18.06.2026 – 11:20
From Vision to Value // Scaling the Industrial Bioeconomy
The transition to a bio-based economy is often presented as a key pathway towards climate neutrality and sustainable resource use. Yet the growing industrial demand for biomass also raises fundamental questions about land use, competition with food production, and the protection of human rights. As long as food security is not adequately considered in agricultural supply chains, the expansion of the bioeconomy risks exacerbating existing social inequalities and threatening the human right to adequate food.
At the Bioeconomy Conference 2026, Lisa Heinemann, Project Manager for the Food Security Standard (FSS) at Welthungerhilfe (WHH), will bring this critical perspective to the discussion. Drawing on her expertise in social sustainability risks within global agricultural supply chains, she will explore how the production of industrial biomass and the protection of food security can be reconciled through robust human rights due diligence and effective sustainability standards.
The session will address the ongoing “food versus fuel” debate while moving beyond simplistic narratives. It will examine how the bioeconomy can meet its global social responsibilities, which safeguards are needed to ensure a just transition, and how practical tools such as the Food Security Standard can help businesses identify, prevent, and address food security risks in agricultural value chains. The discussion aims to demonstrate that a sustainable bioeconomy must not only reduce environmental impacts but also uphold the human right to adequate food and promote socially responsible supply chains.
