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Is cascading use of biomass a superior concept in the context of a sustainable bioeconomy? Can we prove it is beneficial for land managers, industry and society? Are there winners and losers? What are the drivers or barriers to cascade use? Do we need additional rules and regulations? These are some of the questions to be discussed in a series of interactive sessions.

For more information, click here.

The CASTLE conference Towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy - innovative methods and solutions for the agriculture and forest sectors will take place at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site in Barcelona, Spain on 21-23 October 2015.

Moving towards a bioeconomy is one of the key policy strategies of the EU. Its vision is of a knowledge-based Europe turning to green growth via innovation, which presents opportunities for the agricultural and forest-based sectors. Sustainable production of renewable resources will be needed, with the conversion of these resources and waste streams into value added products, such as food, feed, bio-based products and bioenergy. Even though we currently lack a transparent and common understanding of the definition of a bioeconomy, we require improved tools and assessment methodologies to ensure that this intensified use of renewable biological resources is done sustainably.

The Towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy conference aims to support this vision by showcasing science-based results through an open forum to help identify and implement sustainable opportunities for the bioeconomy by fostering scientific exchange (day 1), organizing science-policy-practice interaction (day 2), and developing persuasive solutions (day 3).

The science day of the conference focuses on scientific methods and assessments which can help achieve these goals. The sessions will emphasise ongoing research and the most recent developments in methods, tools and social innovations which aim to measure and manage environmental, social and economic challenges towards a sustainable biomass supply and the bioeconomy as a whole.

The science-policy-practice day includes workshops which bring together scientists with invited policy makers and industry representatives to discuss and exchange information on the implementation challenges of a sustainable bioeconomy. These interactive sessions will contribute towards developing science-based decision support for policy and practice.

The solutions day will discuss the compelling solutions from the previous sessions, and formulate key messages and recommendations for stakeholders from policy and practice to be published immediately following the conference.

For more information, please go to www.castle-itn.eu/conference.

Photo by Sarah Adams, EFIMED

The topic of your research project is "Business Planning for Unintended Consequences: Good Intentions Aren't Enough". You've been working on it for some months now - how is your work progressing? What do you plan to do/cover over the next 6 months?

I changed the focus of my topic in the middle of this year after some inspiration from the CASTLE training session in Sweden.  Since then I feel my progress has been coming along well. At the moment I am writing a theory paper about why business should take unintended consequences of corporate sustainability action seriously. In the next few weeks I hope to finish this and then divert my focus to defining the qualitative research methodology. Within the next 6 months I will be conducting the interviews with business about how they perceive and plan for unintended consequences.   

Why did this exact topic interest you?

During the training session in Sweden I noticed an interesting paradox which existed in the bio-economy (and the broader sustainability debate). On one hand we talk about the importance of bold decision making, innovation and action. But on the other hand, action increases the likelihood of unintended consequences due to the complexity of our world, societies and people. It was the focus of unintended land use change and its interdependency with bioenergy debate which made me think about this idea. After speaking with my professor, I realized it was a paradox which was not being discussed in the corporate sustainability literature.

I like the topic because I feel it opens a new slant on an important debate in corporate sustainability; how business can meaningfully engage and take action in complexity. Engaging with environmental complexity and uncertainty gets right to the heart of the shift towards corporate sustainability. I hope my research can bring some new ideas to the corporate sustainability scholarship.  

What would you like to do after the CASTLE project has finished?

In the future I see myself working as a consultant or within a business implementing systems to improve long-term, sustainable business performance. I want to implement sustainable management practices in business that causes a step change in the promotion of sustainable development.  I will maintain a strong link with the research sector, using my workplace as an action-learning centre, encouraging the sponsorship of innovative research and maintaining a personal active research and publication program. 

What are your thoughts on the CASTLE project so far, and the training courses in particular?

I often feel lucky to have a job where I can work on a topic which I am passionate about with the time to dig deeper. The training has helped to compliment the ‘digging deeper’ process, by providing more general teaching about forestry and sustainability tools. I studied environmental engineering and worked on environmental impacts assessments in the mining industry in Australia so the training to get me up to speed with forestry and forestry specific sustainability challenges was particularly important (and interesting) for me. Of course one of the best parts of the training is to touch base and share ideas within our ESR family. I think all the ESRs agree that we love the diversity of countries and backgrounds which make up the CASTLE team.