HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-04 | Environmental Benchmarking of the Blue Bioeconomy: Ecosystem Services and Life Cycle Assessment

AquaBioTech Group seeks to complement a consortium preparing a proposal under HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-04 — Europe-wide environmental benchmarking system of the industrial bioeconomy sectors.

We propose to contribute aquatic environmental and blue-bioeconomy expertise to assess how emerging industrial bio-based technologies affect environmental performance, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Our contribution would focus on eligible non-food applications and their supply chains, helping the consortium identify environmental benefits, pressures and trade-offs.

We would bring a practical sector perspective to the development of benchmarking approaches that combine life cycle information, operational data and ecosystem-service considerations. The objective would be to support evidence-based comparisons without assuming that bio-based technologies necessarily deliver better environmental outcomes.

Proposed contribution to the consortium

• Ecosystem-service assessment: help identify and assess relevant interactions between selected industrial technologies and aquatic ecosystem services, such as water purification, nutrient regulation, habitat provision and climate regulation, where supported by evidence.

• Environmental benchmarking and LCA: contribute technical data and sector interpretation to harmonised assessments covering water consumption, energy demand, emissions, resource use and waste generation. Ecosystem-service analysis would complement—not replace—the consortium’s life cycle assessment methodology.

• Biodiversity and environmental trade-offs: examine how feedstock sourcing, industrial processing and residual-stream management may affect aquatic habitats and biodiversity, distinguishing measured impacts from potential benefits.

• Blue-bioeconomy case studies: support the selection and assessment of eligible applications, such as marine-derived bio-based materials, chemicals and associated industrial processes, subject to scope confirmation and data availability.

• Techno-economic assessment: evaluate costs, technology maturity and operational requirements alongside environmental outcomes to identify practical conditions for deployment.

• Stakeholder engagement and guidance: engage technology developers, operators, researchers and public authorities to validate findings and develop accessible recommendations for industry and decision-makers.

AquaBioTech Group could contribute:

• A framework linking selected technologies to relevant aquatic ecosystem services.

• Environmental inventories and blue-bioeconomy benchmarking case studies.

• Biodiversity and aquatic ecosystem-service indicators, with clear baselines and evidence requirements.

• Integrated environmental and techno-economic assessments on blue economy case studies.

• Guidance on environmental trade-offs, data gaps and opportunities for improved performance relating to blue economy sectors

We welcome cooperation with industrial biotechnology developers, LCA specialists, ecosystem-service researchers, biodiversity experts, industry associations and public authorities.

AquaBioTech Group could lead or support aquatic-sector case studies, technical data collection, stakeholder engagement and interpretation of environmental performance, working with specialist partners on ecosystem-service quantification and valuation.