This event will take place on 15 September, 2026 at 'The One' building (Rue de la Loi 107) in Brussels, Belgium. This event is by invitation only.

Background

The EU Bioeconomy Strategy identifies bio-based construction products as a lead market within the EU bioeconomy.  In fact, materials like wood, hemp, straw, mycelium and fibre-based composites already find application in the EU construction sector, with high potential for growth. Further durable bio-based solutions for insulation, plumbing or structural elements are being investigated, with the help of EU funds for research and innovation. Still, significant knowledge gaps and weakly evidenced issues, as well as areas for improvement of policy or industrial strategies exist.

The Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy (KCB) is a European Commission initiative on improved knowledge management for bioeconomy-related policymaking. It aims at developing a common and robust knowledge base for a sustainable and circular bioeconomy. In June 2026, the KCB started a deep dive analysis of the bio-based construction products which have the most chance to succeed in the EU market, while ensuring positive social and environmental impacts. With the support of DG RTD and the collaboration of three recognised experts in the field, this work will provide a clear and multifaced representation of the bio-based construction products sector, to inform future policies.

Description

The workshop is by invitation only and will take place in hybrid modality. It will include both presentations and interactive sessions. In the morning session, representatives of the European Commission will explain how the European policy is supporting the bio-based construction products market. In addition, they will show results produced by EU-funded research on the topic. Further presentations by academic experts will focus on the state of play of the bio-based construction products in the EU and key issues at stake. In the parallel sessions, participants will be invited to take part in working tables to share their views and knowledge on sustainable feedstock, material performance and economic viability, processing technologies, market trends, environmental impacts, innovative applications and end of life solutions. The interactive sessions will make it possible to discuss and challenge the methodology behind the KCB deep dive analysis of the bio-based construction products, as well as to contribute to identifying the most effective scale up strategies, key knowledge gaps and research opportunities, by means of a multicriteria decision-making exercise, based on the outcomes of the expert survey circulated before the workshop. Finally, the key highlights from parallel sessions will be discussed in plenary and the workshop organisers will illustrate the next steps.

Expected outcomes

This workshop will enable a constructive dialogue on bio-based construction products among scientists, policymakers, and industrial stakeholders. Such dialogue will bring input to the deep dive analysis to be developed by the KCB, in support of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and of future policy actions in this field.