EU funded BIORECER project assessing novel value chains via innovative digital platform

In Germany, EU funded BIORECER project, currently in its 18th month, aims to increase the use and to improve the environmental sustainability and traceability of biological raw materials for the bio-based industry. The project additionally assesses novel value chains based on biological feedstocks, including organic by-products, waste and wastewater, in a BioResources Innovation Ecosystem Living-Lab (BRIE-LL). This BRIE-LL consists of an innovative digital platform (a newly developed BioResources ICT-tool, the BIT) and a physical stakeholder platform and will test the assessment framework in four case studies: 

·      Agriculture (Greece)

·      Fishery Residues (Spain)

·      Forestry (Sweden)

·      Municipal organic waste and wastewater (Italy)

Organic by-products and waste offer significant potential as secondary raw materials, but to compete with conventional fossil feedstocks, their utilisation requires robust evaluation, certification, and enhanced traceability. The current certification landscape exhibits gaps when it comes to organic feedstock, leading to a lack of traceability and hindering the effective use and profitability for the bio-based industries.

The BIORECER project seeks to address these challenges by developing guidelines to improve existing certification schemes for bio-based value-chains, to increase the added value and to promote the utilisation of biological feedstocks to replace fossil-based raw materials and reduce landfill and waste generation. This initiative aligns with the overarching goal of achieving a climate-neutral Europe by 2050 and of establishing a profitable circular bio-economy in the EU.