Case of Europe. 4.3.2.1 Matrix of policies, laws and guidelines in relation to biofuels value chain A key driver for the development and implementation of biorefineries is the growth in demand for energy, fuels, and chemicals. Accordingly, the aim of research is in developing new technologies and creating novel processes, products, and capabilities to ensure the growth is sustainable from economic, environmental and social perspectives (IEA, 2007). In the context of the European Union, several policies, programmes and strategies have included the elements for Research and Development in the topic of biotechnology. These strategic and regulatory documents are presented in Figure 45. Figure 45: Overview of strategic and regulatory documents related to the biorefineries concept, research and implementation Source: Xxxx-Xxxxxx, 2012 The concept of biorefineries in the EU is expected to be developed based on the integration with existing industrial value chains (Star Colibri, 2012). It is also expected that the development of biorefineries will be driven by some sectors in the biobased economy including: agro-industry, forest based industry, the energy sector, biofuels industry and the chemical industry. Therefore, different policy and regulatory policy instruments, along with the participation of stakeholders, help to develop the pathway in order to have a biobased economy in Europe. Some of these instruments more related to biorefineries activities are presented in the following Table 15, indicating their main characteristics. Table 15: Policy and regulatory instruments related to biorefineries in Europe Type of instrument Name Date Characteristics Reference Strategy The Europe 2020 Strategy. Replaced the Lisbon Strategy- Until 2020 The Europe 2020 strategy aims to create jobs, and encourage 'green' economic growth and create an inclusive society. The strategy's main targets include: raise EU employment rate from 69% to 75%; reduce school drop-out rates to less than 10%; reduce the number of Europeans living in poverty by 25% (equivalent to 20 million people); reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared to 1990 levels (or by 30% if the conditions are right); 20% of total energy consumption to be from renewable energy and increasing energy efficiency by 20%; 3% of the EU's GDP to be invested in Research and Development.
Case of Europe. The assessment was done on the criteria selected as indicated in section 4.1.4. Some of the indicators provide background for the assessment (1-6; 13-14) and were assessed with an SIA methodology. The parameters (8-12) assessed with the hotspot database used a scale for the risk from low, medium, high and very high. These parameters were included in the Hotspot index according to the methodology from Xxxxxx et al. (2010). As the assessment includes more than 50 characterized social issues for 20 Social Themes, the amount of data is difficult to assess for decision-making. For this reason, Xxxxxx et al. (2012) recommend to calculate a Social Hotspot Index for each CSS and identify hotspots in the supply chain. The authors constructed the Index by weighting the level of risk identified for each Social Issue. A zero was assigned to social issues with low risk, a 1 was assigned to those that are medium, a 2 to those with high risk, and a 3 for those with very high risk. Summing across all social issues resulted in a total number of weighted hotspot issues to be aware of when working in that country and sector. Thus, social issues are not compared against each other. All issues are weighted equally in the sum and all are considered a risk or negative impact. Positive impacts are not assessed with the Social Hotspot Index. The summary of the assessment of the case studies is presented in Table 17. The full detailed case studies are presented in Annex V. Table 17: Summary of social sustainability criteria for the EU case studies. No Parameter/criteria France Germany Hungary 1 Trade of feedstock The incentives reported for the National Case in France, are specific for biofuels production. The incentives refer to tax exemptions 2 Identification of stakeholders along the supply chain Stakeholders have been identified in section 4.3.2.3 Stakeholders have been identified in section 4.3.2.3 Stakeholders have been identified in section 4.3.2.3
