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The bioeconomy’s global expansion
By Joachim von Braun
Bioeconomy is specifically defined in the respective countries’ contexts. One broad and general definition states that the bioeconomy involves producing, utilising and regenerating biological resources, and integrating scientific innovation to drive sustainability across sectors. Its dynamic nature adapts to evolving economic and ecological challenges.
The global trend towards bioeconomy
A surprisingly fast adoption of bioeconomy strategies has happened on a global scale in the last ten years. More than 60 countries have launched bioeconomy strategies, and many of them are not just strategies in words, but are concrete and have a significant funding base (see map). Furthermore, local bioeconomy strategies are being defined and implemented at province levels. This trend – so far not sufficiently taken notice of by development policy and development-oriented civil society organisations – is also embraced by emerging economies in Africa, Latin America and Asia.
Noteworthy policy trends in recent years include that nations increasingly recognise the bioeconomy as a cornerstone of sustainability. Emerging economies, in particular, emphasise adapting technologies to local needs to address economic and social challenges. Moreover, the bioeconomy is seen more and more as a key enabler and solution provider to global sustainability challenges across various sectors and dimensions of society. Developing and emerging economy countries are increasingly engaged and, through their bioeconomy strategies, seek to adapt existing technologies (for example, biorefineries) to local conditions.
In many bioeconomy strategies, international and multilateral cooperation is seen as a key building block. Consequently, multilateral organisations have intensified their engagement in, and for, bioeconomy. Under India’s lead in 2023, the Group of Twenty (G20) drew attention to the bioeconomy and, in 2024, Brazil put the bioeconomy even more prominently on the Group of Twenty (G20) agenda. And the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) included bioeconomy in its most recent science strategy.
That bioeconomy has been moving south is indicated by the most recent Global Bioeconomy Summit, which was held in Nairobi, Kenya, in October 2024. For the first time, it had convened not in Germany but in Africa.
Recent bioeconomy strategies and policies focus on enhancing economic, environmental and social objectives while addressing the Paris climate change goals and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs need to be revisited in order to actually achieve them within an ambitious but realistic time horizon. In particular, the goals of ending extreme poverty (SDG1) and hunger (SDG2) by 2030 have moved out of reach. Combining a sustainable income growth agenda with humanitarian action calls for investment in resilience.
The governmental documents of the strategies converge on fundamental objectives to be achieved through bioeconomy expansion, i.e. contributing to climate neutrality, food and nutrition security, improved health, economic growth and other objectives aligned with sustainable development. Bioeconomy policies promote advanced circularity models that emphasise resource optimisation, recycling, use of waste and side streams and sustainable consumption, as well as an increase in biomass productivity for example, in agriculture, forestry and the blue bioeconomy. These initiatives are being driven by biotechnology and innovative manufacturing technologies. Moreover, strategies emphasise the need for a (re-)skilled workforce in the emerging and innovative bioeconomy sectors and a growing science focus in bioeconomy strategies.
Germany’s up and down and mixed progress in bioeconomy
Germany started with a strong and innovative bioeconomy strategy in 2010 which many other countries saw as a role model. It met with interest at the Bioeconomy Summits held in Berlin in 2015, 2018 and 2020. While important bioeconomy initiatives were launched at Federal State level in Germany, in particular in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt and North Rhine-Westphalia, the Federal-level public investment and actions for bioeconomy by the Ministry of Education and Research were stagnating or even declining in recent years. Some noteworthy initiatives were taken only by the Ministry of Agriculture, while the Ministries for the Environment and for Economic Cooperation and Development as well as an erstwhile Inter-Ministerial Working Group became silent. Policy priorities had shifted to a more narrowly defined renewable energy strategy, and sceptical perspectives towards bioeconomy prevailed among parts of NGOs, viewing the strategy as too science and growth-oriented.
At the same time, a bioeconomy strategy remained high on the European Commission’s agenda. Recently, the attention bioeconomy originally enjoyed has returned in Federal German policy, as indicated by the 2025 Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) in Berlin, with the umbrella theme of Bioeconomy. However, the just released Coalition Agreement of the emerging new Federal Government mentions Bioeconomy only in passing as part of “Modern Agriculture”, neglecting the bioeconomy’s strategic innovation opportunities.
Diversity in the bioeconomy
Bioeconomy is very diverse among and within the Global South and North. This diversity is helpful for nature-based solutions. Many high-income economies (“Global North”) have identified bioeconomy as key for sustainability and environmental health, whereas emerging economies (“Global South”) value bioeconomy as key for providing economic growth and jobs, food, health and environmental security. In the end, both the Global North and the Global South need to aspire to an economy that relinquishes dependence on fossil fuels.
Job creation through value addition to primary produce and linking farmers to value chains and new markets are key objectives in bioeconomy strategies in Eastern Africa. Biodiversity and ecosystem services are emphasised in bioeconomy strategies in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. Notably, Brazil has developed a new perspective with the "socio-biodiversity bioeconomy" as part of the forest-based bioeconomy and the protection of the Amazon as well as the provision of economic and social support to local communities.
One notable trend is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into all areas of the Bioeconomy, with a particular focus on microbiology, enzymology and synthetic biology, leading to the emergence of innovative forms of biotechnology, bioengineering and biomanufacturing. Advancements in agricultural biotechnology-driven productivity appear to play a more prominent role in the new strategies of China and the USA, while the strategies within the European Union (EU) place comparatively more emphasis on the development of circular economy models.
The way forward
Irrespective of the priorities set for the individual strategies, the following aspects remain crucial in promoting a biobased economy:
Planetary health as a guiding principle of bioeconomy implies that the health of human beings, animals and plants needs to be safeguarded or restored through a healthy environment (air, water, soil). Clean air, clean water, sustainable food supply, biodiversity and a resilient climate have become challenged in our industrialised world through relying on fossil resources. It is generally recognised that restoring ecosystem health and preventing and reversing global biodiversity loss are important for socio-economic development and the welfare of humanity.
Enabling innovations and markets for bioeconomy needs to be a priority. Science is fundamental for the bioeconomy. Sustainability metrics can serve as a measurable tool to monitor how businesses in the bioeconomy and the supply chains contribute to reducing carbon emissions, ensuring water (supply and quality) and soil (reducing soil degradation) security, promoting regeneration and preserving healthy terrestrial and marine ecosystems and biodiversity at scale while boosting the Bioeconomy.
Embedding the food system in the bioeconomy contributes to sustainable food and nutrition security.Food supplies are disrupted by heatwaves, floods, droughts and global conflicts. Sufficient and high-quality food continues to be an overriding objective in bioeconomy strategies of emerging economies. Investment in the food-oriented bioeconomy needs to contribute to overcoming the problem that almost 50 per cent of the world’s population do not have access to or cannot afford a healthy diet.
Policy support for regional and local initiatives of bioeconomy. Bottom-up initiatives are shaping local bioeconomy innovations and are transforming rural and industrialised regions globally. The bioeconomy generates employment in rural areas, enabling local biomanufacturing and adding value to bio-based products. Bioeconomy must become an integral part of sustainable development frameworks.
Joachim von Braun is Professor (em.) at the Center for Development Research, Bonn University/Germany, a Member of the International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB), and a member of the High-level Advisory Board on the United Nations Food System Summit.
Contact: jvonbraun(at)uni-bonn.de
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