New ECESP Leadership Groups for 2025–2028 - INNOWO as Coordinator of the Circular Bioeconomy Group

The new mandate of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) for 2025–2028 marks an important step in strengthening Europe’s circular transition. The newly established Leadership Groups reflect the strategic priorities identified by the ECESP Coordination Group and are designed to translate ambition into coordinated action. INNOWO proudly takes on the role of coordinator of LG2 – Advancing an Integrated Circular Bioeconomy.

Leadership Groups are set up by the ECESP Coordination Group (CG) based on the priorities defined for the current mandate. Each group is led by one or more CG members and brings together additional CG representatives alongside external stakeholders from across the circular economy ecosystem. Structured around clearly defined thematic areas, these groups provide a collaborative space for experts, policymakers, businesses and practitioners to explore circular solutions and assess their policy implications.

The leadership groups:

LG1: Transitioning to circular value chains 

LG2: Advancing an integrated circular bioeconomy

LG3: Enabling an inclusive circular society

LG4: Economic and financing instruments for the circular transition

LG5: Increasing demand for European circular solutions

LG2: Advancing an Integrated Circular Bioeconomy – coordinated by INNOWO

INNOWO proudly takes on the role of coordinator of LG2 – Advancing an Integrated Circular Bioeconomy. This Leadership Group is positioned to accelerate the deployment and scaling of regenerative, circular solutions across Europe’s biological value chains.

Building on the new EU Bioeconomy Strategy, the group will work to strengthen the interconnections between biodiversity protection, climate mitigation and adaptation, resilience, competitiveness and sustainable biobased value chains. A central principle guiding the group’s work is ensuring that biobased activities operate within planetary boundaries and are firmly grounded in circular economy principles.

Strategic Priorities:

The group’s work will focus on:

1. Connecting stakeholders across sectors — producers, land managers, industry, researchers, cities and regions - to promote integrated solutions that:

o   reduce pressure on natural resources,

o   restore ecosystems,

o   enhance resilience in the face of climate change, climate mitigation and adaptation,

o   address geostrategic shifts.

2. Exploring synergies between circular bioeconomy practices and sustainable agrifood systems, including:

o   reducing food loss and waste,

o   promoting soil health,

o   strengthening local circular loops.

3. Accelerating the shift to sustainable, regenerative and circular use of biological resources across EU value chains, including:

o   Building circular systems for biomass: from production and processing to reuse, repair, remanufacturing, nutrient recovery, bioplastics recycling and regenerative return to the biosphere - embedding cascading use, the waste hierarchy and biodiversity protection and restoration as core principles.

o   Mapping and improving biobased value chains, including the identification of lead markets.

o   Strengthening industrial symbiosis.

o   Developing regional bioeconomy ecosystems.

o   Supporting SMEs and rural communities.

o   Advancing standards for biobased materials.

o   Improving monitoring and policy coherence across agriculture, forestry, food systems, biowaste and biobased industries.

o   Improving methodologies and modelling for assessing sustainably sourced biomass availability across use and non-use scenarios.

o   Identifying and disseminating good practices in the circular bioeconomy.

o   Monitoring the EU’s role in international biobased value chains, ensuring a constructive global presence that balances EU interests with sustainable partnerships.

o   Identifying and verifying how the group’s outputs deliver measurable benefits for biodiversity.

Expected Key Results

The group’s work is structured around three major objectives:

Objective 1: Build Circular Value Chain Transparency and Coherence Across Key Biobased Sectors

• Publish 7 cross-sector circular value chain maps (food, forestry, plastics, textiles, mobility, packaging, construction materials) highlighting material flows, leakages and circularity opportunities.

• Identify 20 systemic bottlenecks and 20 enabling conditions per sector, including:

  • design and treatment barriers,

  • reverse-logistics gaps,

  • regulatory inconsistencies.

• Deliver a policy alignment brief identifying synergies and possible inconsistencies between EU and national bioeconomy strategies and key frameworks, including:

  • CAP,

  • CEAP and national circular economy strategies and action plans,

  • national biodiversity and climate strategies (NBSAPs and NCDs),

  • key legislative frameworks such as WFD and ESPR.

    
    

    Based on this assessment, the group will propose 10 concrete solutions.

Objective 2: Scale Reuse, Repair, Recycling and Remanufacturing — and Strengthen Biological Loop Infrastructure

• Suggest EU-wide minimum standards for repair, reuse and remanufacturing hubs for biobased products (wood, textiles, packaging, bioplastics).

• Identify 10–15 industrial symbiosis opportunities linking agriculture, food, forestry, aquaculture and biochemicals.

Objective 3: Accelerate the Transition of SMEs and Rural Regions to Circular Bioeconomy Models

• Develop a toolkit of 3–5 scalable circular bioeconomy business models, including:

  • regenerative systems,

  • product-as-a-service approaches,

  • cascading material valorisation.

• Create a youth and skills programme, integrating circular bioeconomy elements into three existing EU-level educational programmes.

Open and Inclusive Collaboration

The Leadership Groups are open to the broader circular economy community and are designed to deliver ambitious and meaningful results throughout the mandate.

The application procedure has been updated for this round. Interested stakeholders are required to complete an EUSurvey form, providing contact details and specifying which Leadership Group(s) they wish to join and why. Applications are reviewed by the respective group leader, who selects members based on expertise, experience and strategic relevance to the Platform’s objectives, while also ensuring geographical balance.

Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to contribute to EU-level discussions and policy development.

The new Leadership Groups for the 2025–2028 mandate are now officially established. A full description of their thematic focus and expected outcomes is available in the Coordination Group Work Programme of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform – a joint initiative of the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee.

With LG2 under its coordination, INNOWO takes on a strategic role in shaping a resilient, regenerative and competitive circular bioeconomy for Europe – ensuring that environmental integrity, economic viability and social inclusion move forward together.

More information: https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/en/leadership-groups