BIOTECHNOLOGY: AN INNOVATION DRIVER IN THE FRENCH BIOBASED INDUSTRY Olivier Rolland, Michael O'Donohue, INRAE France
In France, a range of public and private initiatives in industrial biotechnologies are contributing to the development of the circular bioeconomy.
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lobal biomass production and use are under pressure, with the planet’s natural resources facing numerous threats, from the negative effects of climate change to ever-intensifying industrialization, mixed with unsustainable consumer behavior and increasing food and energy needs. Considering today’s societal challenges, biomass has a critical role to play in the transition from an economy powered by fossil
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energy, to a bioeconomy and, more broadly, a circular bioeconomy. This transition is urgently needed to avoid the most severe consequences of climate change. However, to successfully transit to a circular bioeconomy, available biomass must be used efficiently, meeting both increasing food demand and non-food needs, while drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the importance
of territorial autonomy within the wider global economy. This is important for territorial resilience and to ensure national sovereignty in strategic manufacturing areas. For these reasons, biomass production and usage must be improved, optimized and stabilized to guarantee future biomass availability. In the context of a circular bio economy, industrial biotechnology has a major part to play. This
