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.
5 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.
The webinar covers 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 certification bodies, public ministries, and innovative producers:
- Martin Behrens (Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR))
- Sergiy Kovalenkov (CEO and Founder of Hempire)
- Hein van Tuijl (EPEA Benelux)
13 December 2024: Webinar: Labels and certification for bio-based products: Counteracting greenwashing and increasing consumer trust
This second episode delves into variables determining consumer trust and thus shaping consumer behaviour when it comes to labelling and certification schemes for bio-based products. These include sustainability criteria, label design, familiarity and many more.
The 3-CO and BioReCer team kindly welcome speakers:
- Berit Topolinski (DIN CERTCO Gesellschaft für Konformitätsbewertung) – Insight Into Voluntary Product Certification and Biobased Certification
- Margaux Le Gallou (ECOS – Environmental Coalition on Standards) – Concise Consumer Communication through Robust Labels for Bio-based Systems
- Recording
27 November 2024: Annual Stakeholder Meeting: Advancing Bio-based Products Certification: A collaborative path towards sustainability
In the annual online meeting 2024, the recent developments and latest results from BioReCer were presented to an audience of BRSP members and further interested stakeholders.
Speakers:
- Daniela Quaggia (Active Citizenship Network, moderator)
- Lucia Gonzales-Monjardin (CETAQUA)
- Federica Fugaroli (UNI)
- Nadja Wulff (nova-Institute)
- Alessandro Cascavilla (UNITELMA)
- Anke Schwarzenberger (nova-Institute)
5 November 2024: Webinar: Potential and challenges of certification and development of new labels
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.
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
- Recording
07 June 2024: BioReCer at the first 3-CO webinar “Six pathways to smart certification of bio-based systems”
- Maarit Haltunen – Concise Consumer Communication through Robust Labels for Biobased Systems – The 3-CO Project Overview
- Pedro Villanueva – The BioReCer Project
- Gülsah Yilan – SUSTRACK: Supporting the Identification of Policy Priorities and Recommendations for Designing a Sustainable Track Towards Circular Bio-Based Systems
- Costanza Rossi, Luana Ladu, Iris Vural Gürsel – BiobasedCert Cluster
- Recording
24 May 2024: BioReCer on the Radio
In a 20 min talk show format organised by EURADIA/BETANIA, Cetaqua, Anfaco and Unitelma explained BioReCer to the general public.
- CETAQUA explained what the project consists of and its advantages.
- ANFACO commented on the case studies they are working on.
- UNITELMA explained the importance of stakeholders in the project and how to be part of it.
Find below the English synchronisation:
13 November 2023: Annual Stakeholder Meeting
In the annual online meeting 2023, the recent developments and latest results from BioReCer were presented to an audience of BRSP members and further interested stakeholders.
Speakers:
- Daniela Quaggia (Active Citizenship Network, moderator)
- Pedro Villanueva-Rey (CETAQUA)
- Eliza Nika (Brunel University)
- Nicolas Hark (nova-Institute)
- Anke Schwarzenberger (nova-Institute, moderator of the Q&A session)