An important part of SusValueWaste is to study the process of policy formulation and implementation for developing a sustainable bioeconomy. The aim is to build a knowledge base that can help policy makers better govern and regulate the bioeconomy.
We present main challenges and opportunities for the valorisation of side-streams in the food and beverage industry, based on comparative case studies in Norway and in Denmark: on whey in the dairy industry, on animal by-products in the meat industry and on spent grain in the brewing industry. The case studies have shown that changes in regulations and political framework conditions can facilitate sustainable transition pathways by giving the right direction through a portfolio of policy instruments which need to be coordinated, both at international, national and regional level. The regional context is an important background for the possible valorisation options: geographical and logistic conditions vary quite a lot between Norway and Denmark and therefore policy cannot just be copied but must align with those conditions. Read the policy brief
Verdiskaping basert på sidestrømmer i mat- og drikkeindustriener krevende, men har et stort forretningsmessig potensial. Vi har utviklet noen policy-anbefalinger basert på tre komparative casestudier i Norge og Danmark: om bruk av myse i meierisektoren, om animalske biprodukter i kjøttbearbeidende industri og brukt bygg i bryggerinæringen. Casestudiene har vist at forandringer i reguleringene og de politiske rammevilkårene påvirker i hvilken retning bærekraftige omstruktureringsprosesser går. Det skjer gjennom et sett av politiske virkemidler som må koordineres, på internasjonalt, nasjonalt og regionalt nivå. Den regionale konteksten er en viktig bakgrunn for mulighetene for verdiskaping fordi de geografiske og logistiske forholdene varierer veldig mellom Norge og Danmark, men også mellom forskjellige regioner i Norge. Derfor kan politiske virkemidler og bedriftsstrategier ikke enkeltvis kopieres, men må tilpasses til de lokale forholdene. Les hele policy anbefalingen
Trying to solve the world’s food waste problem is a complex task. Food waste management is becoming more sustainable, but so far, many efforts have targeted recycling food waste rather than preventing food from becoming waste in the first place. Food waste prevention is a far more challenging and sustainable solution than creating systems for recycling food waste. How can we ensure that grand challenges like this are addressed in the right way? Many actors can contribute and play a part in the solution, but their efforts and actions need to be mobilised and coordinated. Read the policy brief
Life cycle assessment (LCA) has become prevalent in sustainability standards, policies and legal framework in recent years. The method provides a mean to quantify the environmental performance of products and services. There are, however, heated debates on many methodological choices within LCA. This technical brief presents LCA’s connection to the bioeconomy and the circular economy, important methodological aspects in this respect, and how LCA can take part in policy making. Read the Technical brief
The concept of the bioeconomy is gaining in political importance in Norway and elsewhere in the world; moving from fossil-based to bio-based products and energy is considered to be important in tackling multiple societal problems, from climate change to food security, from health to industrial restructuring. At the same time, there are several important concerns and trade-offs inherent within the area of the bioeconomy, especially linked to the sustainability aspects of the extraction and use of biomass. This policy brief discusses the key perspectives from the contemporary debates on bioeconomy development and summarises the academic views on what may legitimise policy interventions for transformative change. Read the policy brief.
