The JRC Biomass Mandate

Bioeconomy Knowledge Centre

Brief me

The demand for biomass is growing worldwide. However, its long-term viability is at risk, due to declining ecosystem conditions. The latest JRC findings call for more coherent governance and urgent actions to ensure that biomass production and use are compatible with ecological limits and EU policy goals.

Birds eye view of Europe, but covered in trees and greenery

With the JRC Biomass Mandate, 12 EC services have agreed in 2015 to task the JRC with delivering on a long-term basis scientifically robust assessments of EU and global biomass supply and demand. This by focusing on environmental, social, and economic sustainability through data, models, and analyses.

Key resources

Image of a plant sprouts from shortest to tallest, with an ascending line under them with an arrow pointing up, indicating growth, there is also a field and a blue tractor out of focus in the background

Brief:
Biomass supply and demand in the EU 2012-2022

Image from the cover page of the Biomass mandate 10th anniversary report

Report:
EU Biomass supply, uses, governance and regenerative actions, 10-year anniversary edition

biomass report cover with a slightly transparent white layer and a leaflet icon in the middle

Leaflet:
EU Biomass supply, uses, governance and regenerative actions, 10-year anniversary edition

Crop of the cover page to the report Trends in the EU bioeconomy 2024

Report:
Trends in the EU Bioeconomy - 2024 update

Digital image of various charts and data visualisations

Datasets:
Harmonised data from the JRC biomass mandate

Image of two people at a desk looking at a graph on a screen, with different graph types superimposed over the image

Tool:
EU Bioeconomy Monitoring System

Biomass by area

Agricultural biomass

Forestry biomass

Aquaculture and fisheries biomass

Algae biomass

Explore further

Bioeconomy Glossary

Land use, land-use change and forestry Regulation (LULUCF)

Common fisheries policy (CFP)

Regulation on Deforestation-free products

Background of The JRC Biomass Mandate

Biomass mandate outputs

Expand the tabs to explore publications from the JRC Biomass mandate. See Key resources from the EC Knowledge Center for Bioeconomy for more outputs.

Reports

Scientific papers

Briefs

Interactive charts and tools

EU Bioeconomy Monitoring System (2025)
EU Biomass Flows (2025)
Spatial distribution of biomass production (2022)
Bio-based industry and biorefineries in the EU (2022)
Interactive Sankey diagrams of woody biomass flows in the European Union (2022)

Infographics

Latest knowledge from this Project

PUBLICATION | 07 Jan 2026

Originally Published \| Last Updated	20 Nov 2018 \| 01 Jun 2026
Knowledge service \| Metadata	Bioeconomy Knowledge Centre \| Agricultural biomass Algae biomass Forestry biomass Fisheries and aquaculture biomass
Related organisation(s)	JRC - Joint Research Centre
Digital Europa Thesaurus (DET)	bioeconomy biomass forest aquatic ecosystem Agriculture bioenergy ecosystem EU policy food waste natural resources sustainable development

Supporting policy with scientific evidence

Brief me

Key resources

Biomass by area

Explore further

Biomass mandate outputs

Latest knowledge from this Project

The role of biomass in the European Green Deal policies

EU Biomass supply, uses, governance and regenerative actions

Background of The JRC Biomass Mandate

More information

Recommended reading

Seaweed-based textile dyes: a sustainable innovation

Policy

EU Bioeconomy Monitoring System dashboards