Creating leverage to enhance biodiversity outcomes of global biomass trade

CLEVER identifies new leverage points for sustainable transformation informed by a novel holistic approach to quantify biodiversity and other impacts of trade in major raw and processed non-food biomass value chains. In line with Pillars 3 & 4 of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, we address all outcomes of this topic by adopting perspectives at the system and value chain levels. At the system level, we improve our understanding of leakage effects in the non-food biomass trade system informed by quasi-experimental evaluation techniques, quantitative scenario modelling, and policy case studies. At the value chain level, CLEVER engages with key stakeholders (i.e., producers, traders, retailers, civil society, and policy makers) in R&I co-design to identify leverage points for transformative change at corporate and institutional levels. Value chain analyses will produce ‘ecological footprints’ from advanced life cycle analyses and enhance our understanding of actor-specific behavior focusing on trade in soy, timber, wood pulp, and fishmeal/oil between Europe, South America, and Central Africa. Further CLEVER products and tools to influence decision-making at the right level include (1) improved indicators of biodiversity loss to inform business and policy, (2) enhanced features for the global modelling platform GLOBIOM to quantify trade-mediated leakage and SDG interdependencies in biomass value chains, and (3) an innovation action pool to support public and private decision-makers in choosing governance instruments that effectively enhance biodiversity and promote climate change mitigation and adaptation. Building on prior and ongoing engagement of its members at the science-policy interface and through partnerships with other projects under the destination on biodiversity and ecosystem services, the consortium will leverage CLEVER knowledge and tools to strengthen IPBES and IPCC and enhance science-industry cooperation for sustainable bioeconomic transformation.