**2. The bioeconomy in Spain**

The development of the Spanish Bioeconomy Strategy involved the economic characterization of the sectors that constitute the bioeconomy. It was not an easy task due to the absence of the necessary series of statistical data. This led to the accumulation of data from diverse sources; in some cases, they were obtained directly from the different sectorial administrations and in others from the different economic sectors themselves. Based on this, the bioeconomy in Spain represented 6.5% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015, employing around 9% of the economically active population [1].

The report on the bioeconomy in the EU presented by the Joint Research Center for the year 2016 [2] mentions the difficulty faced in collecting the statistics for the economic and employment data related to this activity in Europe. However, it includes information from the official statistics of the relevant sectors: agriculture, forestry, fishing and fish farming, food processing, drinks, tobacco, the production of textiles of biological origin, the production of wood products and furniture, the production and processing of paper and paper-derived materials, the synthesis of chemical compounds, pharmaceuticals, plastics and gums from biological resources, the production of liquid biofuels, and the generation of electricity.

Taken together, in 2015, these activities employ 18.6 million people in the EU and have an economic value of 2200 M€, which represents around 9% of the total economy of the EU. The agri-food sector accounts for around three-quarters of this employment and two-thirds of the economic value [3, 4]. Using the data from the report, in 2016, the Spanish bioeconomy represented 8.6% of the total economic value of this sector in the EU, and 7.1% of the jobs. Based on the statistical analyses of the Bioeconomy Knowledge Center [3], in 2017, the bioeconomy in Spain generated around 192 M€ and more than 1.3 M jobs. The data are presented in **Table 1**.

According to this same source, the agri-food sector is the most important sector of the Spanish bioeconomy. The agricultural sector comprises around 900,000 farms, representing 2.5% of the GDP; fishing involves more than 5000 companies and almost 9900 boats, representing 0.2% of the GDP, and the food and drink sector comprises almost 28,000 companies, representing 2.7% of the GDP. Forestry (wood, cork, and paper) represents 0.56% of the GDP. In addition, there are 540 companies involved in biotechnology (excluding healthcare) and 170 in the transformation of biomass into energy.

**143**

**Table 1.**

*The Bioeconomy: An Opportunity for the Spanish Economy*

**3. The challenges faced by the bioeconomy**

*The importance of the bioeconomy in Spain in 2015, by sector [3].*

The Joint Research Center has recently published data concerning the biorefineries in the EU, distinguishing them according to their products and the raw materials used [5]. The same authors (Parisi y M'Barek, personal communication) have informed us that their database includes 29 such plants in Spain; of these, 25 produce "bio-based chemicals," 19 produce "liquid biofuels," and four produce "bio-based composites and/or fibers." In relation to the raw materials processed, most of these Spanish biorefineries use resources of agricultural origin. Thus, 10 use the organic fraction of residues, five use biological materials from forests, five use materials of marine origin, and one uses material from short-term pastures and catch-crops.

Total **192.4 1,331,609**

**Sector Value (M€) % Employment (no of people) %** Agriculture 43.8 22.7 678,700 50.9 Fishing and fish farming 2.5 1.3 53,035 4 Foods, drinks, and tobacco 104.9 54.5 351,315 26.4 Biotextiles 8.2 4.2 70,153 5.2 Bioproducts 9.1 4.7 28,921 2.2 Bioelectricity 0 0 0 0 Biofuels 1.88 0.9 3781 0.2 Forestry 0.95 0.5 26,100 1.9 Paper and derivatives 12.5 6.5 40,826 3 Wood and furniture 8.5 4.4 78,778 6

The resources of biological origin have varied uses and are subject to changeable

climatic, market, and political circumstances. In consequence, the bioeconomy faces a set of challenges, summarized in **Figure 1**. All of these were taken into account dur-

In an ever more globalized world, the total worldwide demand will condition the production of foodstuffs, as well as the type of use of agricultural zones, the production systems, and their technologies. For this reason, the *first challenge* that the bioeconomy faces is to produce more food, in a more efficient manner since the availability of resources is limited. On a global scale, the soil available for agricultural purposes is limited. Before, the solution would have been to expand agricultural activities into land occupied by forests or jungles; but, this is no longer an option due to the effect that deforestation would have on the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. Another limiting resource is the availability

The most important usage of biological resources is the feeding of human beings. In the coming decades, the human population of the Earth will reach 9100 million. To feed this population, around 68% more food will be required [6]. In addition to the population rise, it must be borne in mind that economic growth will modify the demand of foodstuffs, with a particular rise in the consumption of products of animal origin [7]. Another factor to consider is the concentration of the

conditions of production and transformation, due to fluctuations in the agro-

ing the development of the Spanish strategy, as described below.

population in cities and the consolidation of large conurbations [8].

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


*The Bioeconomy: An Opportunity for the Spanish Economy DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84917*

#### **Table 1.**

*Elements of Bioeconomy*

**2. The bioeconomy in Spain**

economically active population [1].

formation of biomass into energy.

The Spanish Bioeconomy Strategy defines the bioeconomy as the whole of the economic activities that provide goods and services, and thus generate economic value, through the use, as fundamental elements, of resources of biological origin in an efficient and sustainable manner. As recognized in this Strategy, and in our context, the objective is the production and commercialization of foodstuffs, forest products, bioproducts, and bioenergy, obtained by means of physical, chemical, biochemical, or biological transformations of the organic materials not destined for human or animal consumption. It is implicit that this should involve processes that are respectful of both the environment and the development of rural communities. In this chapter, we analyze the possibilities for the bioeconomy in Spain. We describe the sectors that currently form part of it and the challenges that, from our perspective, it must meet, as well as stressing the need to incorporate technology based on the generation of knowledge and innovation. Then, we focus on the Spanish Bioeconomy Strategy, describing its genesis and the elements essential to it, before finishing with an explanation of the activity of the Spanish Observatory of the Bioeconomy, an instrument vital to the development of the bioeconomy in Spain.

The development of the Spanish Bioeconomy Strategy involved the economic characterization of the sectors that constitute the bioeconomy. It was not an easy task due to the absence of the necessary series of statistical data. This led to the accumulation of data from diverse sources; in some cases, they were obtained directly from the different sectorial administrations and in others from the different economic sectors themselves. Based on this, the bioeconomy in Spain represented 6.5% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015, employing around 9% of the

The report on the bioeconomy in the EU presented by the Joint Research Center for the year 2016 [2] mentions the difficulty faced in collecting the statistics for the economic and employment data related to this activity in Europe. However, it includes information from the official statistics of the relevant sectors: agriculture, forestry, fishing and fish farming, food processing, drinks, tobacco, the production of textiles of biological origin, the production of wood products and furniture, the production and processing of paper and paper-derived materials, the synthesis of chemical compounds, pharmaceuticals, plastics and gums from biological resources, the production of liquid biofuels, and the generation of electricity. Taken together, in 2015, these activities employ 18.6 million people in the EU and have an economic value of 2200 M€, which represents around 9% of the total economy of the EU. The agri-food sector accounts for around three-quarters of this employment and two-thirds of the economic value [3, 4]. Using the data from the report, in 2016, the Spanish bioeconomy represented 8.6% of the total economic value of this sector in the EU, and 7.1% of the jobs. Based on the statistical analyses of the Bioeconomy Knowledge Center [3], in 2017, the bioeconomy in Spain generated around 192 M€ and more than 1.3 M jobs. The data are presented in **Table 1**. According to this same source, the agri-food sector is the most important sector of the Spanish bioeconomy. The agricultural sector comprises around 900,000 farms, representing 2.5% of the GDP; fishing involves more than 5000 companies and almost 9900 boats, representing 0.2% of the GDP, and the food and drink sector comprises almost 28,000 companies, representing 2.7% of the GDP. Forestry (wood, cork, and paper) represents 0.56% of the GDP. In addition, there are 540 companies involved in biotechnology (excluding healthcare) and 170 in the trans-

**142**

*The importance of the bioeconomy in Spain in 2015, by sector [3].*

The Joint Research Center has recently published data concerning the biorefineries in the EU, distinguishing them according to their products and the raw materials used [5]. The same authors (Parisi y M'Barek, personal communication) have informed us that their database includes 29 such plants in Spain; of these, 25 produce "bio-based chemicals," 19 produce "liquid biofuels," and four produce "bio-based composites and/or fibers." In relation to the raw materials processed, most of these Spanish biorefineries use resources of agricultural origin. Thus, 10 use the organic fraction of residues, five use biological materials from forests, five use materials of marine origin, and one uses material from short-term pastures and catch-crops.

### **3. The challenges faced by the bioeconomy**

The resources of biological origin have varied uses and are subject to changeable conditions of production and transformation, due to fluctuations in the agroclimatic, market, and political circumstances. In consequence, the bioeconomy faces a set of challenges, summarized in **Figure 1**. All of these were taken into account during the development of the Spanish strategy, as described below.

The most important usage of biological resources is the feeding of human beings. In the coming decades, the human population of the Earth will reach 9100 million. To feed this population, around 68% more food will be required [6]. In addition to the population rise, it must be borne in mind that economic growth will modify the demand of foodstuffs, with a particular rise in the consumption of products of animal origin [7]. Another factor to consider is the concentration of the population in cities and the consolidation of large conurbations [8].

In an ever more globalized world, the total worldwide demand will condition the production of foodstuffs, as well as the type of use of agricultural zones, the production systems, and their technologies. For this reason, the *first challenge* that the bioeconomy faces is to produce more food, in a more efficient manner since the availability of resources is limited. On a global scale, the soil available for agricultural purposes is limited. Before, the solution would have been to expand agricultural activities into land occupied by forests or jungles; but, this is no longer an option due to the effect that deforestation would have on the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. Another limiting resource is the availability

#### **Figure 1.**

*The five challenges of bioeconomy (own elaboration).*

of high-quality fresh water, for both agriculture and other human uses, especially in zones that currently have a water deficit. However, the efficiency of water use should increase—for instance, due to technological advances in irrigation and plant breeding.

The different groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that there is increasing evidence showing the form and magnitude of the impact of climate change on agricultural production. The majority of the models that have been used to simulate the consequences of increases in the concentrations of greenhouse gases indicate the advancement of a process that combines an increase in mean temperatures, a decline in precipitation, and a greater frequency of extreme meteorological events, such as droughts and floods. These projections have started to become a fact in the Mediterranean Basin, where the mean temperatures have risen, on average, to 1.4°C since the pre-industrial era; this is 0.4°C more than the global mean [9]. According to these authors, under the most favorable scenario, a decrease around 10–30% in the precipitation means that irrigation requirements will rise by 4–22%.

The climate change is the *second major challenge* facing the bioeconomy. Its consequences, with respect to the resources of biological origin, are both physical and legal. The former are that climatic and agricultural systems will need to be adapted through the use of new varieties, modifications in soil and water management, monitoring and control of diseases and infestations, etc. The legal aspects are related to the obligation, enforced by governments, to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases: CO2, CH4, and N2O. Thus far, the production of biological resources, especially in fish-farming, has been considered a diffuse source of these gases and has not been subjected to concrete and individualized regulation in order to reduce emissions. However, the policies being developed, particularly in the EU, may alter this situation, with concrete measures tailored to the individual activities.

The bioeconomy should allow the production systems within it to maintain their output levels under changing agro-climatic conditions, while reducing their emissions. The achievement of these two objectives will be possible only with the development and implementation of the necessary technology.

**145**

*The Bioeconomy: An Opportunity for the Spanish Economy*

a circular economy and an integrated use of all resources.

increase in biodiversity, while also raising food production.

the food consumption is determined by health aspects.

use and conservation of the resources.

with "nonrenewable" materials.

is dependent on the development of the necessary technology.

The *third challenge* is to protect the natural resources. For the systems that produce resources of biological origin, soil and water are essential elements. Also, their activities take place in natural surroundings, often in picturesque locations, that society and governing administrations insist should be protected, to maintain the biodiversity and ecosystems. The new and developing concepts governing the bioeconomy imply that it is necessary to go beyond protection and advance towards

Different authors have focused on these aspects. For example, [10] the need to reduce the environmental impact and, regarding human beings, the need to maintain global levels of food production and the types of diet that can sustain both, mankind and the planet were pointed out. Others [11] modeled the environmental consequences of a reduction of between 25 and 50% in the consumption of products of animal origin in Europe. Other authors [12] discussed a nutritional transition in developed countries, and among the middle class in developing countries, in which the trends in consumption are determined not only by income but also by considerations of health, the environment, and ethics (in relation to animal welfare). The loss of biodiversity is another important aspect pointed out by others [13], who put forward ideas of how to advance economically in parallel with an

This point of view has become widespread in society, especially in Europe, as it was demonstrated in a survey of 2783 consumers in Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and the Netherlands [14]. Of the replies, in 62% of cases, the consumption of foodstuffs was influenced by sustainability; of these, in 31% of cases, the consumption was influenced also by health concerns. Currently, more than 22% of

To overcome this third challenge, it is vital to redesign the systems of production and the chain in which value is added to products. First and foremost, the inputs must be minimized, and the wastes converted into secondary products, so that the whole production and utilization process is sustainable and renewable. Again, this

The *fourth challenge* for the bioeconomy is to guarantee the competitiveness of the economic activities related to biological resources. In free-market economies, companies must maintain their presence in the markets, both internal and external, in a continuous fashion. As a function of the demand, directly from the consumers or mediated by the distribution chains, the producers must control the arrival of their products in the market so that they are able to compete on price and/or novelty. In the case of the bioeconomy in general, in particular for foodstuffs, they must consider the nutritional and health-related properties of their products as well as the environmental sustainability. The completion of this task depends, once again, on technological advances in the systems of production, in relation to the efficient

The *fifth challenge* facing the bioeconomy is to facilitate the transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to one based on the use of renewable resources. The use of petroleum derivatives in economic activities leaves an important environmental footprint, in terms of CO2. Resources of biological origin could form the basis for the synthesis of any of these derivatives. Currently, petroleum derivatives are more competitive in terms of price, due to differences in production costs. Notwithstanding, the development of the appropriate technology and the fragmentation of the market could allow bioproducts—biofuels or bioenergy—to compete

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [15, 16] has, on numerous occasions, underlined the potential of the bioeconomy to overcome the challenges described here and to stimulate the development of new economic

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

#### *The Bioeconomy: An Opportunity for the Spanish Economy DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84917*

*Elements of Bioeconomy*

plant breeding.

**Figure 1.**

requirements will rise by 4–22%.

*The five challenges of bioeconomy (own elaboration).*

of high-quality fresh water, for both agriculture and other human uses, especially in zones that currently have a water deficit. However, the efficiency of water use should increase—for instance, due to technological advances in irrigation and

The different groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that there is increasing evidence showing the form and magnitude of the impact of climate change on agricultural production. The majority of the models that have been used to simulate the consequences of increases in the concentrations of greenhouse gases indicate the advancement of a process that combines an increase in mean temperatures, a decline in precipitation, and a greater frequency of extreme meteorological events, such as droughts and floods. These projections have started to become a fact in the Mediterranean Basin, where the mean temperatures have risen, on average, to 1.4°C since the pre-industrial era; this is 0.4°C more than the global mean [9]. According to these authors, under the most favorable scenario, a decrease around 10–30% in the precipitation means that irrigation

The climate change is the *second major challenge* facing the bioeconomy. Its consequences, with respect to the resources of biological origin, are both physical and legal. The former are that climatic and agricultural systems will need to be adapted through the use of new varieties, modifications in soil and water management, monitoring and control of diseases and infestations, etc. The legal aspects are related to the obligation, enforced by governments, to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases: CO2, CH4, and N2O. Thus far, the production of biological resources, especially in fish-farming, has been considered a diffuse source of these gases and has not been subjected to concrete and individualized regulation in order to reduce emissions. However, the policies being developed, particularly in the EU, may alter

this situation, with concrete measures tailored to the individual activities.

development and implementation of the necessary technology.

The bioeconomy should allow the production systems within it to maintain their output levels under changing agro-climatic conditions, while reducing their emissions. The achievement of these two objectives will be possible only with the

**144**

The *third challenge* is to protect the natural resources. For the systems that produce resources of biological origin, soil and water are essential elements. Also, their activities take place in natural surroundings, often in picturesque locations, that society and governing administrations insist should be protected, to maintain the biodiversity and ecosystems. The new and developing concepts governing the bioeconomy imply that it is necessary to go beyond protection and advance towards a circular economy and an integrated use of all resources.

Different authors have focused on these aspects. For example, [10] the need to reduce the environmental impact and, regarding human beings, the need to maintain global levels of food production and the types of diet that can sustain both, mankind and the planet were pointed out. Others [11] modeled the environmental consequences of a reduction of between 25 and 50% in the consumption of products of animal origin in Europe. Other authors [12] discussed a nutritional transition in developed countries, and among the middle class in developing countries, in which the trends in consumption are determined not only by income but also by considerations of health, the environment, and ethics (in relation to animal welfare). The loss of biodiversity is another important aspect pointed out by others [13], who put forward ideas of how to advance economically in parallel with an increase in biodiversity, while also raising food production.

This point of view has become widespread in society, especially in Europe, as it was demonstrated in a survey of 2783 consumers in Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and the Netherlands [14]. Of the replies, in 62% of cases, the consumption of foodstuffs was influenced by sustainability; of these, in 31% of cases, the consumption was influenced also by health concerns. Currently, more than 22% of the food consumption is determined by health aspects.

To overcome this third challenge, it is vital to redesign the systems of production and the chain in which value is added to products. First and foremost, the inputs must be minimized, and the wastes converted into secondary products, so that the whole production and utilization process is sustainable and renewable. Again, this is dependent on the development of the necessary technology.

The *fourth challenge* for the bioeconomy is to guarantee the competitiveness of the economic activities related to biological resources. In free-market economies, companies must maintain their presence in the markets, both internal and external, in a continuous fashion. As a function of the demand, directly from the consumers or mediated by the distribution chains, the producers must control the arrival of their products in the market so that they are able to compete on price and/or novelty. In the case of the bioeconomy in general, in particular for foodstuffs, they must consider the nutritional and health-related properties of their products as well as the environmental sustainability. The completion of this task depends, once again, on technological advances in the systems of production, in relation to the efficient use and conservation of the resources.

The *fifth challenge* facing the bioeconomy is to facilitate the transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to one based on the use of renewable resources. The use of petroleum derivatives in economic activities leaves an important environmental footprint, in terms of CO2. Resources of biological origin could form the basis for the synthesis of any of these derivatives. Currently, petroleum derivatives are more competitive in terms of price, due to differences in production costs. Notwithstanding, the development of the appropriate technology and the fragmentation of the market could allow bioproducts—biofuels or bioenergy—to compete with "nonrenewable" materials.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [15, 16] has, on numerous occasions, underlined the potential of the bioeconomy to overcome the challenges described here and to stimulate the development of new economic
