*Elements of Bioeconomy*

activities in the countries where it is promoted. For this, it is imperative to strengthen the traditional series of activities that add value to biological resources, the most important being agri-food, followed by forest products. The appearance of new series of this kind would permit the commercialization of bioplastics, biocomposites, cosmetics, biofuels, bioenergy, and bioproducts related to nutrition and pharmacology.

The growth of all these areas requires, as described by the Standing Committee of Agricultural Research [17], the application of a series of principals essential to the development of the bioeconomy. These are described below:


In the case of the member states of the EU, the challenges described above are reflected in the strategies that define the European policies related to the production and use of resources of biological origin. Below, their most important aspects are described:


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bioeconomy.

*The Bioeconomy: An Opportunity for the Spanish Economy*

of the burial of waste by up to 10% by the year 2030. The action plan recognizes the potential of the bioeconomy to improve the use of waste in current chains that add value and in the creation of new and innovative chains. As a specific example, the European Plastics Strategy states that by 2030, all plastic packaging marketed in the EU must be reusable or recycled cost-effectively [18].

• *Common agricultural policy* (CAP). The communication "The future of food and agriculture," written by the European Commission, was made public in November 2017. In this document, farmers are considered as the managers of the natural environment (responsible for the care of soil, water, air, and biodiversity) and the suppliers of food and other renewable products, while at the same time, agriculture is credited with the function of retaining carbon in the system as a whole. The aforementioned communication considers that the future CAP must lead the transition towards more sustainable European agriculture. In addition to its traditional objectives, this policy must take advantage of the potential of the circular economy and the bioeconomy to support the care of the environment and the fight against and adaptation to climate change [19].

• *Energy and biofuel policy.* This policy has promoted first generation biorefineries, although its objectives for the coming years have been modified, since the European Commission proposes to reduce the production of first generation biofuels by 7% by the year 2021, and by 3.8% by 2030. Individual countries can even set lower limits. Further, it states that the incorporation of 1.5% of renewable energy in transport in the year 2021 should be obligatory, reaching 6.8% in 2030. In addition, the generation of biofuels from further generation

biorefineries must rise from 0.5% in 2021 to 3.6% in 2030.

integration of knowledge from different areas:

**4. The importance of science and technology in the bioeconomy**

Overcoming the challenges we have described for the bioeconomy will be possible with the accumulation of knowledge in different scientific areas, and its transformation into innovations applied to each of the areas that comprise the

The improvement in the efficiency of the processes that make up agri-food production will be one of the essential elements. Implementation of the eco-blueprint rethinking all the productive, organizational, and logistic processes to reduce the quantity of inputs, which is proposed for the application of the circular economy [20], thereby achieving a balance between productivity and sustainability—will require the

• The areas of biology and biotechnology are essential for the development of new genetic materials for use in arable and livestock farming. The selection and crossing of materials will become much more precise and faster with the sequencing of complete genomes, the use of bioinformatics tools, or the editing of genes. This will allow responses to the joint challenges of productivity, resistance to drought, diseases, and pests, improved efficiency in the use of nutrients, and enrichment of food in certain components of interest. Knowledge of the microbiomes of the soil or the digestive tract of animals will improve the efficiency of the use of fertilizers, water, and feed ingredients, or improve the immune response of plants or animals. These same technologies, as well as nanotechnology, will also be applied to agrifood processing. The European Court of Justice issued a ruling in which it equates, for the EU, the techniques of gene editing with those of genetic modification. A

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84917*

*Elements of Bioeconomy*

pharmacology.

the inputs.

activities in the countries where it is promoted. For this, it is imperative to

the development of the bioeconomy. These are described below:

teeing their worldwide availability for human consumption.

strengthen the traditional series of activities that add value to biological resources, the most important being agri-food, followed by forest products. The appearance of new series of this kind would permit the commercialization of bioplastics, biocomposites, cosmetics, biofuels, bioenergy, and bioproducts related to nutrition and

The growth of all these areas requires, as described by the Standing Committee of Agricultural Research [17], the application of a series of principals essential to

1.Prioritize the use of biological resources for the production of foods, guaran-

2.Include sustainability in the development of the bioeconomy, such that the amounts of the resources harvested or extracted, in any system or setting, never exceed the capacity for regeneration. This principle should be applied equally to

3.Utilization in a cascade, guaranteeing that the biomass is used to obtain the product with the highest added value, while achieving its integral utilization.

4.Move towards a circular economy, by designing productive processes that mini-

mize the output of wastes and maximize reutilization and recycling.

5.Diversification of the use of resources and the accompanying activities.

In the case of the member states of the EU, the challenges described above are reflected in the strategies that define the European policies related to the production and use of resources of biological origin. Below, their most important aspects are described:

• *Climate change policy.* This has been establishing objectives in the medium and long term. By 2020, the aim was to reduce greenhouse gases by 20% compared to 1990, increase renewable energies to 20%, increase the use of renewable biofuels to 10%, and increase energy efficiency by 20%. The successive summits since the United Nations Conferences on Climate Change (COP21 and COP24) have seen greater commitments of the European Commission in this area. For the year 2030, the objectives for these same indicators are 40, 27, and 27%, respectively, while for the year 2050, an 80–95% reduction of greenhouse gases is the aim. To achieve these objectives, reduction requirements are imposed on the emission sectors and neutral or negative technologies are promoted in their CO2 balance. The diffuse sectors, such as agriculture, will have to assume a reduction of their emissions of 10% by 2020 and an additional 30% by 2030.

• *Environmental policy.* The objectives set at the European level are to achieve a "greener" economy through green growth in a framework of environmental sustainability, to protect nature, and to safeguard the health and quality of life of people, with special attention to water quality, air quality, and hazardous chemicals. In this context, the sustainable use of soil, land, biodiversity, and ecosystems is considered essential, as are ammonia emissions or the generation

• *Circular economy policy.* This has also been defined recently, in a package that includes as objectives the recycling of 65% of urban solid waste and a reduction

of dust that has recently become something to consider.

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of the burial of waste by up to 10% by the year 2030. The action plan recognizes the potential of the bioeconomy to improve the use of waste in current chains that add value and in the creation of new and innovative chains. As a specific example, the European Plastics Strategy states that by 2030, all plastic packaging marketed in the EU must be reusable or recycled cost-effectively [18].

