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Conceptualization of an Indicator System for Assessing the Sustainability of the Bioeconomy

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  • Vincent Egenolf

    (Sustainable Resource Futures Group (SURF), Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), University of Kassel, 34121 Kassel, Germany)

  • Stefan Bringezu

    (Sustainable Resource Futures Group (SURF), Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), University of Kassel, 34121 Kassel, Germany)

Abstract

The increased use of biogenic resources is linked to expectations of “green” economic growth, innovation spurts through biotechnology, development options for rural areas, and an increasingly regenerative resource base that is also climate-neutral. However, for several years the signs for unintentional and unwanted side effects have been increasing. In 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was published at the international level in order to address this problem and deliver a starting point for a comprehensive sustainability criteria evaluation catalogue. Impact indicators to quantify the environmental burden induced by national activities in foreign countries are especially lacking. In this article a comprehensive framework for the evaluation of the sustainability of the bioeconomy, considering key objectives and relevant criteria for environmental, economic, and social sustainability is developed. A special focus is set to the intersection area of the three pillars of sustainability, where the particularly important integrative key objectives and the indicators assigned to them (e.g., resource footprints) apply. This indicator set can be used as a basis for bio-economy monitoring, which uses and produces differently aggregated information on different levels of action, with a focus at the national level but also including global impacts of domestic production and consumption.

Suggested Citation

  • Vincent Egenolf & Stefan Bringezu, 2019. "Conceptualization of an Indicator System for Assessing the Sustainability of the Bioeconomy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-20, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:2:p:443-:d:198121
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    2. Liobikienė, Genovaitė & Miceikienė, Astrida & Brizga, Janis, 2021. "Decomposition analysis of bioresources: Implementing a competitive and sustainable bioeconomy strategy in the Baltic Sea Region," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
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    6. Gołębiewski, Jarosław, 2020. "Employment And Added Value In Europen Union Bioeconomy – A Sustainable Development Perspective," Roczniki (Annals), Polish Association of Agricultural Economists and Agribusiness - Stowarzyszenie Ekonomistow Rolnictwa e Agrobiznesu (SERiA), vol. 2020(4).
    7. Ronzon, Tévécia & Iost, Susanne & Philippidis, George, 2022. "An output-based measurement of EU bioeconomy services: Marrying statistics with policy insight," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 290-301.
    8. Idiano D’Adamo & Pasquale Marcello Falcone & Enrica Imbert & Piergiuseppe Morone, 2022. "Exploring regional transitions to the bioeconomy using a socio-economic indicator: the case of Italy," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 39(3), pages 989-1021, October.
    9. Vincent Egenolf & Gibran Vita & Martin Distelkamp & Franziska Schier & Rebekka Hüfner & Stefan Bringezu, 2021. "The Timber Footprint of the German Bioeconomy—State of the Art and Past Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-19, April.
    10. Altenburg, Tilman & Bauer, Steffen & Brandi, Clara & Brüntrup, Michael & Malerba, Daniele & Never, Babette & Pegels, Anna & Stamm, Andreas & To, Jenny & Volz, Ulrich, 2022. "Ökologische Strukturpolitik: Ein starker Profilbaustein für die deutsche Entwicklungszusammenarbeit," IDOS Discussion Papers 8/2022, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    11. Liesbeth de Schutter & Stefan Giljum & Tiina Häyhä & Martin Bruckner & Asjad Naqvi & Ines Omann & Sigrid Stagl, 2019. "Bioeconomy Transitions through the Lens of Coupled Social-Ecological Systems: A Framework for Place-Based Responsibility in the Global Resource System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-23, October.
    12. Britz, Wolfgang & Li, Jingwen & Shang, Linmei, 2021. "Combining large-scale sensitivity analysis in Computable General Equilibrium models with Machine Learning: An Example Application to policy supporting the bio-economy," Conference papers 333285, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    13. D'Adamo, Idiano & Falcone, Pasquale Marcello & Imbert, Enrica & Morone, Piergiuseppe, 2020. "A Socio-economic Indicator for EoL Strategies for Bio-based Products," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    14. Genovaitė Liobikienė & Astrida Miceikienė, 2023. "Contribution of the European Bioeconomy Strategy to the Green Deal Policy: Challenges and Opportunities in Implementing These Policies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-14, April.
    15. Asada, Raphael & Cardellini, Giuseppe & Mair-Bauernfeind, Claudia & Wenger, Julia & Haas, Verena & Holzer, Daniel & Stern, Tobias, 2020. "Effective bioeconomy? a MRIO-based socioeconomic and environmental impact assessment of generic sectoral innovations," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    16. Wiebke Jander & Sven Wydra & Johann Wackerbauer & Philipp Grundmann & Stephan Piotrowski, 2020. "Monitoring Bioeconomy Transitions with Economic–Environmental and Innovation Indicators: Addressing Data Gaps in the Short Term," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-18, June.
    17. Josephin Helka & Julia Ostrowski & Mohammad Abdel-Razek & Peter Hawighorst & Jan Henke & Stefan Majer & Daniela Thrän, 2020. "Combining Environmental Footprint Models, Remote Sensing Data, and Certification Data towards an Integrated Sustainability Risk Analysis for Certification in the Case of Palm Oil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-24, October.
    18. Raphael Asada & Tamás Krisztin & Fulvio di Fulvio & Florian Kraxner & Tobias Stern, 2020. "Bioeconomic transition?: Projecting consumption‐based biomass and fossil material flows to 2050," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 24(5), pages 1059-1073, October.
    19. Zeug, Walther & Bezama, Alberto & Thrän, Daniela, 2020. "Towards a holistic and integrated Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of the bioeconomy: Background on concepts, visions and measurements," UFZ Discussion Papers 7/2020, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Division of Social Sciences (ÖKUS).
    20. Liobikiene, Genovaite & Chen, Xueli & Streimikiene, Dalia & Balezentis, Tomas, 2020. "The trends in bioeconomy development in the European Union: Exploiting capacity and productivity measures based on the land footprint approach," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    21. Walther Zeug & Alberto Bezama & Urs Moesenfechtel & Anne Jähkel & Daniela Thrän, 2019. "Stakeholders’ Interests and Perceptions of Bioeconomy Monitoring Using a Sustainable Development Goal Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-24, March.
    22. Beadle, Brian, 2023. "The design and application of an agricultural sustainability index using item response theory," EconStor Theses, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, number 278112, September.
    23. Jörg Schweinle & Natalia Geng & Susanne Iost & Holger Weimar & Dominik Jochem, 2020. "Monitoring Sustainability Effects of the Bioeconomy: A Material Flow Based Approach Using the Example of Softwood Lumber and Its Core Product Epal 1 Pallet," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-27, March.
    24. Brizga, Janis & Räty, Tarmo, 2024. "Production, consumption and trade-based forest land and resource footprints in the Nordic and Baltic countries," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    25. Florian Siekmann & Sandra Venghaus, 2024. "Regional transformation pathways for the bioeconomy: A novel monitoring approach for complex transitions," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 28(3), pages 603-616, June.

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