Supportive Regulations and Standards to Encourage a Level Playing Field for the Bio-based Economy

A favourable regulatory and standardization framework is a prerequisite for establishing a cutting-edge bio-based economy in Europe. This article presents an overview of existing regulatory and standardization barriers that are hampering the market uptake of bio-based products. Among others, they include: i) the lack of a level playing field vis-à-vis biofuels and fossil-based products; ii) the lack of generally accepted end-of-life routes for bio-based products; and iii) the existence of standards designed for fossil-based materials that do not match market practises. Based on the results of a 2-round Delphi survey, proposals are formed to overcome the identified barriers. These solutions are thereafter verified by stakeholders through additional interviews and a workshop. Finally, recommendations were drafted to update the current regulatory and standardization framework. More specifically, the adoption of relevant principles for the cascading use of biomassthe use of alternative innovative feedstock (e.g. waste) and the update of existing standards (e.g. compostability) are proposed.