While biomass production and extraction in the EU continue to grow, its long-term viability is at risk due to declining ecosystem conditions. A new JRC report calls for more coherent governance and urgent actions to ensure that biomass production and use are compatible with ecological limits and EU policy goals.
Agricultural biomass: regenerative action needed
Agriculture is the primary source of biomass in the EU, ensuring a high degree of self-sufficiency with only 3% of net imports. Production has increased slightly over the past two decades due to changes in agricultural management practices. Currently, over 60% of agricultural biomass, like grains and cereals, are used for feed. However, according to the JRC Biomass Report, only 24% of agricultural ecosystems in the EU are in good condition, while 53% are in moderate condition and 23% are in poor condition.
Text version
Regenerative practices and adjustments to land stewardship could improve this situation by restoring ecological functions, while maintaining productivity. In addition, dietary changes and alternatives to animal-based food could make land and biomass available for other uses. For example, it can be used to replace non-renewable raw materials for textiles, building materials and chemicals.
Forests: Need to improve forest ecosystems and take action against the declining carbon sink
The report shows that while forest conditions have improved in 33 forest ecosystems, their situation declined significantly in northern Scandinavia, the Carpathians, and the Iberian Peninsula.
As a result of human activity, less than 3% of forested areas in Europe today are classified as primary or old growth. By contrast, over 70% of European forests are even-aged, highlighting a shift away from natural, uneven-aged forest structures, which according to scientific research would negatively impact the resilience of forest ecosystems and adaptation to climate change.
Based on forest growth modelling simulations, which assume that current trends of 2% GDP growth persist, we could be facing an increase in roundwood demand of 30% by 2050, compared with 2020 figures. Under the current forestry regimes, this could result in demand for wood exceeding available domestic EU supply by 6%.
This would also have profound and negative impacts on the capacity of forests to absorb CO2. In this scenario, the forest carbon sink contribution would further decrease by around 37% by 2050, relative to 2020. This could prevent the EU from meeting its targets for the land use and forestry sectors under the LULUCF Regulation.
Sustainable land management practices and carbon farming schemes could help mitigate ecosystem degradation. These include extending the forest rotation period between harvest cycles, planting diverse tree species, taking the impacts of climate change on forest growth into account, restoring peatlands, changing agriculture practices, and improving urban green spaces.
Biomass trade: deforestation beyond EU borders
The EU’s biomass footprint extends beyond its borders, with imports of commodities such as soy, cocoa, palm oil and coffee linked to deforestation and the conversion of biodiversity-rich regions into arable land. This results in an externalisation of the EU’s land footprint (the land used to produce these commodities) of approximately 27 million hectares - almost half the size of Spain. In addition, deforestation linked to EU imports of food-related commodities has led to a significant loss of forest biomass.
To address this, the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free products aims to stop deforestation that is driven by the consumption of key commodities, and enhance supply chain transparency through due diligence. The regulation has the potential to drive substantial change in supply chains and encourage global sustainable trade practices.
Fisheries: limited progress
In the maritime sector, there has been progress towards more sustainable fishing, enabling ecosystems to recover. The proportion of fish stocks harvested at or below maximum sustainable yield has increased from 28% to 70% from 2003 to 2022. This is in line with the common fisheries policy objectives and will enable the gradual recovery of fisheries over time.
The potential of seaweed
Algae offer a source of biomass that does not require land, freshwater, or fertilisers, and contributes to carbon absorption. Over the past decade, demand for algae has grown rapidly, driven by its potential uses in animal feed and food supplements, pharmaceuticals and biofuels.
While global seaweed production largely relies on cultivation, the EU continues to depend mostly on wild harvesting. Exploring the possibility of cultivating algae in our sea, improving legislation for the sector, supporting businesses to scale up production and optimise supply chains, as well as closing the knowledge, data and innovation gap could help tackle issues in this area.
Waste streams: more potential for circularity
Waste is at the heart of circularity. 90% of waste in the EU is now collected for other uses, thanks to the Waste Framework Directive and the significant increase in waste recovery from households in the past 10 years. Moreover, the recovery of biowaste for energy has doubled over the last decade in the EU, largely due to growth in biogas and biomethane production.
Yet, waste recovery has not reduced our extraction of biomass from primary sources, underlining the importance of a truly circular economy.
From knowledge to governance
While bio-based sectors add economic value, they also come at high ecological cost. The report highlights a range of land and ecosystem-based management approaches to address these issues. These sector-specific actions could support the transition to a more regenerative or resilient way of managing natural resources.
Reaching the EU’s environmental and economic objectives will require aligning production with local and planetary boundaries, while recognising that sustainability, not just growth, must guide the future of biomass policy.
Background
The demand for biomass is increasing worldwide. Recognising the need for an overarching and scientifically robust approach to assess the status and trends of biomass sources and uses, the JRC was given a mandate to provide data, models and analyses on EU and global biomass supply and demand, and its environmental, social and economic sustainability.
This edition of the Biomass Report marks the tenth anniversary of the JRC Biomass Mandate and provides a comprehensive review of the sources, uses, and sustainability implications of the EU biomass system over the last decade.
Related links
Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy
Regulation on Deforestation-free products - European Commission
Common fisheries policy (CFP) - European Commission
EU land use footprint: modelling the land needed for EU consumption - European Commission