Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Agricultural and Food Policy

A new article by Alexandra Gottinger and Sonja zu Jeddeloh has been published in the Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning. It examines the European bioeconomy transition through a critical interpretive synthesis of 108 publications. The study analyzes how the literature addresses global environmental, social, and economic impacts associated with European bioeconomy, with particular attention to cross-border effects of bioeconomy policies.

The findings show that environmental impacts receive the most attention, while social and economic dimensions—such as inequality and land ownership—have only recently gained prominence. Rising biomass demand is commonly identified as a key driver of impacts beyond Europe, although causal mechanisms are often not clearly specified. The literature further reflects ongoing debates about how to interpret these effects, ranging from unintended consequences to inherent features of the bioeconomy transition.

The study concludes that greater conceptual clarity and more systematic analysis of causal pathways are needed to better understand the broader implications of the European bioeconomy.

Citation:
Gottinger, A., & zu Jeddeloh, S. (2026). Seeing beyond Europe’s nose: a critical interpretive synthesis of negative impacts of the European bioeconomy transition. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2026.2650675