A comprehensive strategy for nature-based biodegradable materials to foster circularity and resource efficiency, strengthen the agri-food sector and scale-up the EU bioeconomy

Practical information

1. Composition of the study group
2. Administrator / Assistant in charge: Caroline Verhelst/ Isabel Antunes
3. Contact

Background

In 2023, the EU’s material footprint reached 14.1 tonnes per capita, far exceeding the planet’s sustainable limits. Europe’s heavy reliance on raw materials has led to significant environmental, ecological, and geopolitical challenges, making resource efficiency a top priority.  

Nature-based materials, such as natural polymers, offer a sustainable alternative to fossil-based materials.  Natural polymers, derived from renewable biological sources, degrade naturally and safely in home composting environments, leaving no microplastics or persistent residues. By replacing fossil-based materials, they can reduce carbon emissions, cut microplastic pollution, and support a circular bioeconomy where resources are reused and regenerated.

These materials not only advance the EU’s climate, biodiversity, and sustainability goals, but also open new market opportunities for the agri-food, forestry, and fishery sectors. This helps create jobs, stimulate rural development, and strengthen Europe’s industrial competitiveness and strategic autonomy.

However, regulatory and financial barriers limit the accessibility, uptake, and application of natural materials and natural polymers by economic operators in the EU internal market. The upcoming revision of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy offers a key chance to promote natural polymers, enable supportive market conditions, and update the EU waste hierarchy to include biological recycling methods like composting. This opinion aims to set out an overarching strategy for nature-based biodegradable materials to foster circularity and resource efficiency, strengthen the agri-food sector, and scale up the EU bioeconomy.