8 April 2025: Webinar: Digital Solutions for a Bio-Based Future – Empowering Industry and Consumers
Digital innovation can play a crucial role in strengthening the competitiveness of bio-based feedstocks and products in the European bioeconomy. By providing consumers and industry with essential information on sustainability and circularity criteria of bio-based products and their value chains, digital solutions and tools improve the tracking and traceability of biological feedstocks from their origin to a final product. These digital tools offer valuable insights into a wide range of sustainability criteria, e.g., climate impacts, environmental effects on soil, water and air quality and technical performance. By covering these key areas, digital tools enable a holistic understanding of the sustainability performance of bio-based products and processes throughout their lifecycle.
Digital solutions are also instrumental in the realm of Labels and Certification Schemes (LCS) for bio-based products. These digital tools provide essential information on trustworthy eco-labels and clarify requirements for concise certifications of bio-based value chains. This capability is particularly valuable in promoting transparency and boosting consumer confidence in bio-based products. By offering clear insights into eco-label standards and certification processes, these digital tools empower both consumers and industry stakeholders to make informed decisions, ultimately fostering greater trust in the bio-based sector.
Building upon these capabilities, artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies offer a unique advantage in this context. These tools are designed to continuously learn from user and developer input, enabling them to analyse and pass on current and real-time data on raw material flows, value chain information, and the sustainability of bio-based products.
Digital solutions are set to boost the European bioeconomy by providing critical information on feedstock tracking, sustainability, and certification for bio-based products.
To showcase these advances, a free webinar hosted by Horizon Europe projects 3-CO and BioReCer will introduce several innovative digital tools.
Scheduled for April 8, 2025, from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM CET, the event offers an excellent opportunity to understand the future of digital technologies in the bioeconomy. Four tools developed by EU-funded projects will be presented and made available to users in the near future.
- Loha Hashimi and Armand Carreras from ENIDE will present the consumer-based digital solutions developed within the project 3-CO that provides information on eco-labels and certification of bio-based products from different categories in order to support sustainable consumption.
- The BiobasedCert Cluster consists of the three EU-funded projects Star4bbs, HARMONITOR and Sustcert4Biobased. Luana Ladu from TU Berlin will present an app that assesses the robustness, comprehensiveness and effectiveness of existing certification schemes and labels for bio-based value chains.
- David Nettleton and Poojan Timilsina from IRIS Technology will present the BIORADAR project’s digital self-assessment tool that assesses the performance of industrial bio-based systems, aiding relevant stakeholders in informed decision-making.
- Romain Magnani from EGM will present the BioReCer ICT tool (BIT), an automated assessment tool that collects and transmits real-time data on the environmental performance of bio-based value chains promoting environmentally conscious decisions and sustainable practices in the bioeconomy.
25 February 2025: Webinar: Certification in Bio-Based Construction
The construction sector is one of the most significant contributors to global CO₂ emissions, accounting for approximately 37 % of energy- and processing-related carbon dioxide emissions worldwide (UNEP, 2022). As the industry seeks to reduce its environmental impact, bio-based materials are emerging as a promising solution for more sustainable construction sector. Certification plays a critical role in this transformation, providing a robust framework for validating the sustainability, performance, and environmental credentials of these innovative bio-based materials.
This informative event, scheduled for 25 February 2025, from 13:00 to 14:30 CEST, will present bio-based materials and their diverse applications. The webinar will cover crucial aspects of sustainable construction, including:
- The importance of certification for bio-based products,
- Sustainable building design, conception, and planning,
- Material recommendations,
- Building passports as tools for capturing and communicating building data, material composition, and environmental performance,
- Circularity indicators and their role in assessing a building’s sustainability, including the new ISO 59040 standard for Product Circularity Data Sheets, which emphasises circular concepts such as design for disassembly.
- Different assessment methods for sustainability of buildings and for constructions, including the Quality Seal for Sustainable Buildings (QNG), e.g., CO2-footprint for buildings.
The webinar brings together a distinguished panel of experts from a certification body, a specialised agency for regrowing resources, and an innovative material producer:
- Hein van Tuijl (EPEA Benelux)
- Martin Behrens (Specialised Agency for Regrowing Resources (FNR))
- Sergiy Kovalenkov (CEO and Founder of Hempire)
Past Events
13 December 2024: Webinar: Labels and certification for bio-based products: Counteracting greenwashing and increasing consumer trust
The second episode of the certification webinar series by the Horizon Europe projects BioReCer and 3-CO will tackle two intertwined topics:
DIN CERTCO will give an introduction into certification in general and especially bio-based certification. Both bio-based and general certifications play a vital role in fostering innovation, ensuring product integrity. Furthermore, bio-based certification is a crucial process that verifies the bio-based carbon content of products and materials. Here, certification promotes the use of renewable resources and provides transparency and trust for consumers and businesses.
The presentation by ECOS picks up on labelling and certification schemes for bio-based products, and will present the variables determining consumer trust and thus shaping consumer behaviour. These variables include sustainability criteria, label design, the level of familiarity with labels by consumers and much more.
The 3-CO and BioReCer team kindly welcomes the following speakers:
– Berit Topolinski (DIN CERTCO, the certification body of TÜV Rheinland Group)
– Margaux Le Gallou (ECOS – Environmental Coalition on Standards)
27 November 2024: 2nd Annual Stakeholders Meeting
To keep up to date, make sure to also register as BRSP member and to subscribe to our newsletter!
The agenda and the content of the event will follow soon! Stay tuned: we will not only present the latest BioReCer results but will also elaborate on NOVA’s Biomass Utilisation Factor and its application.
26-27 November 2024: EGM will present BioReCer at the Pollutec Paris
EGM (the leader of BioReCer’s WP5) is going to exhibit their technical progress on BioReCer at Pollutec Paris on 26 – 27 November. More information on the event can be found here
More events coming soon! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter, please also follow our hashtag #BioReCer or participate in our LinkedIn group
8 November 2024 (10-13:00 CET): UNI presents a workshop at ECOMONDO in Rimini, Italy
At Ecomondo, UNI is organising a workshop – dedicated to the sustainability of bio-based products – as part of the European project BioReCer. Also this year UNI is taking part in Ecomondo, the reference fair for professionals in the green and circular economy sectors, which will be held in Rimini from 5 to 8 November. In line with the philosophy of the trade fair, which aims to be a meeting point between industry, stakeholders, policy makers, opinion leaders, the world of research and institutions, UNI will present the workshop ‘Advancing Sustainability in Bio-Based Products: insights and new tools from three European research projects’ organised within the framework of the European project BioReCer.
Read more on the workshop here (Italian): https://www.uni.com/uni-ad-ecomondo-sostenibilita-e-sinergia-nella-filiera-dei-prodotti-bio-based/
5 November 2024: Webinar: Potential and challenges of certification and development of new labels
Are you a member of the (bio-based) industry, a label and certification schemes holder, a policy maker or part of a consumer association? Then participate in the first joined webinar by the Horizon Europe projects 3-CO and BioReCer on November 5th 2024, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm (CET). The webinar will address the vital topic of new certifications and labels for the renewable, and especially bio-based, economy.
Certification and labelling play a crucial role in empowering consumers to make informed and sustainable purchasing decisions by impeding greenwashing and instead providing credible and reliable sustainability information. Furthermore, they facilitate the tracking and traceability of biological and other renewable feedstock throughout value chains, fostering transparency and accountability among stakeholders of the industry. However, there are a lot of challenges for current certification and labelling schemes, since they are often not sufficiently laid-out for bio-based and other renewable products and their value-chains.
In this webinar, REDcert and TÜV AUSTRIA will show their sytems for sustainability certification and will present new or soon to be published label and certification schemes (LCS) that are relevant for the bio-based economy. The speakers will talk about challenges on the way to the final label, and which gaps will be closed.
Join us on November the 5th and listen to the two presentations by REDcert and TÜV AUSTRIA. Together, we will explore their innovative new LCS that will support shaping a strong circular EU (bio)economy.
Speakers:
- Phillipe Dewolfs (TÜV AUSTRIA): From standardisation to communication – the role of a certification body
- Simon Schwarzwald (REDcert): Certification of sustainable products in the REDcert² scheme
15 October 2024: RI.SE presents BioReCer at Nordic Wood Biorefinery Conference (NWBC)
RI.SE will present BioReCer at the Nordic Wood Biorefinery Conference (NWBC) in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden on 15th October 2024.
This conference presents the latest discoveries and innovations in bio-based materials, chemicals, and products from biorefineries.
3 to 4 October 2024: Cluster Spring presents BioReCer and BioINSouth at IFIB 2024 in Bologna, Italy
Every year, Spring Cluster organises the International Forum for Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy (IFIB), which – as one of the most important events of the bioeconomy in Europe and the most important forum in Italy – is supported by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA). IFIB is a two-day event of B2B meetings and presentations of industrial projects in the field of the circular bioeconomy.
Director Mario Bonaccorso and Leonardo Gaiani acted as representatives of Cluster Spring at IFIB 2024. BioReCer and its related project BioINSouth were presented in a joint project booth.
2 October 2024: Italian Stakeholder Meeting
The BioReCer team invites all stakeholders to join us for the next BioReCer stakeholder meeting in Milan, Italy and online. Participants can expect comprehensive insights into certification indicators for bio-based feedstocks and catch a first climpse into the digital support tools developed in the BioReCer project.
25 September 2024: UNI at Sustainable Places in Luxembourg
Elena Mocchio from UNI will participate in the 12th annual edition of Sustainable Places (SP2024). This year, the important event for R&I projects has a focus on bio-based materials in the emerging circular economy.
On September 25th, Elena will present BioReCer and especially the mapping activity and the standardisation toolkit developed within WP4, and the pathway towards the development of a future new standardisation document (CWA).
4 July 2024: Virtual talk for stakeholders in the cork sector (in Spanish with English subtitles)
BETANIA/Euradia organises a virtual talk aimed at informing producers and consumers of the bioindustry in the cork sector about the BioReCer project.
Get involved in the decision-making that affects you!
Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity. Write us to register: [email protected]
24 May 2024; 3:35 pm: BioReCer in a Spanish Radio Talk Show!
*Only in Spanish*
Listen to BioReCer on the radio! In a 20 min talk show format organised by EURADIA/BETANIA, Cetaqua, Anfaco and Unitelma will explain BioReCer to the general public:
CETAQUA: Will explain what the project consists of and its advantages.
ANFACO: Will comment on the case studies they are working on.
UNITELMA: Will explain the importance of stakeholders in the project and how to be part of it.
Find the synchronised broadcast here
07 June 2024; 11 am to 12:30 pm (CET): BioReCer at the first 3-CO webinar “Six pathways to smart certification of bio-based systems”
Certification and labelling play a crucial role in empowering consumers to make informed and sustainable purchasing decisions by impeding greenwashing and instead providing credible and reliable sustainability information. Furthermore, they facilitate the tracking and traceability of biological feedstock throughout value chains, fostering transparency and accountability among stakeholders of the bio-based industry. However, there are a lot of challenges for current certification and labelling schemes, since they are often not sufficiently laid-out for bio-based products and their value-chains, and that they do not reflect the environmental and sustainability benefits.
Following different calls of the European Commission several Horizon Europe projects are currently tackling the issue of certification and labelling by taking into account current political and societal developments. The projects’ diverse approaches encompass assessment, monitoring, and validation of bio-based case studies, defining sustainability indicators, formulating guidelines for certification and labelling schemes, offering policy recommendations, and developing innovative digital tools to provide information on bio-based value chains to consumers or industry stakeholders.
Join us on June 7th and listen to pitches from six HORIZON Europe projects: 3-CO, BioReCer, HARMONITOR, Star4bbs, SUSTRACK, and Sustcert4Biobased. Together, we’ll explore their innovative approaches, recent advancements and latest results that pave the way for shaping a strong circular EU bioeconomy.
13 June 2024; 9:30 am to 3 pm: Certifying the sustainability of Biological Resources in the Forest Industry: A multi-stakeholder perspectivet
Please note that you need to be a participant of the project’s BioResources Stakeholders Platform (BRSP). You can register for the BRSP here
24 May 2024: BioReCer on a Radio Show organised by BETANIA/Euradia
In a 20 min talk show format organised by EURADIA/BETANIA, Cetaqua, Anfaco and Unitelma will explain BioReCer to the general public.
- CETAQUA explains what the project consists of and its advantages.
- ANFACO comments on the case studies they are working on.
- UNITELMA explains the importance of stakeholders in the project and how to be part of it.
16 May 2024; 9 am: Online event: Unitelma Sapienza at Festival dello Sviluppo Sostenibile
Unitelma Sapienza will be present at Festival dello Sviluppo Sostenibile with the conference “Making the transition to a sustainable and circular bioeconomy”
📅 Date: 17.05.2024
🕒 Time: 9.00 am
📍 Location: Unitelma Sapienza sala Conferenze (Room 108 – first floor) or ONLINE at the following link
28 February 2024; 5 pm: RI.SE presented BioReCer at the MWC24 in Barcelona
Isabel Burdallo from RI.SE, the leader of case study 4 (forestry), is going to present BioReCer at MWC24 in Barcelona on Wednesday, 28 February, 5 pm in Hall 6, Mobile World Capital Barcelona Stand 6B31.
More information on the event can be found here
12–13 December 2023: BioReCer and 3-CO at the European BioPlastics Conference 2023, in Berlin, Germany.
Meet the BioReCer Team at the European Bioplastics Conference in Berlin, one of Europe’s leading events in the field of bio-based materials. We will be presenting the projects objectives at Booth 10 and excited to meet key-players of the European bio-economy from science and industry.
More on the European BioPlastics Conference
14th December 2023 – online, 15.00 to 17.00 (CET)– TRAINING ON STANDARDS AND R&I PROJECTS: HOW TO SUPPORT THE BIO-BASED INDUSTRIES
Don’t miss this free-of-charge online training by UNI Italian Standardisation Body in cooperation with BioReCer’s related project Star4bbs! The aim of this training is to shed light on the standardisation world: how it works, which are the main actors, and how it links with certification. The training will also highlight how organisations can transform R&I results into a fast-track standardisation document, the CEN Workshop Agreement – CWA. Finally, this training will explore standardisation outcomes from Star4bbs, BioReCer and Bioradar, and will disseminate objectives and intermediate results to companies, research institutions and standardisation experts.
REGISTER HERE to receive the programme of the training and the link to join.
For more information please contact Cristina Di Maria
5-8 November 2023 – BioReCer at the Ecomondo Exhibition in Rimini, Italy
Elena Mocchio from UNI presented BioReCer in the plenary session of the Biowaste: XXV Conference on Composting and Anaerobic Digestion accompanying the Ecomondo Exhibition. The title of her talk was: La prassi UNI per l’esecuzione delle analisi merceologiche.
13 November 2023 – 15:00-17:00 (CET) Annual Stakeholder Meeting (online)
The BioReCer (Biological Resources Certifications Schemes) project aims to assess and complement current certification schemes for biological resources according to the new EU sustainability goals to enhance bio-based circular systems.
This will be achieved by including new criteria that align with EU taxonomy and EU corporate due diligence regulations into guidelines for certifying biological resources’ sustainability, origin, tracking and traceability (T&T), and by ensuring applicability at EU and global scale.
The project includes the BioResources Stakeholders Platform (BRSP) where key players and interested parties can exchange informartion and develop suitable solutions. This annual meeting will inform stakeholders about the recent project achievements and future plans, and you are kindly invited to join the conversation.
23 October 2023 – 12:00 to 14:00 (EET) Stakeholder Event in Greece
In person meeting in Thessaloniki! Are you interested in material flow analysis (MFA) and management of waste streams of the four different case studies? Are you curious about the outcomes and decision making process of BioReCer’s focus group discussions? Do you want to discuss sustainability/circularity indicators? Then be part of this interesting meeting as a Greek stakeholder.
07 June 2023 – 11 am (CET) *IN ITALIAN!*
Focus group discussion for case study 2 (urban waste(water))! The aim of the focus group meeting is to collect qualitative data about your opinions on e.g. potential barriers for the use of products based on municipal waster, what opportunities/advantages you, as stakeholders, see, and the role of policy makers.
Please register as a stakeholder of BioReCer. Sign up here
After registering as stakeholder please contact Annarita Colasante ([email protected]) to receive the link to the meeting!
25 May 2023 – 9-10 am (CET)
Second possibility to join the first focus group discussion for case study 4 (forest industry)! The aim of the focus group meeting is to collect qualitative data about your opinions on e.g. potential barriers for the use of products based on secondary feedstock, what opportunities/advantages you, as stakeholders, see, and the role of policy makers.
Please note that you need to be a stakeholder of BioReCer to attend. Please sign up here
On the 25th of May you can enter the Teams meeting here
Meeting ID: 317 045 122 30
Password: chUYKd
Or call in (audio only): +46 8 505 323 41,,939177436#
Conference ID: 939 177 436#
24 May 2023 – 12 am (CET)
First focus group discussion for case study 4 (forest industry)! The aim of the focus group meeting is to collect qualitative data about your opinions on e.g. potential barriers for the use of products based on secondary feedstock, what opportunities/advantages you, as stakeholders, see, and the role of policy makers.
Please note that you need to be a stakeholder of BioReCer to attend. Please sign up here
On the 24th of May you can enter the Teams meeting here
Meeting ID: 317 045 122 30
Password: chUYKd
Or call in (audio only): +46 8 505 323 41,,939177436#
Conference ID: 939 177 436#
11 May 2023
First focus group discussion for case study 1 (fish cannery and wastewater)! The aim of the focus group meeting is to collect qualitative data about your opinions on e.g. potential barriers for the use of products based on secondary feedstock, what opportunities/advantages you, as stakeholders, see, and the role of policy makers.
Please note that you need to be a stakeholder of BioReCer to attend. Please sign up here