Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BIORECER (Biological Resources Certifications Schemes)
Reporting period: 2024-03-01 to 2025-11-30
BioReCer has advanced the environmental performance, circularity and traceability of biological feedstocks in Europe by developing, integrating and validating a comprehensive framework to strengthen certification schemes and support decision-making across bio-based value chains.
During the project, significant work has been carried out to (i) map biological feedstock flows and associated barriers across Europe, (ii) develop a harmonised sustainability, circularity and traceability assessment framework, (iii) operationalise this framework through a digital tool, and (iv) validate the approach in real case studies and with stakeholders.
The main achievements of the project include:
– The development of a Sustainability and Circularity Assessment Framework, combining sustainability, circularity, traceability and regulatory criteria. The framework integrates a robust set of circularity indicators covering the full life cycle of bio-based products and aligns with key EU policy instruments, including the EU Taxonomy Regulation and emerging corporate sustainability and due diligence requirements.
– The creation of the BioReCer ICT tool (BIT), which operationalises the framework by enabling data collection, traceability across value chains, automated calculation of indicators and decision-support functionalities. The tool has been tested and validated with stakeholders, demonstrating its usability and applicability in real-world conditions.
– The elaboration of practical guidelines for integration into existing certification schemes, providing a structured pathway for certification bodies and scheme owners to embed sustainability, circularity and traceability criteria into their systems.
Beyond the state of the art, BioReCer delivers an integrated approach that bridges existing gaps between sustainability assessment, circularity measurement and traceability in bio-based systems. Unlike current frameworks, which often address these dimensions separately, BioReCer provides a harmonised methodology that combines qualitative requirements with quantitative indicators, enabling consistent and verifiable assessments across the entire value chain.
The project also provides policy-relevant evidence by aligning its framework and indicators with EU policy priorities (e.g. EU Taxonomy, Circular Economy Action Plan, Bioeconomy Strategy), and by identifying key barriers (legal, economic, environmental, social and technical) to the uptake of biological resources. The results support the development of more robust, transparent and harmonised certification systems and contribute to increasing trust, comparability and market uptake of bio-based products.
During the project, significant work has been carried out to (i) map biological feedstock flows and associated barriers across Europe, (ii) develop a harmonised sustainability, circularity and traceability assessment framework, (iii) operationalise this framework through a digital tool, and (iv) validate the approach in real case studies and with stakeholders.
The main achievements of the project include:
– The development of a Sustainability and Circularity Assessment Framework, combining sustainability, circularity, traceability and regulatory criteria. The framework integrates a robust set of circularity indicators covering the full life cycle of bio-based products and aligns with key EU policy instruments, including the EU Taxonomy Regulation and emerging corporate sustainability and due diligence requirements.
– The creation of the BioReCer ICT tool (BIT), which operationalises the framework by enabling data collection, traceability across value chains, automated calculation of indicators and decision-support functionalities. The tool has been tested and validated with stakeholders, demonstrating its usability and applicability in real-world conditions.
– The elaboration of practical guidelines for integration into existing certification schemes, providing a structured pathway for certification bodies and scheme owners to embed sustainability, circularity and traceability criteria into their systems.
Beyond the state of the art, BioReCer delivers an integrated approach that bridges existing gaps between sustainability assessment, circularity measurement and traceability in bio-based systems. Unlike current frameworks, which often address these dimensions separately, BioReCer provides a harmonised methodology that combines qualitative requirements with quantitative indicators, enabling consistent and verifiable assessments across the entire value chain.
The project also provides policy-relevant evidence by aligning its framework and indicators with EU policy priorities (e.g. EU Taxonomy, Circular Economy Action Plan, Bioeconomy Strategy), and by identifying key barriers (legal, economic, environmental, social and technical) to the uptake of biological resources. The results support the development of more robust, transparent and harmonised certification systems and contribute to increasing trust, comparability and market uptake of bio-based products.
The main achievements of the project are closely linked to the progress of WP2, WP3, WP4 and WP5 (technical work packages). In this regard, in the framework of "WP2-Environmental sustainability assessment: Diagnosis and mapping of current indicators and data collection of biological resources", the first map of biological feedstocks was elaborated --MFA-- (D2.1) as well as a revision and identification of the main environmental and circularity criteria, indicators and assessment methodologies to be implemented into the final assessment framework for bio-based products.
In the framework of "WP3-Product Tracking and Traceability (T&T) for Circular Value Chain Integration", it has been focuses on the design, build, and implementation of Tracking and Traceability (T&T) software and hardware apparatus.
In the framework of "WP4-Integration of the environmental and traceability assessment framework into the established certification schemes", it designed and developed the bio-based multi-stakeholder platform aiming at stakeholders engagement and active participation in the project (D4.1).
In the framework of "WP5-BIORECER ICT tool", it was set the basis of the requirements and architecture for the development of the ICT tool(D5.1).
In the framework of "WP6- Demonstration of the developed methodologies on the 4 case studies and study of replicability/transferability", the biomasses selected have been standardized and characterized for integration into the ICT tool (D6.1).
In the framework of "WP7-Explotation plan", it has been established the necessary strategy for IPR management as a best practice to achieve the overall project goals (D7.1) and it was presented the initial exploitation plan for the KERs (D7.4)
In the framework of "WP3-Product Tracking and Traceability (T&T) for Circular Value Chain Integration", it has been focuses on the design, build, and implementation of Tracking and Traceability (T&T) software and hardware apparatus.
In the framework of "WP4-Integration of the environmental and traceability assessment framework into the established certification schemes", it designed and developed the bio-based multi-stakeholder platform aiming at stakeholders engagement and active participation in the project (D4.1).
In the framework of "WP5-BIORECER ICT tool", it was set the basis of the requirements and architecture for the development of the ICT tool(D5.1).
In the framework of "WP6- Demonstration of the developed methodologies on the 4 case studies and study of replicability/transferability", the biomasses selected have been standardized and characterized for integration into the ICT tool (D6.1).
In the framework of "WP7-Explotation plan", it has been established the necessary strategy for IPR management as a best practice to achieve the overall project goals (D7.1) and it was presented the initial exploitation plan for the KERs (D7.4)
The envisaged results and advances of BioReCer project are classified according to different work fields and topics:
- Biological resources mapping: elaboration of a complete database of biological resources trade-offs considering both regional and European aspects.
- Sustainability assessment: Development of the BioReCer methodology following the guidelines of the new ISO 59020 on “Measuring and assessing circularity” and the EU taxonomy regulation.
- Tracking and traceability assessment: the implementation of T&T into Standardization and Certification protocols to accomplish the accuracy requirements of certification schemes.
- Certification framework: adaptation of the current certification schemes to incipient bio-based value chains in a multicriteria approach including the main stakeholders to avoid previous limitations, as well as incorporating sustainability and T&T aspects that are not well covered in current schemes.
- ICT tools: implementation of blockchain technology to bring a complete, holistic and ad-hoc solution for supporting traceability in biological feedstock exchange.
- Decision support system (DSS): model interpretability and explainability in the context of the DSS (Decision Support System) development.
Likewise, the innovations and advances are also classified considering two points of view as follows:
1. Methodological point of view: i) creation of an open innovation ecosystem that includes the main actors of the supply chain, i.e. the creation of a stakeholders' platform; ii) identification of the main trade flows and fate of biological feedstocks by means of MFA; iii) revision of the existing environmental and trade-off assessment methodologies; iv) validation of results considering consumers’ and bio-based industries’ acceptance regarding the key factors affecting the traceability and trustworthiness of bio-based products; and v) design of a multidimensional framework to analyze the main supply chains of biological resources integrating circularity and environmental indicators.
2. According to the main final outputs: i) the development of a common methodology and the definition of indicators to monitor, certify and assess the environmental sustainability and T&T of biological resources used in the bio-based systems; and ii) the deployment of the BioReCer ICT tool to enable bio-based main actors to analyze and certify biological resources impacts and trade-offs in different bio-based sectors.
- Biological resources mapping: elaboration of a complete database of biological resources trade-offs considering both regional and European aspects.
- Sustainability assessment: Development of the BioReCer methodology following the guidelines of the new ISO 59020 on “Measuring and assessing circularity” and the EU taxonomy regulation.
- Tracking and traceability assessment: the implementation of T&T into Standardization and Certification protocols to accomplish the accuracy requirements of certification schemes.
- Certification framework: adaptation of the current certification schemes to incipient bio-based value chains in a multicriteria approach including the main stakeholders to avoid previous limitations, as well as incorporating sustainability and T&T aspects that are not well covered in current schemes.
- ICT tools: implementation of blockchain technology to bring a complete, holistic and ad-hoc solution for supporting traceability in biological feedstock exchange.
- Decision support system (DSS): model interpretability and explainability in the context of the DSS (Decision Support System) development.
Likewise, the innovations and advances are also classified considering two points of view as follows:
1. Methodological point of view: i) creation of an open innovation ecosystem that includes the main actors of the supply chain, i.e. the creation of a stakeholders' platform; ii) identification of the main trade flows and fate of biological feedstocks by means of MFA; iii) revision of the existing environmental and trade-off assessment methodologies; iv) validation of results considering consumers’ and bio-based industries’ acceptance regarding the key factors affecting the traceability and trustworthiness of bio-based products; and v) design of a multidimensional framework to analyze the main supply chains of biological resources integrating circularity and environmental indicators.
2. According to the main final outputs: i) the development of a common methodology and the definition of indicators to monitor, certify and assess the environmental sustainability and T&T of biological resources used in the bio-based systems; and ii) the deployment of the BioReCer ICT tool to enable bio-based main actors to analyze and certify biological resources impacts and trade-offs in different bio-based sectors.