Bio-based products: economic and environmental opportunities, but requirements to be met to benefit from their potential

France, with nearly 90% of its territory covered by agricultural or forest areas, is a key player in this booming bioeconomy. Given this observation, it is essential to understand the issues and challenges related to the development of bio-based products, in order to ensure a responsible and sustainable transition. On the occasion of the International Agricultural Show, ADEME is publishing its opinion "Bio-based products", with the aim of providing information on the ins and outs of this bio-based revolution.

Bio-based products: a solution for a decarbonized economy and strengthened sovereignty

Bio-based products are made from living matter called biomass. It mainly comes from plants or animals, fungi or even micro-organisms. Biomass offers an alternative to non-renewable materials such as oil for applications in chemistry and materials. French economic players already use them on a daily basis in many applications: construction, interior design, automotive, hygiene and maintenance, and textiles. For over 30 years, ADEME has supported and accompanied innovation to promote the development of sustainable and competitive bio-based products. For example, the call for projects (AAP) "Bio-based products and industrial biotechnologies" is part of the Government's desire to accelerate the development of French industrial biotechnologies and the manufacture of bio-based products, in support of the ambitions of the France 2030 plan and as part of the acceleration strategy "Bio-based products and industrial biotechnologies - Sustainable fuels".

Bio-based products contribute to decarbonizing our economy and strengthening our sovereignty. France is the leading agricultural country in Europe and nearly 90% of its territory is covered by agricultural land or forest. Promoting local biomass not only reduces dependence on imports but also creates sectors and jobs in our territory. In addition, they occupy an important place in innovation and research, particularly through biotechnologies.

By replacing non-renewable materials (oil, minerals, metals), bio-based products play an important role in the ecological transition. They contribute to decarbonization by replacing products that emit more greenhouse gases and, in the case of long-life products (for example in construction), by storing carbon over long periods. In addition, in some cases they can limit the toxicity of certain products during their manufacture or use (for example, formaldehyde-free bio-based glues) or their end of life (by avoiding microplastics).

Points of vigilance and recommendations for responsible development

However, the bio-sourced character does not systematically confer environmental added value. Four points of vigilance should be kept in mind:

• Supply: they promote a diversity of biomasses whose sustainability must be ensured. Although renewable, biomass is limited by the capacity of ecosystems whose preservation must remain a priority. A balance between biomass production and the maintenance of ecosystem services (food, carbon capture, biodiversity, water purification, leisure, landscape, etc.) must be maintained. The current availability of sustainable biomass cannot cover all potential needs. Diversification of mobilized biomasses coupled with optimized management is necessary to ensure long-term supply and take into account vulnerability to climate change.
• Manufacturing: optimizing transformation processes is essential to ensure the interest of bio-sourced products. Favoring cascade valorizations of biomass allows to optimize its potential. This consists of exploiting all the co-products and by-products to maximize the potential of the resource. For example, the concept of biorefinery embodies this logic. Indeed, biomass is transformed into a multitude of products and co-products while minimizing waste as much as possible. These transformation processes must be as efficient as possible to be competitive. The quality of the biomass can vary depending on the year and the location of the supply, which is why the most robust processes compatible with different biomasses have a real advantage. By creating valorization routes for residues that would not find outlets, energy valorizations (heat for example) appear as an essential link in the economic balance of the biomass sectors as a whole. It is in this logic of complementarity of uses that ADEME supports the development of biomass recovery sectors.
• Usage: Prioritize applications where switching to bio-based products has the most benefits while taking into account the complementarities of uses. Long-life products should therefore be favored to maximize the effect of carbon storage, rather than single-use products. In addition, it is essential for a manufacturer to question the real need that their product meets, even if it is bio-based.
• Communication: as with all products on the market, the claims accompanying bio-based products must be justified, precise and transparent. Although bio-based products benefit from a positive image among the French, they remain poorly understood. In order to avoid the many possible confusions (biodegradable, natural, geo-based, non-toxic, ecological), ADEME recommends that manufacturers demonstrate maximum clarity and transparency. The prefix "bio" should be avoided when it leaves a vagueness on the bio-based content of the product, for example the term "bioplastic" is not clear on the bio-based character and/or its capacity to degrade at the end of its life (biodegradability). Furthermore, since the term "bio-based" can be used even for a product that contains only a minimal amount of bio-based material, ADEME recommends indicating the actual and verifiable bio-based content. Since the bio-sourced nature does not directly reflect the overall environmental impact of a product, specific vigilance is necessary to avoid any greenwashing.

Assessing the environmental impacts of bio-based products is essential to validate their relevance. Each product, bio-based or not, has an impact on the environment. Using biomass in a product is a possible lever to reduce its impact, but the reality of this reduction must be objectified by an environmental assessment, associated with an eco-design approach. These assessments make it possible to better characterize the overall service provided by bio-based products to the ecological transition. For example, in some cases, the integration of a plant filler in a composite material can complicate its recycling at the end of its life due to the heterogeneity of the components, making it more difficult to recycle than a mono-material. Although this approach can reduce the carbon footprint of the material at the production stage, it can also induce a transfer of impact to the end-of-life stage, which therefore deserves to be assessed.

Finally, their development must first be part of a process of sobriety in order to truly replace fossil fuels, without simply increasing volumes through new production, or having rebound effects.