Will using crops for plastics increase global food waste?
Using food and feed crops for non-food applications, such as bio-based plastics, does not increase food insecurity when grown under sustainable cultivation conditions . These crops have high land-use efficiency and produce valuable co-products for the food and feed markets . The biggest contributor to food insecurity is actually food waste, which reached 1.05 billion tonnes (19% of consumer-available food) globally in 2022 .
How does switching to plant-based products help combat climate change?
Switching to plant-based (biomass-derived) products helps combat climate change by offering a renewable and sustainable alternative to conventional fossil-based raw materials, supporting the transition toward industrial climate neutrality . Responsibly sourced biomass delivers genuine, verifiable greenhouse gas reduction benefits across its complete lifecycle . Specifically, products manufactured from sustainable bio-based feedstocks can achieve a lower overall carbon footprint than the equivalent products made from fossil fuels . Furthermore, certain sustainable agricultural practices can reduce emissions or capture carbon to act as carbon sinks, which is verified by carefully accounting for the uptake and eventual release of biogenic carbon across the product’s life .
Can we make everyday chemicals without destroying our protected forests?
Yes, we can. To protect our forests, the proposed sustainability framework bans sourcing agricultural raw materials from primary forests, nature protection areas, or any land that has been deforested since January 2008. For forest-derived materials, harvesting must strictly follow sustainable management principles. This requires legally harvesting wood, regenerating harvested areas, protecting soil quality and biodiversity, and completely avoiding the degradation of old-growth forests or their conversion into plantations. Compliance is guaranteed by utilizing established, credible certification systems, such as FSC and PEFC, which are strictly verified by independent, third-party auditors.
Why must chemicals meet the same green standards as green energy?
Chemicals must align with the same green standards established for bioenergy to ensure a coherent, unified approach that guarantees biomass is sourced and used sustainably across all value chains . Currently, robust sustainability rules exist for bioenergy, but the lack of a comparable, harmonized framework for chemicals and materials creates regulatory fragmentation, operator uncertainty, and barriers to investment . Establishing consistent, shared standards safeguards environmental integrity, ensures that chemical value chains deliver genuine and verifiable greenhouse gas reduction benefits , and provides the operational certainty needed to unlock investments in Europe’s bioeconomy .
Will mandatory biomass targets finally kickstart Europe’s industrial bioeconomy?
Yes, mandatory biomass targets—specifically binding, product-level biomass-derived content mandates—are designed to act as powerful “market-pull” measures that can finally kickstart Europe’s industrial bioeconomy. Currently, the transition is held back because the lack of a harmonized sustainability framework for chemicals and materials creates regulatory fragmentation and severe uncertainty for operators, which directly blocks investment. By tying mandatory content targets to a clear, EU-wide sustainability framework, Europe can establish the regulatory clarity and operational consistency that businesses need to make long-term financial commitments. This combination of guaranteed market demand and reliable standards will unlock new opportunities for the industrial transition, encourage investment, and successfully scale up sustainable value chains.
How do we fairly measure a chemical’s climate impact against oil?
To fairly measure a chemical’s climate impact against fossil equivalents like oil, we must conduct a robust, lifecycle-based evaluation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions . This comparison should be executed using internationally recognized standards, such as ISO 14067:2018, or a robust regional framework like the European Union’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) . The chosen methodology must employ a “-1/+1 approach” to accurately and transparently account for both the uptake and eventual release of biogenic carbon . Additionally, the assessment must be carefully designed to ensure there is no double counting, over- or under-estimation of emissions, or shifting of environmental burdens . Finally, the calculated lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of the biomass-derived product must be verified by an independent third party to guarantee that they are lower than those of the equivalent product manufactured from fossil feedstock .
Source institutions：European Chemical Industry Council
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