Marginalisation, but improved in all other scenarios. Soil nutrient balances were unfavourable in all scenarios, except with balanced crop nutrition in Transformation. Stakeholders recognised labour as a main trade-off for desired improvements in other sustainability domains. Stakeholders also reflected on benefits and risks of a continued specialisation in banana, and fiercely debated the desirability of mineral fertilizer use. The active involvement of stakeholders in providing the building blocks for the scenarios, identifying relevant indicators and reflecting on the results, aimed to guide stakeholders on concrete entry points for improving sustainability of the system. Indications of stakeholder commitment towards a more sustainable future included a convergence of ideas on the need for Integrated Soil Fertility Management, collaboration in cooperatives and the need for savings to overcome risks of specialising in banana. Meanwhile, higher-level advocacy and support is required in decision-making on more complex, long-term challenges.

Orozco R., Grundmann P.

New business opportunities based on grassland and green fodder present a promising avenue to realize the transition towards a circular and sustainable bio-based economy. Yet, such potential remains largely untapped and grass-based products and businesses remain a small niche in the global economy. To understand this phenomenon, this paper introduces and operationalizes a model to assess innovation readiness built around seven focus areas: technology, manufacturing, business, IPR, customer, team, and funding readiness with their own detailed “progress scales.” We employ necessary condition analysis (NCA) to identify limiting factors and bottlenecks in actual business situations. Our results reveal that lack of consumer awareness, infant conversion technologies and paucity of long-term investments that support emerging bio-based businesses are the most limiting conditions for the growth of emerging grass-based markets. The present study advances our understanding of the factors that limit complex innovations in grassland systems. Focusing on necessary conditions in a coordinated way between practitioners and policy makers by giving priority to fostering positive awareness of bioeconomy businesses, developing conversion technologies, and improving access to capital is a recommended approach to foster emerging grass-based innovations.

Hatvani N., Van den Oever M.J., Mateffy K., Koos A.

Business models can be a perfect tool to meet the challenges in highlighting the competitiveness and sustainability potential of bio-based solutions, and facilitating primary producers to benefit from the opportunities offered by bioeconomy. In this work six concrete bio-based good practices that have succeeded in progressing from early ideas to products on the market were analysed. These examples pose new insights that can be used by a wide range of experts and stakeholders for the analysis of benefits and challenges of value chains in the bio-based economy sectors. It is concluded that the traditional Business Model Canvas needs to be extended with additional factors related to sustainability and business ecosystem. In order to establish a practical framework promoting economic viability of bio-based business cases, the importance is highlighted for adjusting the exclusive focus on Technology Readiness Levels by introducing levels reflecting business or market readiness.

Holden N.M.

Bioeconomy is proposed as a means of transitioning from the ‘take-make-use-waste’ paradigm of the fossil resource economy to a sustainable future. The integration of bioeconomy with circular economy principles is needed to decouple environmental impact from consumption. A business operating within a sustainable circular bioeconomy must function within environmental and social limits, and be economically viable, so entrepreneurs need a means of managing innovation in this context. A stage-gate approach is proposed that combines technology, innovation, and social readiness level frameworks with life cycle thinking to create an evidence-driven understanding of a new business innovation. At each stage-gate, questions are answered, using data obtainable by any business. Integrating stage-gated readiness level thinking with conventional innovation supports to guide entrepreneurs towards successful innovations for sustainable circular bioeconomy.

Freeman K.K., Valencia V., Baraldo J., Schulte R.P., van Zanten H.H.

An increasing global population is putting stress on the food system. On-farm technologies to close resource loops will play a role in increasing food production without stressing natural resources. What are these applied on-farm circular technologies and what impact do they have on the food system? This paper develops a framework for defining the potential of on-farm circular technologies for benefits across multiple spatial scales. It then applies the framework to Uruguay to examine what economic and environmental benefits on-farm circular technologies, namely biomass for nutrient cycling (manure management) and on-farm water cycling, can have at multiple spatial scales – on-farm, regionally and nationally. Using data from a government program in Uruguay's most important watershed, the work shows that investments in on-farm manure management technologies yield economic and sustainability benefits that are unequally distributed across scales (Figure 1). It demonstrates that famers only receive a small percentage (16% on average) of the total benefits yielded by manure management and on-farm water cycling technologies, while most benefits (84% on average) occur at regional level. The analysis by technology demonstrates that the benefits of technologies also depend on how they are combined. For example, installing only a waste management pool on-farm increases the GHG emissions, while installing a waste management pool combined with a separator decreases the GHG emissions and magnifies the benefits of reduced water pollution. These findings raise questions regarding whether these technologies should be subsidized since most benefits occur beyond the farm level to the benefit of society. This has implications for how governments and private actors co-finance on-farm technologies to make farming practices more circular and sustainable. • On-farm circular technologies help decrease the negative impacts of agriculture. • Investing in circular technologies has economic benefits at multiple spatial scales. • Effluent management technologies vary in distribution of economic benefits. • Combining public and private resources can maximize circular investments.

van Westerhoven A.C., Meijer H.J., Seidl M.F., Kema G.H.

Salvador R., Barros M.V., Donner M., Brito P., Halog A., De Francisco A.C.

High rates of resource consumption and waste generation have put pressure on environmental systems and one of the solutions to this concerning behavior is a circular bioeconomy (CBE). However, for a CBE to succeed, new businesses and business models are needed, for which many drawbacks might be faced. Therefore, this article aimed (i) to identify the drivers, opportunities, challenges, and barriers for businesses in a CBE both from theoretical and practical perspectives, and (ii) to present the regional differences in those aspects for different continents. A mixed-method approach was adopted, comprising a systematic literature review and semi-structured interviews with 32 organizations from 18 countries in 4 continents (Africa, America, Australia, and Europe). Eight barriers and twenty challenges, as well as fifteen drivers and eight opportunities were identified. The main barrier and challenge pointed out by stakeholders were lack of financial resources/capital, and price competitiveness with traditional/linear product offers. The most prominent driver and opportunity were establishment of public policies/governmental support, and waste recovery. Regional aspects of CBEs (by continent) were also identified. Advancing CBEs requires setting strategies to overcome the lack of financial resources/capital, developing and/or making the adequate technology available locally, and enabling price competitiveness with traditional (linear and non-renewable-based) options. This study also unveils a series of managerial and business implications. There is the risk of rebound effects, such as waste becoming mainstream feedstock and bioproducts being introduced to the market on low-price strategies, thus triggering increased consumption. Premium pricing strategies need to be considered for bio-based products (compared with non-bio-based products). Moreover, technological development plays a role in driving innovation, and pioneers might lead the development of policies. For CBE systems to succeed there needs to be further technological development and greater connection among the actors in the value chain, converging in resilient circular business models for a CBE.

Jayaprakash K., Osama A., Rajagopal R., Goyette B., Karthikeyan O.P.

Fibers come from natural and fossil resources and are an essential commodity widely used by textile industries. Considering current supply and future demands, the repurposing of agricultural residues into fibers is an eco-friendly, attractive option that might mitigate environmental pollution. In this review, we have summarized multiple alternate secondary sources for fiber production, with a case study using banana plant residual biomass, a common agricultural waste in many developing countries. Specifically, in this review we have compared the different processing methods, e.g., chemical, mechanical, or biological methods, for repurposing agricultural residual biomass (including banana waste) into fibers. The development and analysis of an integrated biorefinery approach is needed to promote the fiber production from various agro-residual biomasses within the framework of circular bioeconomic concepts.

Kumar Sarangi P., Subudhi S., Bhatia L., Saha K., Mudgil D., Prasad Shadangi K., Srivastava R.K., Pattnaik B., Arya R.K.

The major global concern on energy is focused on conventional fossil resources. The burning of fossil fuels is an origin of greenhouse gas emissions resulting in the utmost threat to the environment and subsequently which leads to global climate changes. As far as sustainability is concerned, fuels and materials derived from organic or plant wastes overcome this downside establishing the solution to the fossil resource crisis. In this context, exploration of agricultural residue appears to be a suitable alternative of non-renewable resources to support the environmental feasibility and meet the high energy crisis. The use of agricultural waste as a feedstock for the biorefinery approach emerges to be an eco-friendly process for the production of biofuel and value-added chemicals, intensifying energy security. Therefore, a prospective choice of this renewable biomass for the synthesis of green fuel and other green biochemicals comes up with a favorable outcome in terms of cost-effectiveness and sustainability. Exploiting different agricultural biomass and exploring various biomass conversion techniques, biorefinery generates bioenergy in a strategic way which eventually fits in a circular bioeconomy. Sources and production of agricultural waste are critically explained in this paper, which provides a path for further value addition by various technologies. Biorefinery solutions, along with a life cycle assessment of agricultural waste biomass toward a wide array of value-added products aiding the bioeconomy, are summarized in this paper.