What will it take for bioeconomy to become a global phenomenon

January 23rd. Written by Marcelo Behar Jukka Kantola Roberto Silva Waack

As COP30 has now concluded, the bioeconomy has entered global climate discussions with real visibility. Over the past few years, the concept has expanded from national strategies and regional dialogues into truly international forums. A defining moment came in 2024 when the G20 adopted the High-Level Principles on the Bioeconomy, offering the first globally shared understanding of what the bioeconomy encompasses. At COP30, the topic gained further prominence, signalling a shift toward recognising bio-based development as part of the global agenda 

Climate change and biodiversity loss have achieved global priority because the world broadly understands the urgency and accepts the need for collective action. At the same time, bioeconomy, is still often perceived as a patchwork of national initiatives rather than a unified global framework. Despite the fact that a global framework is needed, bioeconomy is a reality in many sectors, such as forestry – for fibers such as pulp and paper, tissues, etc – regenerative agriculture, biofuels and pharmaceutical industry. However, bioeconomy could be recognised as a comprehensive solution that addresses shared challenges across borders—ranging from decarbonisation and food security to biodiversity restoration and economic resilience, including the already mentioned sectors.

The strength of the bioeconomy lies in its structure. It is flexible enough to allow each nation to engage based on its own interests and advantages. This explains why countries as different as Brazil - with its vast biodiversity - and Saudi Arabia - which has limited biological resources yet strong ambitions in biotechnology - both see strategic value in the bioeconomy. Their motivations differ, but both recognise that biological solutions offer pathways to sustainable growth, resilience, and innovation.

The bioeconomy concept is shaped by three overlapping visions that together create a shared global framework. The bioresource vision focuses on the sustainable management and value creation of biological resources, appealing particularly to nations rich in forest, agricultural or marine resources. The biotechnology vision emphasises scientific and industrial innovation, attracting countries investing in synthetic biology, biomanufacturing, and advanced bio-applications, and expanding feedstocks beyond traditional biological sources to include captured CO₂. The bioecology vision integrates ecological thinking with economic development, resonating with nations prioritising long-term resilience, climate stability, and circular economic models. It also highlights the nexus between traditional communities and modern innovation. 

Importantly, these visions do not compete. They reinforce one another and create multiple pathways for nations to participate in the global bioeconomy, making it a truly inclusive and adaptable concept.

Although mainstream financial players are already heavily involved in the already mentioned sectors, the financial sector is becoming better prepared to accelerate new frontiers of bioeconomy transformation. New initiatives such as the Earth Investment Engine and the Bioeconomy Challenge—both launched at COP30—are already creating concrete pathways for investment and scalable action. As countries reassess their routes toward climate neutrality and nature-positive development, COP30 provides a platform to anchor the bioeconomy as a central pillar of global sustainability policy. It brings together climate action, biodiversity restoration, energy transitions, food security, and industrial innovation under a unified narrative: that biological systems, from natural ecosystems to high-tech biomanufacturing, can spur the next wave of sustainable economic development. Within this broader development context, the so-called social bioeconomy, or the activities with a strong focus on social inclusion, equity, ethics, and justice, integrating traditional knowledge and ensuring benefits for local communities, especially Indigenous and rural populations, is a fundamental pillar in the new bioeconomy concept. 

An important outcome from COP30 is the evidence that the business community is taking over part of the responsibilities of the diplomatic multilateralism and its negotiators. Bioeconomy is probably the clearest example on how the protagonism of non-state actors have an increasingly important role on the climate change and nature value agendas. 

For the new frontiers of the bioeconomy to be consolidated as a global phenomenon, it will be important for the world to embrace and communicate this understanding consistently. International organisations, major economies, and global platforms – from the G20 to the UNFCCC – can play a key role in highlighting how the bioeconomy aligns diverse national interests with shared global goals. The clearer this message becomes, the more likely the bioeconomy is to gain the political momentum and visibility it deserves.