SUSTRACK’s preliminary report on the environmental, economic, cultural and social limits of the linear, carbon-intensive and fossil-based economy

The findings in this report showcase the outcomes of a comprehensive stakeholder consultation with the objectives of identifying and confirming the challenges that impede progress towards a sustainable circular bio-based economy. These barriers encompass various areas such as environmental, economic, and social sustainability, along with technical, structural, and cultural challenges. The stakeholder consultation was built upon the barriers identified through an extensive literature review, documented in D1.1. The identified barriers were initially validated through a co-creation workshop. Following this, a series of interviews were conducted with 20 experts in the bio-based economy field to further confirm the results of the workshop, allocate the barriers to the four critical sectors that the project focuses on (textile, chemical, plastics and construction), and identify any additional barriers that may have been overlooked. The resulting list of barriers was utilised in the development of a questionnaire for a more comprehensive survey during a broader consultation process.