The Government of Catalonia has joined the Board of the BETA Foundation (UVic-UCC), strengthening its commitment to circular bioeconomy, sustainable agri-food systems and ecological transition. The agreement establishes a new cross-departmental collaboration between the areas of agriculture, environmental transition and research, backed by €875,000 in funding for 2026.
A key objective is to accelerate innovation and knowledge transfer in nutrient circularity – promoting the conversion of organic waste streams into high-value biofertilisers and reducing dependence on imported fertilisers – while further supporting applied research and industrial demonstration capacities in Catalonia, including the Centre’s new facilities at the FERTIEBRO site in Soses.
As a member of the EFI Bioregions, Catalonia continues to build the applied research and cross-sector partnerships that underpin its regional bioeconomy strategy, and this new governance role at BETA is a further step in that direction.
In this sense, sustainable forest management acts directly on 65% of the Catalan territory and is a key element in guaranteeing the safety of people, the protection of the territory, the preservation of the natural environment and the development of the rural environment, in a context marked by the growing impact of the climate crisis.
In addition, the objectives of the Strategy foresee an increase of 36.8 million euros in investment, which consolidates sustainable forest management as a structural public policy for the country, aligned with people’s safety, fire prevention and rural development.
The new sustainable forestry strategy employs a prevention model based on three levels of intervention proposed for the short, medium and long term. The first is the protection of inhabited areas through protective strips and preventive infrastructure in urban-forest interfaces. In February, the Department opened a call for 2 million euros for local entities to draft forest fire prevention plans (PPI) and delimitation plans (PD), with the call scheduled to be renewed annually. The second level is the strategic management of forest massifs, with the consolidation of Priority Protection Perimeters (PPPs) as key planning instruments. The third is the definition of 14 fire containment axes, designed to limit the spread of large fires between massifs and improve the safety of the population and emergency services. This approach makes it possible to anticipate extreme fire scenarios and reduce the intensity and capacity for spread of fires, enabling a safer and more effective operational response in the short, medium and long term.
The Sustainable Forest Management Strategy incorporates, at the proposal of the Catalan Fire Brigade, what are known as fire containment axes as new strategic prevention infrastructures, aimed at limiting the spread of large forest fires between massifs and improving the safety of the population and emergency services. These axes act through the forestry and agroforestry management of wide, continuous strips to modify fire behaviour in extreme fire conditions and facilitate containment and extinguishing tasks.
Thus, in Catalonia, 14 lockdown axes have been demarcated, covering more than 223,000 hectares and protecting more than 872,550 people. Its deployment will be carried out progressively, prioritising the most strategic sections, and complementing the protection strips of inhabited areas and the management of forest massifs: A-2, Berga – Alp, C-25, Cardener, Conca Tremp – Segre, Empordà, Gironès – Ardenya – Gavarres, La Bisbal del Penedès – Argençola, Lladurs – Biosca, Montsec, Montseny – Montnegre, Priorat – Prades, Segre – Rialb, Vall de l’Ebre.
Acting on 34,194 hectares, they could protect 2,121,630 hectares of forest. Priority will initially be given to 5 containment axes that the Fire Department has identified as priorities after assessing the potential protected area and the population to be safeguarded.
The axes with the highest degree of efficiency are: Igualada-Martorell-Sta.Coloma de Cervelló, Perafita-Manresa, Girona-Celrà, Argentona-La Roca and Rasquera-Perelló. To date, works worth €2.85 million have been contracted, and work has started on 700 hectares. These 5 axes increase protection across 666,000 hectares, where 531,000 people live. Work will begin imminently in the Igualada and El Perelló areas of the Terres de l’Ebre.
In addition, the strategy is committed to professionalising and modernising the forestry sector, promoting generational change, promoting mechanisation, promoting extensive livestock farming as a tool for managing the territory, and promoting green public procurement, using wood and bioproducts of forest origin in building and public works. The initiative is aligned with the future General Forest Policy Plan of Catalonia and with other strategies in the field of biodiversity, nature restoration and land management.
Originally published on the CTFC website in Catalan.
The Centre for Forest Science and Technology of Catalonia (CTFC) has published a new manual on the sustainable management of the biological uprooting of forest species with decomposing fungi, prepared within the framework of the DESCOMPFONGS demonstration action, an activity co-financed by the European Union through intervention 7201 of the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027. The initiative addresses the need for alternatives to conventional strain management techniques in poplar plantations, which disturb soils and aquifers and affect local biodiversity.
After using wood from a poplar plantation, it is necessary to control stump regrowth. Traditional management involves the use of heavy machinery or chemicals, with negative effects on soil, water and ecosystems. For this reason, decomposers represent a naturalalternative: they are organisms capable of biologically degrading wood, thereby reducing reliance on aggressive mechanical techniques and chemicals.
The manual includes the methodology used and the results obtained from several experimental plots at the Escarp i Serós Farm, where this management technique has been tested. The document is available in digital format on the CTFC website and is aimed at technicians, forest managers and plantation owners who want to adopt more sustainable, environmentally friendly management practices.
Which fungal species are suitable for stump degradation
Practical application methods in the field
Potential environmental benefits and management considerations
Introduction
Fungi are organisms present in all ecosystems that fulfil a series of fundamental roles in the functioning of natural systems. Among them, we find mycorrhiza-forming species, which establish mutualistic associations with the roots of most woody plant species and are important actors in the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycle in the soil.
On the other hand, there are parasitic species that live at the expense of other plant species, obtaining carbon from leaves, trunks and roots. Some of these species can cause serious diseases in trees, altering forest dynamics and influencing tree regeneration. The third functional group is saprophytic fungi, which decompose dead organic matter, such as bark, dead trunks, leaf litter or humus. These fungi play an essential role in the degradation of biomass and in the recycling of nutrients within forest ecosystems.
It is important to note that the three roles mentioned are not always static; some species can transition between them. Specifically, some mycorrhizal species, such as those of the genus Suillus, can degrade organic matter, while others, usually parasitic, can continue to degrade their host tree once it dies and, therefore, act as saprophytes. Furthermore, some species can even alternate between different strategies depending on the phase of their life cycle. This makes the decomposition process and the nutrient cycle in forests dynamic and interconnected.
Content: Sustainable management of biological uprooting of forest species with decomposing fungi (Original title: Gestió sostenible del desarrelament biològic d’espècies forestals amb fongs descomponedors)
Authors: Juan Martínez de Aragón, Lucía Pascual Hortal, Bárbara Navarro Solé, Josep Mª Grifoll Tuset, Ángel Ponce
On 25 November, the Bioeconomy Innovation Day 2025, hosted at the AgroBioTech Forum in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain, brought together innovators, industry leaders, investors, and researchers to explore how bio-based materials and circular solutions can drive the biologisation of high-impact sectors such as construction, manufacturing, cosmetics, and interior design.
The programme combined high-level keynotes, sector-focused pitch sessions, and real-time investor feedback after each pitch, creating a dynamic exchange between vision, innovation, and finance.
Opening the event, EFI’s Inazio Martinez de Arano challenged participants with a central question:
“How can we use our existing biomass to deliver both environmental benefits and social value?”
Opening keynotes: regional vision and support for the bioeconomy
Building on this challenge, the opening keynotes set the stage with a strong regional vision for the bioeconomy. Cristina Massot, Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food at the Government of Catalonia, outlined how the region is embedding the bioeconomy into long-term economic planning, describing it as “a driving force for the Catalan economy.”
She presented the three-year Bioeconomy Action Plan 2025–2027, equipped with a €269 million budget and 44 actions that prioritise improved forest management, the valorisation of organic and agri-food side-streams, and the creation of resilient agroforestry landscapes. She emphasised that this is now a whole-of-government commitment:
“This is serious. Not only for our department, but also for the Government of Catalonia.”
The second keynote, delivered by BioHubCat and Simbiosy, highlighted the importance of strengthening Catalonia’s support ecosystem for bioeconomy innovation. BioHubCat, Catalonia’s coordination hub for the circular bioeconomy, connects companies with public services, fills system gaps, and helps start-ups overcome technical and administrative challenges.
“Our role is on the ground, helping each company step by step so they can become competitive,” they noted.
Simbiosy, a consultancy specialising in industrial symbiosis and circular economy strategies, stressed that bioeconomy projects are inherently systemic and require collaboration across multiple actors.
They introduced the BioBoost accelerator, which reduces investment risk and supports start-ups with legal, financial, technological, and facilitation services.
“Every systemic project needs facilitation to actually happen,” they emphasised.
Investor panel: market opportunities and the realities of scaling
With a strong regional vision established, the discussion shifted to the financial realities of scaling bio-based innovation. The investor session provided a candid look at the opportunities and challenges facing bio-based ventures.
Michael Brandkamp of the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund stressed that “the bioeconomy is not just an option; it is a must”, driven by shifting consumer demand, policy pressure and climate-related risks.
However, he highlighted key challenges for start-ups, including competition for feedstocks, complex R&D, and the need to validate real customer demand.
“Most innovations fail not because of technology but because they solve a problem nobody has validated,” he remarked.
Jan Debets from META Group emphasised the challenges faced by research-driven ventures, noting that university spin-outs are “high-risk because researchers often fall in love with their science and forget about the customer”.
As a research accelerator, META focuses on helping science-based start-ups navigate this gap between technology and market needs. Debets also highlighted that, as the bio-based sector matures, investors are increasingly open to backing these ventures.
Session 1: Bio-based construction
With these themes in mind, the opening pitch session demonstrated practical ways to apply bio-based construction. It began with a keynote from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), where Olly Needham presented their work on full-cycle timber construction.
As a “laboratory for self-sufficient habitat”, they demonstrated how forest stewardship and architecture can be deeply intertwined by managing pine forests, selectively harvesting trees, and ensuring full traceability from woodland to building.
“Traceability is essential if we want to understand the real impact of the materials we use,” he noted, highlighting how their approach connects local forests directly to sustainable buildings.
This keynote was followed by four innovation pitches that highlighted a diverse set of bio-based construction solutions.
ParaStruct presented a carbon-sink subfloor made from mineral binders and plant residues, offering a cost-competitive alternative to cement.
Sebastia showed how locally sourced Pyrenean timber can be turned into cross-laminated timber panels that store carbon effectively and support improved forest management.
RMT Insulation introduced wool- and cotton-based materials for building insulation and green roofs, combining affordability with biodegradability.
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague demonstrated mycelium-based panels made from recycled wood, which provide strong insulation and even help break down contaminants.
Together, the pitches showed how biological materials can advance low-carbon construction while facing shared hurdles such as certification, feedstock availability and scaling.
Session 2: A bio-based way of life
Attention shifted to a bio-based way of life, highlighting innovations that bring sustainability into daily routines and consumer choices. Ricard Armengol, CEO at Provital, opened the second session by unpacking fast-evolving trends in the cosmetics sector, where well-being, scientific evidence, and sustainability increasingly shape consumer expectations. Provital, a global cosmetics ingredient manufacturer based in Catalonia, specialising in natural, sustainable solutions for skin and hair care, stressed that today’s consumers are highly informed and demand transparency: products must not only claim benefits but demonstrate the science behind them. Sustainability, once a niche, is now a dominant driver of innovation.
Provital also highlighted a critical challenge for ingredient suppliers: branding is no longer optional. Even in a B2B context, where raw materials have a limited market, strong branding is essential to avoid being easily substituted.
“If you don’t build a brand, someone else will,” Armengol warned, urging companies to know their customers deeply and tailor products to real needs in a fragmented market.
The pitches showcased how bio-based innovations are entering lifestyle, beauty, and design markets:
Roka Furadada demonstrated how lignin, a widely available forestry by-product, can be upcycled into multifunctional cosmetic actives for skin and hair care, replacing fossil-derived ingredients.
Boreal Bioproducts presented its water-based, zero-waste process for extracting biochemicals from sawdust and bark, producing lignin, tannins, and sugars for applications ranging from cosmetics to animal nutrition.
Bagaceira introduced an acoustic panel system made from sugarcane bagasse, combining aesthetic design with high sound absorption and carbon storage.
All innovators emphasised the circular use of residues, from forestry side-streams to sugarcane by-products, and the growing demand for high-performance, sustainable alternatives in consumer-facing sectors.
Session 3: Bio-based solutions for sustainable manufacturing
The day concluded with a session on manufacturing, the backbone of industrial transformation. A keynote was given by Maria Dolors Nuñez, Head of Technology Opportunity Analysis at ACCIÓ, Catalonia’s agency for business competitiveness and innovation, emphasising that biomaterials are not just part of the solution; they are key enablers for building more sustainable and competitive manufacturing systems.
“Bio-based materials redefine how we design, produce, and reuse,” she noted, positioning them as drivers of innovation and industrial resilience.
Catalonia’s strong ecosystem, spanning research centres, universities, companies, clusters, and institutional support, offers a fertile ground for emerging value chains and industrial symbiosis. However, ACCIÓ stressed that scaling up, securing investment, and harmonising standards remain critical challenges. Linking research with industry and fostering hybrid knowledge across sectors is essential to unlock these opportunities and make Catalonia a European leader in the bioeconomy.
This final session featured innovations in advanced composites and circular materials for mobility, wind energy and urban infrastructures:
Voodin Blade Technology showcased wooden wind turbine blades made from laminated veneer lumber, offering lower cost and carbon impact with a licensing model for scale-up.
Alcorke Playground presented flooring made from upcycled cork stoppers, turning industry waste into renewable playground materials.
Advanced BioComposites (ABC) introduced lightweight biocomposites as strong as aluminium for buses, trains and industrial components, providing recyclable, low-carbon alternatives.
These pitches signal new pathways for renewable materials to reshape manufacturing and reduce environmental impact.
Concluding remarks
The Bioeconomy Innovation Day 2025 underscored a clear message: bio-based materials are no longer niche; they are strategic enablers of sustainability, competitiveness and resilience.
Across keynotes and pitches, speakers highlighted the need for systemic collaboration, strong branding, and new business models to scale innovation. Investors stressed that while policy and consumer trends create momentum, success depends on proving real market demand and bridging the gap between research and commercial viability.
Closing the event, Salvador Samitier of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food at the Government of Catalonia, reminded participants that the bioeconomy is not just a sector but a vision for how society can live with nature. It has the potential to offer economic opportunities, particularly for rural areas, while supporting ecosystem restoration and resilience.
Read all factsheets
Advanced BioComposites (ABC) is a technology company developing sustainable composite materials for industrial manufacturing.
Alcorke Playground is a circular economy project led by the Institut Català del Suro Foundation that gives a second life to used natural cork stoppers.
Voodin Blade Technology develops wind turbine blades using LVL, an alternative to conventional fibreglass and carbon-composite blades.
Roka Furadada specialises in the development of innovative molecules and active ingredients for use in cosmetics and personal care.
Bagaceira develops innovative bio-based materials using sugarcane bagasse, the fibrous residue from sugar and alcohol production.
Boreal Bioproducts is a biorefinery startup that produces bio-based chemical extracts from forest-industry side streams such as sawdust and bark.
RMT Insulation develops natural insulation solutions using renewable natural fibres as alternatives to synthetic materials.
This innovation focuses on producing mycelium-based biocomposite (MBB) insulation panels using waste wood as the primary feedstock.
Sebastia is a timber construction company with roots in a family wood-working tradition dating back to 1954.
ParaStruct works to decarbonise the construction industry by applying circular economy principles to building materials.
Explore the innovations presented at the Bioeconomy Innovation Day 2025 in a factsheet format.
The Forestry Hub of Catalonia is an initiative supporting innovation in forestry value chains. Its facilities for research, development, transfer, facilitation and training focus on using wood for: construction, textiles and biochemistry, aromatic and medicinal plants for pharma and cosmetics, and truffles and other non-wood forest products (NWFP) for food.
For some time now, the mantra has been circulating that our forests do not produce high-quality wood suitable for making splinters. But this is not true. It is also useful for other uses, such as the construction of wooden houses. A key point to increase forest management, which is expensive and difficult for owners to assume if they do not get a return on it.
“And forestry, management, has proven to be one of the most powerful tools to transform the landscape and fight against the impacts of climate change, such as droughts.” This is explained by Mario Beltran, a technician at the Centre for Forest Science and Technology of Catalonia (CTFC).
The pines that they have removed after managing in a forest in Llobera, in the Solsonès region, are taken to the Olius Forest Hub, a few kilometres away. It is a laboratory that conducts tests and trials on wood, but on an industrial scale. Thus, “we can give the construction recipes with different types of wood to the industry because we have tried it before here.”
The building is 1,200 square meters. And it is built, obviously, with wood, with fir and black pine from the Pyrenees. When we enter, the temperature is comfortable, although they do not have heating. Wood acts as a thermal insulator.
In the warehouse, the machines manufacture structural panels. They have combined different Mediterranean woods, such as Aleppo pine and beech, which are very resistant, but which have never been used in construction.
Wildfires, pests, diseases, drought, and climate change are putting pressure on natural ecosystems. To address these challenges, it is necessary to develop sustainable landscapes that are more resilient.
Until now, five pilot projects have been developed. The first of which was carried out in 2023 in the municipality of Soriguera, in Pallars Sobirà. In 2024, three more pilots were launched in Terres de l’Ebre, the Camprodon Valley in Ripollès, and the Carme Valley in Anoia. The fifth pilot is in Cerdanya.
Its primary objective is to promote collaborative projects that strengthen the resilience of agroforestry landscapes throughout Catalonia, enabling these territories to better adapt to social, economic, and environmental challenges.
The programme places a strong emphasis on multi-sectoral collaboration, participatory approaches, and stimulating local value creation. Among its fundamental goals are the development of multifunctional landscapes, the enhancement of ecosystem health and biodiversity, and support for the local bioeconomy, as well as the promotion of innovation within rural areas.
It is open to associations, cooperatives, small and medium-sized enterprises, local entities, and social economy organisations in the region. Each approved project must bring together at least four entities representing different sectors and formalise their cooperation through the creation of an “activating committee” responsible for coordinating actions and ensuring integrative, strategic management to address the challenges involved.
The projects will have a duration of three years, spanning the period 2026–2028, with a total budget allocation of €3 million.
The call for applications is expected to open before the end of this year. The size of the projects must cover at least 5,000 hectares and two municipalities. This program is promoted within the framework of the Bioeconomy Strategy of Catalonia 2030.
Featured image: imv from Getty Images Signature / edited in Canva
A year after announcing the winners of the Bioregions Open Innovation Challenge launched in 2022, the winners from Finland, Serbia and Spain shared their journey implementing their projects in North Rhine-Westphalia, Catalonia, the Basque Country and North Karelia.
Biomonitoring station
From left to right: a stationary air quality monitoring station, a mobile handy air quality and ozone monitoring device, and a device for detecting and early warning of smoke. Image courtesy of Zoran Poduška.
The biomonitoring station is a set of smaller devices designed to detect, measure and monitor ambient air quality, including temperature and humidity, ground-level ozone, and forest smoke.
During this one year, the team assembled the devices, developed the data-collection software, and conducted field tests. The station was tested in a natural environment in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Lessons learned
“The biomonitoring station is a simple, accurate, financially sound, and easy-to-use set of devices; the sensors showed satisfactory measurement accuracy,” said Dr Zoran Poduška, the project head.
During the tests, the team noticed the need to design a new device – an underground temperature and humidity sensor. This new device could help monitor disturbances like windstorms and early warning bark beetle calamities.
Assessing and monitoring carbon offsets in forests
Iñigo Lizarralde, CEO of Föra, presenting at the Forestry Speed Dating webinar.
Föra forest technologies (föra) has a forest intelligence platform called förecast, which allows the assessment of carbon offsets in forests. This tool estimates the carbon stock in the forest and measures other forest variables using remote sensing and artificial intelligence.
One of the most competitive functionalities of förecast is the capacity to calculate accurate and updated estimations of forest variables critical to forest management decisions.
Lessons learned
The number of players in the forest carbon market increased exponentially. For example, 146 million credits were retired (carbon credits that have been permanently removed from circulation after being purchased and claimed by an entity to offset its greenhouse gas emissions) in 2022, more than double in comparison with 2019.
“However, some companies lack reliability and transparency in how they calculate or estimate carbon”, said Iñigo Lizarralde, CEO of Föra. Consequently, this created reputational damage to the whole sector.
Förecast emphasises the need to guarantee accuracy and reliability, i.e., scientific soundness, carbon estimates, and carbon monitoring. It also must make biological sense since “we’re talking about trees.”
Föra designed an almost-ready feasible prototype in North Rhine-Westphalia, and they were in contact with the Basque Country and Catalonia for future collaborations.
Working with local forest owners
Image courtesy of Panu Torniainen.
The Zerti Carbon project involved working with local independent forest owners who have been managing their forests. Together with the forest owners, the project examined their forest management practices. Drone flights were carried out, and tree mapping was conducted for biomass calculations.
Lessons learned
It is important to include the forest owner during the project’s implementation. For example, it is important to understand how much forest owners know about and contribute to carbon markets. One challenge for the company was finding a forest owner interested in this earning model for their property and new forest management practices.
For example, some owners had doubts about the CO2 markets. The project was conducted in North Karelia, Finland, and Catalonia, Spain.
Bioregions Open Innovation Challenge
Sign up for the Bioregions Facility InfoFlash to receive the latest news and updates on the next Open Innovation Challenge, and follow the Facility on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Plus, explore Föra and Zerti Carbon factsheets from the Forestry Speed Dating webinar series.
The bioeconomy sector in Catalonia is a significant contributor to the region’s economy. It encompasses a range of industries, including agriculture, food processing, energy, and chemicals, that use renewable biological resources to produce goods. These sectors employ around 622,700 people in Spain (the average for 2016–2021), which represents 17.24% of the total employed population in Catalonia.
What’s bioeconomy?
Bioeconomy is an economic model that uses renewable biological resources to produce food, energy, chemicals, textiles, and other bio-based products that we depend upon. The Bioeconomy has emerged as a model aiming to find efficient resource utilisation methods, reduce reliance on non-renewable resources, and prevent resource depletion.
It is important to understand the impact of the bioeconomy. This allows researchers, policymakers, and other key stakeholders to make informed decisions about investments, regulations, and support mechanisms, for example.
How to quantify its impact?
To quantify the impact of bioeconomy in Catalonia, the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda has commissioned the Center for Research in Agrifood Economics and Development (CREDA-UPC-IRTA) to calculate the impact based on output and input-output tables.
The output approach determines whether products generated by economic activities are bio-based. It then calculates the shares of these products in relation to the total production of each economic sector and, using these quotas weights the main macro-magnitudes of each economic activity (production, gross value added, and employment).
The input-output approach allows the bioeconomy to be dimensioned according to the links that sectors considered 100% bio-based can maintain with other industries that supply them (upstream) or serve as clients (downstream). For instance, in the case of the food and beverages industry, the upstream sectors could be agriculture and food processing, while the downstream sectors could be retail and hospitality. Bio-based sectors are those within the primary sector but can include primary processing industries such as food and beverages and the wood and paper industry.
Countries where downstream and upstream VA constitutes at least 50% of the total bioeconomy, 2018. Source: Cingiz et al. 2023.
Using the output approach, the total values of production growth, added value and employment generated by the bioeconomy had been estimated for 2016–2021, despite the effects of the covid-19 pandemic. Likewise, estimates of production and employment suggest a slight increase in the weight of the bioeconomy on the Catalan economy as a whole over these years.
Using the input-output approach, the gross value added (GVA) of the bioeconomy 2016–2021 amounts to 22,420.6 million euros (10.18% of the total GVA of the Catalan economy), a level comparable to that observed for the EU-27 average. Catalonia appears to be one of the main economies in Europe in terms of the weight of indirect links on the GVA of the bioeconomy, to the point of being among the top 10 EU countries with the highest weight of these links.
Economic weight of the bioeconomy in Catalonia
The recently published report by the Government of Catalonia, “Economic weight of the bioeconomy in Catalonia: application of Output and Input-Output methodologies” or “Pes economic de la bioeconomia a Catalunya: aplicació de methodologies d’Output I Input-Output” (in Catalan), offers a comprehensive view of the bioeconomy sector from 2016 to 2021. It spotlights significant developments, challenges, and, most importantly, strategic initiatives designed to foster a sustainable and innovative bioeconomy, instilling a sense of optimism for the future.
Are you aware of the transformative potential of a circular bioeconomy in Catalonia? Then check this recent report: “ Towards a circular bioeconomy for Catalonia (Cap a una bioeconomia circular a Catalunya in Catalan),” is the 127th issue of the report series published in March 2024 by the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Catalan Government. The document outlines the strategy to shift towards a sustainable and circular bioeconomy by 2030.
This approach aims to revitalise the local economy, enhance environmental resilience, and promote equitable territorial development. For instance, Catalonia’s bioeconomy strategy 2021–2030 (EBC2030) emphasises using local renewable biological resources to produce goods and services across all economic sectors.
Catalonia’s technical dossier on bioeconomy objectives
The bioeconomy sector is already of significant relevance in Catalonia. The goal is to decarbonise Catalonia’s economy, making it more sustainable, circular, inclusive, and resilient while creating business opportunities, for example, in the primary sector. The content of this technical dossier are
The political and social context of Catalonia’s bioeconomy
Improved forest management and the use of forest resources.
Creation of resilient agroforestry landscapes and sustainable provision of ecosystem services.
Development of innovative uses for livestock manure and other organic waste.
Improved use of co-products and by-products from the food chain.
The role of Catalonia’s new bioeconomy Hub: the Biohub CAT
There’s a need for systemic approaches and new governance forms that link public policies with territorial challenges and needs, fostering experimentation and learning. In addition, citizens should also play a role by adopting new lifestyle and consumption models to support the transformation towards a bioeconomy.
Read the full technical dossier (in Catalan) to learn more about the government’s strategies and actions.
The Ministry of Climate Action, Food, and Rural Agenda has launched the #CatalunyaCircular newsletter. Designed to keep companies and organisations informed about the latest developments in the circular bioeconomy and economy in Catalonia, Spain, this newsletter is for those involved in offering products or services in this field.
The #CatalunyaCircular newsletter aims to provide a dedicated platform for disseminating relevant information related to the circular bioeconomy. By offering a channel for communication and exchange, the newsletter seeks to facilitate the transition towards a more sustainable and circular economy in the region.
Subscribers can expect a wide range of content, including updates on news, projects, case studies, grants, events, and more. Whether you’re looking to stay informed about the latest industry trends or seeking opportunities for collaboration and networking, the #CatalunyaCircular newsletter is for you.
Subscribe to the CatalunyaCircular newsletter today (in Catalan).
The Biodiversity Foundation has chosen and will fund 56 projects, with 18 having participation from Catalan organisations, aimed at advancing the forest bioeconomy and its role in driving the ecological transition. In total, 44 organisations in Catalonia have obtained subsidies from the call.
Nearly one-third of these projects will be implemented in municipalities or provinces with a population density of approximately 30 inhabitants/km2, and over half of the projects are dedicated to enhancing the development and diversification of forest management and utilisation.
Read the complete list of Catalan projects here (in Catalan).
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Funcional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
