Using advanced multi-regional input-output analysis and a global land-use change model, the study quantifies the carbon footprint of biomass production from 1995 to 2022, including agriculture, forestry, land use, and energy. The findings reveal a 3.3 Gt CO₂-equivalent increase in emissions, with 80% driven by international trade—particularly from beef and biochemicals like biofuels, bioplastics, and rubber.

Key insights from the study:

• Biochemicals saw the highest relative emission increase, doubling due to tropical land-use change and China’s energy-intensive processing.
• Food consumption patterns play a crucial role: while retail food remains the largest contributor to the biomass carbon footprint, food from restaurants and canteens accounted for more than 50% of the carbon footprint growth and has three times the carbon intensity of retail food.
• Sustainable solutions, such as renewable energy adoption and halting land-use change, could reduce the bioeconomy carbon footprint by almost 60%.

This research underscores the urgent need for sustainable sourcing strategies and climate-conscious policy interventions in global biomass trade.

🔗 Read the full study here

📊Check out the interactive datavisualizer that allows to zoom into the global bioeconomy supply chain: Datavisualizer