Ten Trends For The Sustainable Bioeconomy In Nordic Arctic And Baltic Sea Region

Available online: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:norden:org:diva-6155 This report highlights key trends in 14 countries that policy-makers should be aware of in their work on the bioeconomy as a means to achieve our common goals for the planet and our responsibilities to each other. Of the ten trends, five are specifically part of the bioeconomy and show us some of the most prominent ways in which it develops. The other five are macrotrends – more overall societal or technological trends that influence the development of the bioeconomy. To provide context for these trends, the report analyses a number of conditions that support the bioeconomy, as well as the expected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2021-727/ Our Vision 2030 seeks to make the Nordic Region the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. When pursuing such an ambitious goal, it is important to monitor progress closely and regularly. The Nordic Council of Ministers commissioned Rambøll Management Consulting to draw up a baseline measurement for Our Vision and paint a picture of where the Nordic Region stands now. While the report shows that the foundations for the work are solid and progress generally good, it also identifies a number of challenges and points out where there is room for improvement, especially in terms of the green transition.

This final report provides an overview of bioresources in the West Nordic region focusing on Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, their utilisation and future opportunities based on green growth. The report provides good basis for strategic identification of beneficial projects in the region. Based on the results, a specific action plan has been formed consisting of four main actions; 1. Create a West Nordic Bioeconomy panel, 2. Establish an interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence (CoE) for the West Nordic region, 3. Arctic bioeconomy II – Project focusing on opportunities in biotechnology and 4. Program focusing on “The Blue Bioeconomy”.

The bioeconomy consists of the management of renewable biological resources and their conversion into food, livestock feed, bio-based products and bioenergy via innovative and efficient technologies. It involves tackling major challenges, both now and in the future. These include the sustainable production of sufficient nutritious and safe food for our growing population, developing new and more environmentally friendly sources of energy, and combating global warming, which can have serious consequences both on land and in the oceans. In 2015, the Nordic Bioeconomy Panel was established with the mandate to develop a proposal on a joint Nordic bioeconomy strategy designed to stimulate innovation and support a sustainable transition in the Nordic bioeconomy. As a stepping-stone towards the strategy, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Bioeconomy Panel have collaborated with the Danish think-tank Sustainia (Monday Morning) on collecting and categorizing 25 Nordic cases on the ‘new’ Nordic bioeconomy. This catalogue presents a selection of the many excellent cases that deserve attention but the selected cases seek to illustrate the diverse bioeconomy activities in the Nordic countries. We hope that they will inspire you and enhance your understanding of the bioeconomy, its importance and its potential.

The Nordic Bioeconomy Programme presented in this document combines environmental, social and economic ambitions for a more sustainable Region. The bioeconomy is of fundamental importance to the national economies of the Nordic countries, and especially important for rural development in large parts of the Region. The programme aims to create new industries and value chains and to facilitate and guide the transition of bio-based industries into technology advanced industries, and to optimise the production and value creation of biomass. The programme sets out a vision for the Nordic bioeconomy based on four pillars: - competitive bio-based industries - sustainable resource management - resilient and diverse ecosystems - inclusive economic development To reach this vision, the programme defines 15 action points under three thematic areas: Innovate – Accelerate – Network. The focus is on development of new policies on regional, national and Nordic level, for increased funding, better education, labelling and certificates, bioeconomy clusters and several other areas. The programme also contains an appendix with sustainability principles that can be seen as a step towards developing common ground and good practices for a sustainable bioeconomy in the Nordic Region.

In 2016, the Nordic Cooperation Ministers decided to put more emphasis on economic development in the Arctic within the Arctic Cooperation Program of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Nordic Council of Ministers partnered up with the Arctic Economic Council in carrying out an Arctic Business Analysis. The aim was to qualify knowledge on the business environment in the Nordic Arctic and how to take the business environment to a next level. The analysis covers 1) Entrepreneurship and Innovations; 2) Public- Private Partnerships & Business Cooperation; 3) Bio-economy, and 4) Creative and Cultural Industries. The general findings of the analysis are: → a need for an increased collection and dissemination of Arctic specific data; → a need for strengthened cross-border business collaboration between regions and actors in the Arctic; and → a need for a positive branding of the Arctic as an attractive and sustainable market for investments and economic development.

Within agri- and aquaculture, a specific bioeconomy challenge – and a bioeconomy opportunity – has been identified concerning sustainable protein supply for livestock production and fish farming. Today, imported soy products are by far the most important protein source however several alternative ways of producing protein rich feed has been identified using regional resources. Production of legumes, pulses and grass can be expanded. Alternative protein rich sources include single cell protein (bacteria/fungi), macroalgae (seaweed), mussels and insects. Local protein production has a number of benefits in the form of generation of local jobs, reduction in the import of nutrients and in general boosting the bioeconomy. Many of the alternative ways of producing protein rich feed are still under development, this report therefor also includes recommendations concerning how to proceed.

A Good Life in a Sustainable Nordic Region – Nordic Strategy for Sustainable Development is the overriding and cross-sectoral frame-work for the work of the Nordic Council of Ministers. All work carried out within the Council of Ministers will incorporate a sustainability perspective. The Nordic Council of Ministers will help the Nordic countries successively continue to improve welfare and quality of life for present and future generations, by protecting and using the earth’s ability to sustain life in all its diversity. The strategy provides long-term guidelines as far as 2025 in the following focusareas: the Nordic welfare model, viable ecosystems, changing climate, sustainable use of the earth’s resources, and education, research and innovation. The sectoral ministerial councils within the Nordic Council of Ministers will supplement the strategy with concrete measures.