Abstract
Concepts for sustainable bioeconomy systems are gradually replacing the ones on linear product chains. The reason is that continuously expanding linear chain activities are considered to contribute to climate change, reduced biodiversity, over-exploitation of resources, food insecurity, and the double burden of disease. Are sustainable bioeconomy systems a guarantee for a healthy planet? If yes, why, when, and how? In literature, different sustainability indicators have been presented to shed light on this complicated question. Due to high degrees of complexity and interactions of actors in bioeconomy systems, trade-offs and non-linear outcomes became apparent. This fueled the debates about the normative dimensions of the bioeconomy. In particular, the behavior of actors and the utilization of products do not seem to be harmonized according to the environmental, social, and economic pillars of sustainability. Potential conflicts require a new conceptual framework that is here introduced. It consists of a ‘sustainability’ cylinder captured between an inner-cylinder, representing order, and an outer-cylinder for chaos, based on the laws of physics and complex adaptive systems. Such a framework permits (bioeconomy) systems to propagate in the sustainability zone only if they follow helical pathways serving as the new norms. Helices are a combination of two sinusoidal patterns. The first represents here the sustainable behavior of interacting actors and the second the balanced usage of resources and products. The latter counteracts current growth discourses. The applicability of the conceptual cylinder framework is positively verified via 9 cases in Europe, which encompass social-organizational and product-technological innovations. –
Highlights
In 2018, the European circular and sustainable bioeconomy strategy (Patermann & Aguilar, 2018; EC DG R&I, 2018) and the circular bio-society 2050 reports (Biosociety, 2020) provide clear, largely supported, ambitious visions for bioeconomy systems
Combined Results for the Conceptual Cylinder Framework and Capacity to Respond to Changes
The results show that modifications in one element, like technological or organizational innovations, or the introduction of new rules are always leading to modifications in the other elements
Summary
In 2018, the European circular and sustainable bioeconomy strategy (Patermann & Aguilar, 2018; EC DG R&I, 2018) and the circular bio-society 2050 reports (Biosociety, 2020) provide clear, largely supported, ambitious visions for bioeconomy systems. The European New Green Deal and Fork-to-Farm strategy have been setting the scene for the new research and innovation programs for the bioeconomy, including the food domain (EC, 2020a; EC, 2020b; EC, 2020c) These strategies are responses to the current linear ‘take – make – consume – dispose of’ chains, which are associated with mass consumption and unsustainable behavior of actors. Numerous indicators show (exponential) growth patterns (e.g. for climate change, biodiversity loss, overweight and obesity, energy, and water usage, urbanization, social inequalities), possibly with severe consequences for the planet, profits, and the well-being of people (Barnosky et al, 2012; IPCC, 2019; IPBES, 2019; SAPEA, 2020) The importance of these challenges is reflected by their prominence in most of the 17 SDGs and even more accentuated by the current COVID-19 crisis
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