CELEBio – Action Recommendations (English Version)

CELEBioEconomy Celebration Programme (14 October 2020)

Workshop (1:40-2:50 pm) – discussion in the Czech language

Moderator: Dagmar Milerová Prášková (Institute for Circular Economy, Prague)

“Bio Economy Round-tables” – Active audience participation in shaping the future actions to spur the bioeconomy in the Czech Republic. What are the actions (business, policy, academic, and citizen) needed to robustly address the under-utilized biomass, in residual agriculture, forestry, and bio-based waste for a bio-based economy?

The discussion tables/rooms, we agreed there will be 3 tables or rooms. The discussion leaders will stimulate the discussion from the attendees to distil concrete answers to the questions posed. The aim is to propose solutions to the challenges for each of the 3 value-chains listed.

Tables/Room will be separated by topic to discuss and come with proposals to the questions below (45 min).

A. Agriculture

            Discussion Leader – Pavel Klouček (Czech Univ. of Life Sciences, Prague)

1. Identify the major value-chain priorities related to the topic of your table/room to be developed. For example, what to do with agricultural residues, wood, sewage sludge, how to derive bio-energy – be specific. Identify the priority value-chains, gaps or barriers to realization, and needed policy interventions.

Challenges

• There are few interconnected sectors which are needed to bring a product to market.
• All the impacts of the bioeconomy should be seen more positively.

Policy gaps

• Identification of problematic points of value chains, their regulation, solution design.

Aim of actions

• Connect all sectors needed to bring a product to market
• Modify existing bio-management technologies, eg maize into biogas
• Investors could encourage small entrepreneurs, but subsidies from the public are not acceptable
• Some type of connecting point with consulting and funding support (bioeconomy voucher programme).

Policy mechanisms

• Formation of interministerial working groups
• Research challenges should be initiated
• new RIS3 strategy formulated
• Regulations to stimulate the bioeconomy
• Examine the calculations for crop residue reincorporation into the soil (eg. RE-Step project –EU)

2. What are the ecological risks to the sector within your table/room topic? Identify the sustainability risks (eg. biodiversity, soil/carbon, water, etc.), and classify them in categories of high/moderate/or low.

• Poorly conceived bioeconomic activities which do not consider the sustainability risks (eg. corn to biogas)
• Risks to biodiversity, water erosion, deterioration of soil conditions, poor water management in the case of some crops intended as the primary source of materials for the bioeconomy.
• Lack of biodiversity and greater mass-scale farming – leading to higher pesticide use, which means more chemicals in consumer products, food and beverages.
• Mass-scale farming contributes to soil nutrient depletion, which means less productive land over the long-term period.
• Soil and water management should be considered before using biomass for energy.
• Energy production from field crops, would be better served with intercropping
  

3. What actions do you recommend based on your topic and the value-chains you propose, by 2025 and 2030? In the following categories: Technology, Environment, Economy, Society, Policy.

Policy

• Have the ministries cooperate on the overall/holistic approach to bioeconomy.
• Avoid the misuse of subsidies and negative unintended impacts that will undermine the confidence of individual actors. On the contrary, present positive examples and sustainable impacts.
• Incorporate the topic of bioeconomics (specific challenges to ensure the sufficiency of biological renewables, new technologies and innovations, research) in the preparation of the  subsidy programs 2021-27 (within the relevant ministries).

Society

• Showcase good examples through proper targeted PR; Local politicians should also spread the examples and messages of bioeconomy. We need to work with them to raise awareness.
• The widest possible involvement of the whole society, encourage and involve local players, politicians, academia, private investors and entrepreneurs – support of start-up and spin-off companies.

Economy

• SMEs should be supported, preferably from private money.

Technology

• Development of precision agriculture, new breeding technologies. Hemp fibres and new technology for harvesting
• Spin-offs and start-ups should work to develop technological solutions to bioeconomy problems.

Environment

• The opportunity for the Czech Republic could be to have the big farmers adopt the bioeconomy/green deal agenda, it could turn public opinion around.

B. Forestry

            Discussion Leader – Jaroslav Kubišta (Ústav pro hospodářskou úpravu lesů)

1. Identify the major value-chain priorities related to the topic of your table/room to be developed. For example, what to do with agricultural residues, wood, sewage sludge, how to derive bio-energy – be specific. Identify the priority value-chains, gaps or barriers to realization, and needed policy interventions.

Challenges

• Ownership structure in Czech of land:
  • For state forests, relates to the management model which is not agile enough. For example, contracts for labour are not adjustable. State ownership is not flexible, as typical contracts are 5 years and must ensure the lowest price, without respect to quality.
  • Private ownership of small properties (~100,000 owners across the country). Owners have no standardized approach to land management and don’t maintain land in general, as the average plot is small (one hectare). And there are legislative obstacles to forming a larger group collective of private owners.

Policy gaps

• Calamity wood (bark beetle damage) needs to be managed fast, and it can be used as normal wood, if the bark is removed, after cutting, the wood can be relatively undamaged.
• Creating demand for Czech wood, in the form of high-added-value products.

Aim of actions

• Promote innovation – improvements in wood production, more environmentally friendly management, better wood processing. New sources of funding for forestry.
• Sustainable management, long-term sustainable wood production
• Increasing capacities (ideally local) for wood processing (lumber, furniture) with higher added value, which will take into account the expected change in the wood composition.
• Use of logging residues – it is necessary to define how many residues must be left in the forest.
•  Use of “calamity wood” – currently a surplus of wood on the market, which needs to be used as best as possible in a relatively short period of time

Policy mechanisms

• Increase the value to the primary wood source – small sawmills should be utilized to avoid transport of wood long distances or out of the country. Subsidize the local production and sawmills.
• Develop a ‘Made from Czech Forests” label, for wood products. Which would create demand for Czech wood and for high-added-value products.
• The state should support the use of wood for construction. Stimulate wood construction with a money-back voucher.
• Wood packaging materials should be subsidized.
• Biodiversity should be paid by the society. Devise a mechanism for society to value and support biodiversity.

2. What are the ecological risks to the sector within your table/room topic? Identify the sustainability risks (eg. biodiversity, soil/carbon, water, etc.), and classify them in categories of high/moderate/or low.

• Unsustainable large-scale farming – can pose a medium to high risk for all mentioned elements (biodiversity, soil, water). The agriculture Act must address the sustainability of farmland management, from a soil nutrient and water erosion perspective.
• Excessive use of chemistry (eg. pesticides, herbicides) could mean a high risk for all mentioned elements (biodiversity, soil, water).
• Large clear-cutting of trees without timely re-planting of forests, will not allow for newly planted tree growth. Competing grass and scrubs will out-compete the newly planted trees. A common solution is the use of herbicides to kill grass and scrub, but this process leads to unnecessary soil and groundwater contamination. The solution is to plant new trees sooner and clear cut less.
• Some forest fellings should remain on the ground to retain water and nutrients. The amended Forest Act mentions a certain amount of fellings left on the ground but does not specify how much. This needs to be standardized, implemented, and monitored.
• Biodiversity challenge with re-forest. Diversification of the forest re-planting approach is vital. Spruce trees need to be included in this biodiversity mix, or the market for productive wood will not be viable.

3. What actions do you recommend based on your topic and the value-chains you propose, by 2025 and 2030? In the following categories: Technology, Environment, Economy, Society, Policy.

Policy

• Need to develop policies to recycle wood.
• Instate a land-fill tax or ban on wood in land-fill.
• Incentivize new business ideas to bring wood products to the market (grants, vouchers, etc.)

Society

• Develop a ‘Made from Czech Forests” label, for wood products. Which would create demand for Czech wood and for high-added-value products.

Economy

• Establish a better setting for subsidies to support the concept of bioeconomy. An economically viable solution should be proposed to enable sustainable forestry and high-quality wood products.
• Incentivize new business ideas to bring wood products to the market.

Technology

• Innovations aimed at promoting sustainable forest management, better assortment, processing of lower quality wood.
• Use harvesters more than we do, or increase their efficiency.
• To move to a more small scale, not large scale sawmills, with the incorporation of new technologies.

Environment

• Promote the integration of ecosystem services. The current practices, particularly in agriculture, leads to forest dryness, as water tables are depleted.

Waste

            Discussion Leader – Hynek Roubik (Czech Univ. of Life Sciences, Prague)

1. Identify the major value-chain priorities related to the topic of your table/room to be developed. For example, what to do with agricultural residues, wood, sewage sludge, how to derive bio-energy – be specific. Identify the priority value-chains, gaps or barriers to realization, and needed policy interventions.

Challenges

• The cycle or circularity of waste must be addressed
• Waste must be reduced
• Particularly land-fill waste should be reduced

Policy gaps

• Recycling is not emphasized or encouraged
• The ecological value of resources is missing

Aim of actions

• To view waste as a resource for the generation of energy, fertilizer, and other renewables
• Develop technologies for effective waste treatment
  • Technologies need to consider environmental sustainability along with profitability
  • Focus on support of local technology development
  • Selection of projects/patents for real application potential, in both top-down and bottom-up methodology
  • New technologies should allow for broad access, not exclusivity
• Address waste separation by purity, reusability, and secondary municipal waste
• Waste treatment should be considered locally from the perspective of farms/cities

Policy mechanisms

• Develop a strategy and action plan to move to zero-carbon waste and waste recycling
• Re-orient policies to consider the circularity of bio-mass, not only production but re-use

Other notes:

Cross-sectoral value chains need to be identified. Recycling is the first step and separated into waste that can be re-used in other industries. Waste that can be organically processed to be linked in the bioeconomy, eg. fertilizers. Non-bio waste which needs to be assessed for toxicity and safety could be reused in construction, re-furbished plastics, and electronics. Can these processes be scaled, large or small, urban vs. rural.

Sewage sludge – identify those value-chains.

Policy gap- relates to taxation to incentivize re-use of materials. Carbon tax on fossil related waste at the point of production/extraction to the end-of-life.

Actions to be taken – coordinate among sectors. National policy in bioeconomy with taxes and regulate policy. With the enforcement of policies, and not just paper strategies without actions.

Aim of action, to have sustainable, productive soil, through diversified land-use, and reduced dependence on chemical fertilizers, and reduce the land-fill dependence.

2. What are the ecological risks to the sector within your table/room topic? Identify the sustainability risks (eg. biodiversity, soil/carbon, water, etc.), and classify them in categories of high/moderate/or low.

• Working in an uncoordinated manner, without a long-view, nor a strategy to implement goals is a very high risk. The first step would be to have the Czech Republic declare its support for the European Green Deal.
• Inability to reduce per capita eco foot-print. Inability to meet the required CO₂ emissions limits.
• Inability to meet biodiversity targets.
• Inability to meet the 2030 agenda for SDGs.
• Inability to halt soil degradation and thus failure to transform the economy to zero carbon by 2050.

3. What actions do you recommend based on your topic and the value-chains you propose, by 2025 and 2030? In the following categories: Technology, Environment, Economy, Society, Policy.

Policy

• Need for a national level framework to the endorsement of the European Green Deal.
• Set policies to establish the Czech bioeconomy action plan, based on zero-carbon principles
• Government Plan in the form of a road-map with targeted goals are needed.
• Policy needed to reduce the ecological foot-print of per capita in the Czech Republic (currently double of EU average).
• Policies must have long-term objectives, beyond the political cycle
• Strategy – One Ministry to take the lead, in concert with other ministries (inter-ministerial working-group), and own the agenda

Society

• Education at the level of municipalities (cities) via workshops.
• Private sector actors need to make visible that they are engaged in bioeconomy (eg. national certificate label).

Economy

• Research centres should directly contribute via supported innovation hubs (eg. AIT in Austria), in effect solving waste challenges through new projects.

Technology

• Development for small, medium and large scale sustainable and eco-friendly waste centre within the country (waste sorting, filtering of toxins, processing, distribution).
• SMEs together with research centres should engage to develop new technologies

Environmental

• Concrete actions needed to ensure high air and water quality standards meeting the European targets
• Development of waste to fertilizer actions will increase biodiversity through the use of organic fertilizer, which will lead to increased soil richness.