Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
products, developing an informed consumer base is an important task for the
renewable chemical industry.
8.9 Concluding Remarks
The previous section has demonstrated that in Europe, with the exception of the
energy sector, there is no direct incentive promoting the use of biobased products
including biobased chemicals and materials. Given the sheer complexity and scale
of the chemicals sector, this should not be surprising. Policymakers have used
what limited tools are available to encourage development, however; support for
development of a bioeconomy is strong and, where possible, monies and support
is targeted.
Most development in the biobased chemical and materials sector to date has
had to rely on exploitation of technical advantages in niche sector opportunities.
Opportunities still exist in these sectors for expansion and growth, for example in
biobased polymers. Outside of the traditional oleochemicals and starch industries,
much of the biobased chemicals industry is still in its infancy; for example, the
number of world-scale biobased polymer production facilities is limited to a
handful of developments.
Other levers would help. In the EU, the Ad-Hoc Advisory Group within the
Lead Management Initiative for biobased products has called for measures that
included a call to set indicative or binding targets for biobased content in products.
To date this idea has gained little traction within the EC and seems unlikely to be
supported widely. The demand drivers for biobased materials will therefore
continue to be opportunities that arise across a wide range of sectors, driven by
environmental policy initiatives encouraging reduced waste, increased material
recycling rates, reduced energy use and reduced environmental impacts of materi-
als in production and use.
Consumer education is also required to build recognition of the value of
biobased chemicals and resulting products, but also in building confidence in the
labels and logos used to promote such materials when faced with an array of
competing choices.
Continued innovation and research will also be a key requisite, along with
investment support for scaled-up facilities. Separate measures will also be required
to encourage and develop the skilled technologists and practitioners that are
required to deliver biobased technologies.
There remain key issues to address regarding the sustainability of feedstocks.
Policymakers will hesitate to introduce or maintain strong supportive measures
for the bioeconomy if there is a lack of social acceptance or direct public opposition
for the expanding use of biobased resources over fears that this will impinge on
food security. The move to utilise non-food cellulosic biomass rather than starch
and sugar food crops as material sources should help allay such fears. Public
concern also remains over the role that biotechnology may play in developing
