Benefits of Using First-Generation Biomass for Food, Fuels, Chemicals and Derived Materials in Europe (PDF)

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October 02, 2025

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(Renewable Carbon Publications) First-generation biomass in non-food applications increases food security. -- Using first-generation biomass for non-food applications strengthens food security by increasing overall availability of feedstock and market stability. At the same time, it also delivers valuable protein-rich by-products addressing the most critical needs for human and animal nutrition. The ability to shift crops between the food, feed, and industrial markets enables the EU and market players to respond swiftly to changes in demand and mitigate the risks associated with supply chain disruptions. Most importantly, using first-generation biomass for non-food applications offers a fast and economical way to set up and ensure an emergency food reserve.

First-generation biomass in non-food applications enhances a resilient and competitive EU agriculture
First-generation biomass in non-food applications supports climate change mitigation
First-generation biomass in non-food applications supports biodiversity protection
High-tech agriculture further enhances the benefits of first-generation biomass.

DOI No.: https://doi.org/10.52548/GCJC4981 READ MORE

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Excerpt from nova-Institute: Using first-generation agricultural biomass, i.e. crops like cereals, sugar and oil plants, to produce bio-based energy and materials in Europe results in important benefits for food security, biodiversity, agriculture and climate-change mitigation, according to a new expert paper from the nova-Institute think tank.

Europe’s bioeconomy – which produces renewable, non-fossil-based materials and energy solutions from biomass – is soon to be the focus of a new EU strategy aimed at boosting Europe’s autonomy and competitiveness while reducing its reliance on fossil-based resources. The new study from the nova-Institute confirms that the EU has the biomass resources necessary to realise the strategy, and dispels myths about the use of first-generation agricultural biomass, such as starch, sugar and oilseed crops.

“Despite widespread concern and frequent policy pushback against the use of first-generation biomass for industrial applications, often originating from concerns of undermining food security, scientific evidence suggests that these concerns are largely misplaced,” the report states. “The debate is shaped by emotional and political arguments rather than robust data or a comprehensive understanding of the global food system.”

The new research highlights four key benefits to the EU from the use of biomass including food crops for non-food applications such as fuels, chemicals and materials:

Enhancing a resilient and competitive EU agriculture: Selling crops to multiple markets gives farmers greater flexibility and reduces their vulnerability to price fluctuations in any single sector; it also encourages investment in innovation and sustainable practices, as farmers can diversify their income and adapt to changes in the market.
Increased food security: Using first-generation biomass for non-food applications strengthens food security in several important ways. This includes improved market stability through delivering protein-rich by-products, providing good availability of food crops and long-term scalability for starch, sugar and oil crops in the EU, all while providing an emergency food reserve in times of crisis.
Supporting climate change mitigation: In order to defossilise European industry – critical for net-zero targets in chemical and fuel sectors – the use of first-generation biomass is indispensable. Although second-generation biomass is widely accepted, first-generation biomass can usually be produced at lower cost and scaled up more easily and significantly.
Supporting biodiversity protection: Food crops are the most efficient use of land for producing starch, sugar and plant oils; maximising the productivity of each hectare reduces the total land area required for agriculture, leaving more space for nature and biodiversity protection.

The study also considers the potential impact of shifting only to second-generation sugars (meaning sugar from lignocellulose) instead of using first-generation biomass: First, the same amount of fermentable sugars for the biorefinery would require multiple times the amount of land; second, there would be less protein supply as important by-product of 1G non-food production; third, the emergency reserve of first-generation crops (starch, sugar and plant oils) for food crises would be lost, as second-generation crops cannot provide food by definition; and finally, even with 1G sugar prices, biorefineries and bio-based chemicals and derived materials can hardly compete with fossil solutions; with 2G sugars being two to three times more expensive, any relevant scaling up for defossilisation is impossible.

The nova-Institute report was commissioned by the European Bioeconomy Alliance, a multistakeholder, cross-sector platform dedicated to mainstreaming the bioeconomy and achieving its full potential in Europe.

Read the full report here.

ABOUT EUROPEAN BIOECONOMY ALLIANCE

The European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA) is an alliance of leading European organisations representing sectors active in the bioeconomy – agriculture, forestry, biotechnology, sugar, starch, vegetable oils, pulp and paper, bioplastics, renewable ethanol, and research & innovation. READ MORE