The bioeconomy covers the activities that provide sustainable solutions using biological resources to generate added value. In the EU, it currently generates up to EUR 2.7 trillion and employs 17.1 million people, yet much of its potential remains untapped. The European Commission estimates that the EU bioeconomy could grow 18% per year – with the right support.
The newly published EU Bioeconomy Strategy aims to be the catalyst that realises this potential growth by enabling the innovation needed for new and existing markets – all of which require tested, bio-based materials and technological solutions.
Several LIFE-funded projects are already putting these objectives into practice, converting underused biomass and industrial by-products into valuable materials, energy and services.
One example is the GR4SS project, which targets an often-overlooked biomass: grass cut from roadsides. Instead of being discarded, these clippings are collected and fed into anaerobic digesters to produce green biomethane, digestate fibres and soil-substitute materials. The Dutch project has shown that this unused biomass can become a lucrative alternative to fossil fuels while also generating new revenue streams in rural areas. In the Netherlands alone, deploying ten of GR4SS’ digestors could produce 25 billion litres of green gas and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 125 800 tonnes.
Similarly, ZEBRA‑LIFE in Spain is turning another overlooked industrial by-product into a potential green business. By extracting bio-aromatic compounds from ‘black liquor’, a pulp and paper by-product usually burnt for energy recovery, the project produces renewable antioxidants and UV-filter additives. The resulting products can match or exceed the performance of conventional synthetic additives, making them a sustainable alternative for several sectors, including cosmetics, rubber, fuels, lubricants and polymers – demonstrating how industrial waste can supply circular value chains.
Elsewhere in Europe, MySOIL illustrates another way the bioeconomy creates value by restoring damaged environments. In France, Italy and Spain, the LIFE project uses fungal-based bioremediation to remediate soils contaminated with total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), a broad group of oil-derived pollutants from fuels and industrial activities, and can remove up to 90 % of TPHs to make the land usable again. Across Europe, an estimated 2.5 million sites may be affected by TPH contamination – representing a large area with limited environmental, economic or social value. However, MySOIL demonstrates that a cost-effective, bio-based solution exists – rather than relying on conventional, energy-intensive remediation methods, such as thermal desorption or incineration.
Together, ZEBRA-LIFE, GR4SS and MySOIL show how bio-based innovation can turn overlooked resources and degraded land into viable business opportunities. Their real-world data on performance, costs, and environmental impact also strengthen the case for scaling these solutions, helping Europe’s bioeconomy continue to grow.
These projects are fully aligned with the objectives of the European Green Deal, the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, the Renewable Energy Directive and the EU Soil Strategy for 2030.
