Collaboration pays off
Through the collaborative project Land meets Sea, the four national industry clusters NCE Seafood, NCE Heidner Biocluster, NCE Blue Legasea and Biotech North have been among those who have contributed to the report.
– We are pleased that our “cluster-to-cluster” collaboration contributes to the development of the national strategy for the bio-industries, says Nina Stangeland, Managing Director of NCE Seafood.
The report points out that precisely such coordinated and strategic collaborations are one of the main prerequisites for increasing the pace of resource utilization in bioindustries.
Points to three main prerequisites for success
BioDigSirk, administered by the Brønnøysund Registers, has submitted the report to the Government. The report presents an assessment of solutions that will improve resource utilization in the bioindustries. They point out that three prerequisites must be in place for optimal resource use:
- We need to share data on available raw materials across sectors
- We must ensure application at the highest possible level.
- We need to put in place coordinated and strategic collaboration to increase the pace.
One of the contributors to the report is Elise Sæle Dahle, Project Developer at Land Meets Sea.
– We have a long way to go when it comes to utilizing our resources. One challenge is that many of the raw materials in question today have such low value that it is difficult to utilize them profitably, says Elise Sæle Dahle.
Sæle Dahle has personally experienced the value of collaboration in her work as a project developer across the four national clusters NCE Heidner Biocluster, NCE Seafood, NCE Blue Legasea and Biotech North.
– In the report, we highlight how coordinated and strategic cooperation is absolutely necessary for Norway to become a pioneer in the circular economy, and I have great faith that the bio-industries can achieve this together, she says.
Must be assessed by the ministries
With the help of contributors from the bioindustries, BioDigSirk has delivered a recommendation in the report with eight strategic actions and over 50 measures that can significantly strengthen the national circular economy in Norway.
It is now up to the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, who will consider how the advice should be followed up.
Sæle Dahle hopes the report can help the Government take action.
– We are only 2.4% circular, so Norway is behind the world average of 8%. Better utilization of our bioresources can be the basis for a new industry, contribute to lower climate emissions and less impact on nature.
About the report and the project
In 2021, the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food commissioned Brønnøysund Registers to administer a project that would identify possible solutions that could contribute to better and more circular resource utilization in the bioindustries. This was carried out in the project BioDigSirk
The BioDigSirk project is part of the follow-up to the National Strategy for a Green, Circular Economy. The work has been carried out through established sector development partnerships within agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture.
A general rule of thumb in the project has been that the business sector leads the way and the public sector develops in step with the industries. The project has therefore had close dialogue and participation from business, research and academia, where the bio-industries have been invited to participate in the steering group, in reference groups and as active project participants. The Norwegian Digitalisation Council has provided advice to the project along the way. BioDigSirk received a grant of NOK 5 million in 2021 and 5 million in 2022.
Read the report here: https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/biodigsirk/id2959778/
