IEA Bioenergy Task 40, Sustainable biomass markets and international trade to support the biobased economy – Triennium 2016-2018
IEA Bioenergy Task 40, which has been active since 2004, consisted of 10 member countries in the 2016-2018 triennium. Over the past decade, Task 40 has supported the global development of international sustainable bioenergy trade. The focus on international biomass trade remained a vital priority in the 2016-2018 work programme of Task 40, but it was anticipated that biomass will increasingly also be utilised in the biobased economy (BBE) for new material purposes, such as bio-plastics, biomaterials and other applications before/next to direct use for energy. Developing the sustainable and stable, international biomass markets for energy and materials is a long-term process. It is particularly important to develop both supply and demand for biomass and energy carriers derived from biomass in a balanced way and avoid distortions and instability that can threaten investments in biomass production, infrastructure and conversion capacity. The Task aims to provide a vital contribution to such (policy making) decisions for market players,
policy makers, international bodies as well as NGO’s. It aims to do so by providing high quality information and analyses. Also, much has been achieved to guarantee the sustainable production and international trade of biomass for energy, yet, these mechanism may also become barriers for trade, and they should also be applied for other end uses in the biobased / circular economy.
