Assist brand owners to ‘switch to bio-based’

Topic description

Specific Challenge:

Brand owners are key stakeholders for implementing and accelerating the bio-based economy. As with any industrial investor, brand owners need harmonised legislation and stable policies to change business models and make investments.

Brand owners often perceive current market and regulatory situations as uncertain and are therefore reluctant to invest in a (new) bio-based product. These uncertainties relate to regulatory issues, feedstock quality and availability, results of life cycle assessments, bio-based product eco-design, functionalities and performance, standards, lack of knowledge, shortage of relevant skills, etc., and exist against the backdrop of consumers’ increasing sustainability expectations about products and applications. Local and regional success stories may help change this perception and instil confidence in brand owners so that they make the switch to bio-based products.

The specific challenge is to: (i) respond appropriately to brand owners’ perceptions of the potential risks of the ‘switching to bio-based’; (ii) identify advantages, incentives, motivations and best practices that may drive brand owners to switch; and (iii) provide frameworks able to incentivise, motivate and drive brand owners to ‘switch to bio-based’.

Map and analyse major issues that brand owners qualify as high potential risks and cause their reluctance to invest in a ‘switch to bio-based’, and present efficient solutions to mitigate the potential risks.

Proposals should also identify and analyse incentives, motivations and best practices that may drive brand owners to ´switch to bio-based´. These incentives may include legislative frameworks, cost considerations, enhanced product performance or functionalities, public perceptions and consumer behaviour on ‘bio-based’ alternatives and megatrends, and impact on occupational health.

Proposals should focus on successful innovation ecosystems, as well as large brand owners’ companies that are already investing in bio-based alternatives, that could serve as examples or as value chain components for brand owners to switch to bio-based products and applications.

Proposals should include a variety of feedstock types and value chains and involve industry actors from relevant bio-based sectors. Proposals should deliver an effective ‘Switch-to-bio-based toolbox’.

Proposals should demonstrate and validate the added value of the developed ‘Switch-to-bio-based toolbox’ by at least one actual case of a switch from a fossil-based to a bio-based market application. This validation should include an assessment of the economic, social and environmental impacts.

Proposals may focus on specific value chains and relevant brand owners for successful consumer acceptance and applications of associated bio-based products. However, the proposed solution should be able to assist brand owners in any bio-based value chain.

Proposals need to include a clear and convincing communication, dissemination and exploitation plan to share the results with the bio-based industry at large, but also with the industry that has not yet made the ‘switch to bio-based’ and give effective advice.

The participation of organisations that could act as a link between the private sector (including brand owners) and the public sector (for example policy makers) is particularly encouraged.

The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) will set up an industry and market expert group from among its members to provide expertise on the implementation and follow-up of the different tasks and help organise meetings. This expert group is not to be a part of the proposal, but will be offered to the project consortium to assist as needed. This expert group therefore should have an advisory role in the project but would not be a beneficiary in the consortium.

INDICATIVE FUNDING:

It is considered that proposals requesting a maximum of EUR 1 million and a planned duration of not more than two years would be able to address this specific challenge appropriately. However, this does not preclude the submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts or durations.

• raise brand owners' interest in ‘switching to bio-based’;
• increase brand owners’ involvement with and commitment to the bio-based industry;
• increase marketability of ‘bio-based’ alternatives by fostering consumer awareness of the added value of bio-based products compared to fossil-based counterparts.

NUMBER OF PROJECTS: a maximum of one project will be funded under this topic.

Type of action: Coordination and support action.

Socio-economic science and humanities
Cross-cutting Key-Enabling Technologies (KETs)