Overview of policies,standards and certifications supporting the European bio-based economy

With the Lisbon agenda, the EU recognizes the important role of an economy driven by innovation in tackling contemporary societal challenges. This transition to innovative and sustainable modes of production and consumption is being shaped by policy efforts and policy instruments, including regulations, certifications, standards and sustainability assessment tools. In this paper, we present an overview of the different public policies and policy measures behind the establishment of a European sustainable bio-based economy. The aim of the paper is to describe the evolution of the policies and policy instruments that affect the establishment of a sustainable and innovative bio-based economy, in order to understand its limits, contradictions and existing gaps.