Transitioning to a circular bioeconomy to meet future demands

The Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance (BFA) is a collaborative, multi-stakeholder forum of the world’s leading consumer brand companies that focuses on advancing knowledge of bioplastics. WWF convenes the BFA to provide thought leadership on the responsible sourcing of bioplastic, and the role of bioplastic in circular systems. Recognizing the need for a cross-sector approach that brings together several concepts and perspectives, the BFA developed its Vision Statement: Aligning Toward a Circular Bioeconomy.

What is possible when we transition to a circular bioeconomy?

We have seen significant progress on the transition from a linear take-make-waste economic system to a more circular system for materials and products. The push for this transition has happened for several reasons—to reduce reliance on non-renewable resources, increase supply security, and improve socioeconomic and environmental resilience all while meeting future material and energy demands. In a circular economy, products and materials are recirculated to reduce overall demand for virgin resources, avoid waste, and conserve valuable ecosystems and biodiversity. But circularity is about more than recycling and encompasses systems like reuse, biological cycling, and more. In fact, there are many tools under the circular economy umbrella that can be integrated into bioeconomy strategies to amplify positive outcomes.

The BFA envisions a future in which circularity is applied to a bioeconomy to maximize the value of biobased resources while minimizing harmful impacts from extraction and sourcing. The BFA’s vision for a circular bioeconomy imagines that a circular economy and bioeconomy are integrated, and that all sectors and industries are aligned in their approach.

What is a bioeconomy?

Carbon is a building block at the base of many products and services, from construction materials to chemicals, to textiles and energy. This carbon can be from fossil fuels, but in a bioeconomy, the carbon is “biobased”–meaning it is made from renewable organic material like plants, animals, and wastes or residues. Choosing biobased carbon can be advantageous because it holds the potential to be much more sustainable if products and systems using biobased carbon are thoughtfully designed. Responsible sourcing is a term used to describe a variety of best practices in producing and sourcing biobased inputs that lead to benefits for ecosystems and communities while mitigating risks. For instance, land, water, and resource stewardship practices can improve water and soil quality, protect biodiversity, and create value for local communities for present and future generations. And at the same time, responsible sourcing practices can help identify risks and inform strategies to increase supply chain and community resilience.

What is a circular economy?

A circular economy is a system in which materials are designed to be recirculated and to prevent waste. Materials are recirculated in a variety of ways, including through “r-imperatives”—such as reduce, recycle, reuse, and repair—and through concepts like Cascading Use and Industrial Ecology. Cascading Use is a core concept of circularity, where a resource is consecutively processed into new products as its quality decreases, like timber first being used in construction, then as plywood, then as paper products. And Industrial Ecology is a tool that links the by-product, or waste, of one industry to serve as the input to another. This keeps energy, water, materials, and more in loops to extract more value and reduce waste in line with the overall goals of circularity strategies.

How can the two be combined to help people and nature?

The two concepts—circular economy and bioeconomy—are inextricably linked and by more intentionally integrating the two we can realize increased benefits. Both are useful means to reduce overall consumption, avoid waste and pollution, and conserve nature. And rather than being implemented alone, the two can be complementary strategies that amplify benefits. This is the reason why BFA recommends new levels of cross-sector collaboration and joint efforts be undertaken as a next step. These efforts begin with fostering knowledge sharing across countries and industries to build trust, lead to collaboration, and increase implementation of circular bioeconomy strategies.

To think about the way these two systems enhance each other, we need to think about the full lifecycle of materials. When integrated, a circular bioeconomy conserves nature and increases supply security by simultaneously reducing overall consumption and utilizing inputs that can help us realize new benefits and generate fewer harms at all stages of the lifecycle.

A material’s lifecycle starts when resources are extracted for its production, extends through manufacturing and subsequent use as a product, and finishes with its end of life. Impacts can occur at every stage, from extraction through production and use and to end of life. And though the shift to circularity closes production and consumption loops by improving our ability to recover, recycle, and repair materials rather than disposing of materials at end of life, we will still require new inputs to meet critical needs since no material can be recirculated infinitely. These new inputs can be from responsibly sourced biobased resources that benefit people and nature. And choosing biobased inputs also unlocks opportunities for new end-of-life options like composting. Ultimately, applying circular solutions to bioeconomy strategies unlocks more value from natural resources while we design systems that reduce overall material use. In its Vision Statement, the BFA acknowledges the complexity of this shift and addresses the need for more of a cross-sector approach that brings together several concepts to establish an aligned vision for unlocking the opportunities of a circular bioeconomy.

This blog contains highlights of the concepts found in BFA’s vision of an integrated circular bioeconomy. Please see BFA’s Vision Statement: Aligning Toward a Circular Bioeconomy for a deeper dive. The BFA’s Vision Statement covers:

• The existing bioeconomy landscape,
• Concepts found in a circular economy and bioeconomy,
• Challenges and opportunities, and
• Recommendations for policymakers, businesses, nongovernmental organizations, and finance institutions.