SUSTRACK’s advancement of sustainability assessment knowledge-draft

This report focuses on the development of new indicators applicable for monitoring and evaluating the transition to circular bio-based systems, which were identified as gaps across the set of indicators that emerged in D2.1. Three research gaps have been selected for further exploration

• Governance indicator(s): to give insight into how stakeholders work together in achieving common strategic goals of a city/local/regional area, like via cluster organisations, industrial/regional/ministerial corporations; existence of circular bio-based economy strategic plans.

• Monetisation of externalities indicator(s): to distinguish between market price and inherent value for externalities, like greenhouse gas emission, and to permit a fairer comparison between fossil-based and bio-based systems.

• LCA-based indicator(s): to integrate key impact categories for the bioeconomy, like (in)direct land-use issues, biodiversity, deforestation, soil/water quality, and related carbon emissions.

Knowledge has been developed on how these research gaps could be tackled taking into account issues like system boundaries, methodological approach and data needs.

In particular, this report contains the first round of reporting on the development of the aforementioned three innovative indicator types that should bridge knowledge gaps. This work is ongoing research that will be continued and finalised in the course of the SUSTRACK project.