Every year, the European Biomass Conference and Exhibition brings together the people shaping the bioeconomy bioplastics sector in Europe. The 34th edition took place in May 2026 in The Hague. Researchers. Industry leaders. Policymakers. Investors. Start-ups. All of them in the same place, working through the same question from different angles: how do we build an economy that uses biological resources well?
The 34th edition took place in May 2026 in The Hague. It was worth paying attention to. Not just because of the science on display, but because of what the conversations revealed about where the bioeconomy is heading and what still needs to change.
Our partner ITENE attended the final day. Sergio presented a MoeBIOS research poster on integrating bioplastic recycling into existing industrial systems. The Hague provided a clearer picture of the broader context. Here is what that picture looks like.
From substitution to circularity: how Europe’s bioeconomy and bioplastics are evolving
For most of the bioeconomy’s history, the main story was simple: replace fossil-based products with bio-based ones. Substitute petroleum with plant feedstocks. Swap synthetic fibres for natural ones. The logic was one-for-one. Bio-based is better than fossil-based, so produce more bio-based.
EUBCE 2026 showed a more complex picture. Furthermore, it showed a more useful one. The bioeconomy is no longer only judged on its ability to replace fossil materials. Instead, the conversation has moved toward its role in a truly circular and low-carbon economy. The question is no longer just “is this bio-based?” It is now “does this material contribute to a system that works across its whole life cycle?” This shift also drives the EU Bioeconomy Strategy 2025, which MoeBIOS directly supports.
This shift matters a great deal for bioplastics. A bio-based plastic that ends up in landfill fails to deliver on the bioeconomy’s promise just as much as a fossil-based one does. The origin of the material is only part of the story. What happens to it at end of life is the other part. And that is the hardest part to solve.
What was on the agenda at EUBCE 2026
The 2026 programme covered six broad thematic areas, each addressing a different segment of the biomass value chain. Several are directly relevant to the work MoeBIOS is doing.
Sustainable resources and the question of feedstock
The conference opened with discussions on biomass resources and how to use them well. This is a core challenge: the bioeconomy can only be as sustainable as the inputs that feed it. Agricultural residues, forestry by-products, food industry waste streams — these are what bio-based material systems depend on. Sessions covered mapping, logistics, and the trade-offs between land use, biodiversity, and output volume.
For bioplastics in particular, feedstock matters because it shapes both the environmental impact of the material and its cost. PLA comes from corn starch. PHA comes from agricultural residues. PBS comes from succinic acid. Each has a different supply story. Each faces different constraints.
Bio-based polymers and bioplastics: from lab to market
One of the most relevant areas for MoeBIOS was Topic 6: bio-based chemicals, polymers and bioplastics. Sessions covered how to produce bio-based polymers, how to manage their end of life, and how to reach circularity and climate goals.
The recurring theme was the gap between what is technically possible and what the market actually delivers. Specifically, the conference tackled biodegradability, recyclability, and end-of-life management of bio-based materials across sectors. Certification tools such as the OK Recycled scheme for bioplastics are part of how the industry tries to close this gap. Moreover, these are exactly the challenges MoeBIOS addresses — not by showing that bioplastics can be recycled in theory, but by building the value chains that make it real.
Biorefineries and the integration of value chains
A recurring theme across the programme was the biorefinery idea: use biomass in a joined-up way, getting the most value from every part of the feedstock rather than focusing on a single output. Lignin, cellulose, biochar — materials once seen as waste are now building blocks of a new generation of bio-based products.
This thinking connects directly to what MoeBIOS is doing. The project does not try to build entirely new recycling systems. Instead, it integrates advanced sorting, conditioning and valorisation processes into the existing infrastructure of industrial recycling facilities. That is the same logic as a biorefinery, applied to waste management.
Policy, sustainability and the regulatory landscape
Policy sessions at EUBCE 2026 covered the rules shaping the bioeconomy: the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, the Circular Economy Action Plan, sustainability standards for bio-based products, and life cycle assessment as a planning tool. Speakers made one point clearly: technical progress alone is not enough. Regulatory clarity, agreed standards, and investment support are just as necessary to grow bio-based solutions.
For bioplastics, this is a key point. Rules around labelling, composting certification, recycled content, and packaging design shape what bioplastics can be used for and what happens to them at end of life. The 2026 SSbD framework is one of the most important regulatory shifts in this space. As a result, MoeBIOS actively aligns its work with it. In particular, European Bioplastics and Euro-Funding lead the engagement and exploitation activities that track this regulatory landscape within the consortium.
The message from The Hague: integration, not replacement
If EUBCE 2026 had one clear message, it was this: the bioeconomy is not a simple swap for the fossil economy. It is a system of systems. It needs to be designed, built and managed to deliver on its environmental and economic goals.
In practice, that means three things.
First, bio-based materials need end-of-life routes that actually work. A material certified as bio-based or compostable that ends up in landfill has delivered no circular benefit. The gap between material innovation and working infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges of the next decade.
Second, the bioeconomy needs better measures of success. The right question is not “does this replace a fossil product?” It is “does this contribute to a system that is more circular, more resource-efficient, and lower in emissions?” Those questions are harder to answer. However, they are the right ones.
Third, materials like biochar, lignin and cellulose — which dominated much of the EUBCE conversation — and materials like PLA, PHA, PBS and PEF — which are central to MoeBIOS — belong to the same story. All of them aim to build value from biological resources in ways that reduce pressure on fossil inputs and on natural systems. Consequently, they need investment, infrastructure and policy in parallel, not in competition.
Where MoeBIOS fits in this picture
The research Sergio showed at EUBCE goes to the heart of the infrastructure gap. MoeBIOS develops three recycling value chains for bioplastics — covering packaging, textiles and agriculture. The sorting, conditioning and valorisation processes fit into existing industrial facilities. They do not need entirely new ones.
The project’s core argument matched the broader EUBCE conversation well. Bioplastics do not need a separate recycling system to succeed. They need the existing system to be ready for them. That means better sorting tools, proven recycling steps, and a clear economic case for the upgrades needed. MoeBIOS works on all three. In addition, emerging tools such as microbial recycling open new routes for bioplastic recovery that fit the biorefinery thinking that ran through EUBCE.
To go deeper on the materials MoeBIOS works with, our post on PLA, PHA, PBS and PEF covers the chemistry and the recycling challenge. Furthermore, our post on bio-based, biodegradable and compostable explains the label confusion that makes public communication in this space so difficult. You can follow all MoeBIOS updates on our news page.
What to watch in the bioeconomy over the next 12 months
Based on the conversations at EUBCE 2026, several areas are worth watching.
The EU Bioeconomy Strategy revision should clarify how bio-based materials fit into circular economy targets. In particular, it will address recycled content requirements and end-of-life rules for packaging.
Sustainable Aviation Fuels took up a lot of space at the conference. This matters for bioplastics because as SAF demand grows, biomass feedstock competition increases. As a result, input costs for bio-based materials could rise.
AI and digital tools featured widely in the EUBCE 2026 programme. Sessions covered how AI can improve biomass supply chains, sorting processes and biorefinery operations. This connects directly to MoeBIOS, where PICVISA’s AI-powered sorting systems sit at the core of the sorting value chain.
The next EUBCE takes place in Reims in 2027. By then, MoeBIOS will be in its final months. Pilot results, demonstrator data and business plans will be ready to share with the bioeconomy community. MoeBIOS receives EU funding through the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) under Horizon Europe — the same funding programme backing many of the projects at EUBCE.