The bioeconomy in Italy and the new national strategy for a more competitive and sustainable country

• Published in: New biotechnology Vol. 61; pp. 124 - 136
• Main Authors: Fava, Fabio, Gardossi, Lucia, Brigidi, Patrizia, Morone, Piergiuseppe, Carosi, Daniela A.R., Lenzi, Andrea
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 25.03.2021; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Biodiversity loss; Bioeconomy strategy; Business competition; Circular bioeconomy; Economic conditions; Economic development; Economic growth; Employment; Environmental changes; Food; Food conversion; Food production; Fossil fuels; Industrial areas; Italian bioeconomy; Land use; Molding materials; Political factors; Regeneration; Rural areas; Rural environments; Strategy; Traditions; Waste management; Waste streams; Italy; Mediterranean Area; Italian bioeconomy; GES; R&I; KPI; Circular bioeconomy; CEN; Bioeconomy strategy
• ISSN: 1871-6784; 1876-4347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2020.11.009

•Italian bioeconomy is re-connecting national economy with environment and society.•Reconciling technological advances with conservation of ecosystems.•Benefits from largest biodiversity in Europe and high territorial specificities.•Bioeconomy for sustainability, productivity, quality of products of interconnected sectors, creating longer, locally routed value chains.•Strategy enables coherent coordination of measures and actions at regional, national, EU and Mediterranean levels. Italy has the third largest bioeconomy in Europe (€330 billion annual turnover, 2 million employees), making it a core pillar of the national economy. Its sectors of excellence are food and biobased products, and it is a consistent presence in research and innovation projects funded by the EU Horizon 2020 programme (Societal Challenges 2) and the European Public Private Partnership “Biobased industry” (BBI-JU). The bioeconomy reduces dependence on fossil fuels and finite materials, loss of biodiversity and changing land use. It contributes to environmental regeneration, spurs economic growth and supports jobs in rural, coastal and abandoned industrial areas, leveraging local contexts and traditions. In 2017 the Italian government promoted the development of a national Bioeconomy Strategy (BIT), recently updated (BIT II) to interconnect more efficiently the pillars of the national bioeconomy: production of renewable biological resources, their conversion into valuable food/feed, biobased products and bio-energy, and transformation and valorization of bio-waste streams. BIT II aims to improve coordination between Ministries and Italian regions in alignment of policies, regulations, R&I funding programmes and infrastructures investment. The goal is a 15 % increase in turnover and employment in the Italian bioeconomy by 2030. Based on Italy’s strategic geopolitical position in the Mediterranean basin, BIT II also includes actions to improve sustainable productivity, social cohesion and political stability through the implementation of bioeconomy strategies in this area. This paper provides an insight into these strategies and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the sectors involved and the measures, regulatory initiatives and monitoring actions undertaken.