Ex-Ante Eco-Efficiency Assessment of Dendromass Production: Conception and Experiences of an Innovation Project

Rising demand for bio-based products exerts growing pressure on natural resources such as wood. The agricultural technique of short rotation coppice (SRC) to produce dendromass from fast growing trees has gained relevance to ease the pressure of demand for wood from forests. The European-funded project Dendromass4Europe supports the establishment of SRC in Western Slovakia and its biomass use for four new bio-based materials, in the context of a developing bioeconomy. Along with the development of the SRC and material value chains, eco-efficiency assessment is carried out to anticipate areas of critical concern and derive measures for improvement. Among many other assessment approaches, eco-efficiency assessment was conducted by combining Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and socio-economic assessment to optimize the whole production system towards eco-efficiency. An LCA study provided necessary data to assess the environmental performance. The added value and revenue results from the socio-economic assessment were used to assess the economic performance. The value chain of the moulded fibre parts shows the best eco-efficiency value, but only because its economic performance is comparatively strong. The lightweight boards have the least environmental impact but do not perform so well in terms of eco-efficiency. The overall eco-efficiency of the full value chain can be optimized only with a specific combination of all four dendromass-based materials within the whole production system

The Role of the Social Licence to Operate in the Emerging Bioeconomy—A Case Study of Short-Rotation Coppice Poplar in Slovakia

Wood plays a key role in the endeavours of the EU to establish a circular bioeconomy based on renewable biological resources. Today, forestry on its own cannot sustainably satisfy the demand for woody biomass. Short-Rotation Coppice (SRC) represents a possible alternative production system where fast-growing tree species are cultivated on agricultural land. Thus far, lacking engagement from farmers and public opposition against other bioenergy projects have hindered the expansion of SRC. At the same time, society does not consider wood unconditionally sustainable anymore. The Social License to Operate (SLO) describes the dynamic relationship between industries, their communities, and other stakeholders. The present study adapted a quantitative SLO model based on integrative socio-psychological relationship modelling and applied it to a case study in Slovakia. The roles of trust, fairness, impact assessment, and governance hold for the establishment of social acceptance were analysed with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The model revealed the perception of individual benefits as the strongest predictor for social acceptance. The average level of social acceptance was found to be between “Acceptance” and “Approval”. The results thus show that SRC currently must not face societal pressure in Slovakia. However, the SLO is not static and must be constantly re-evaluated

The Role of the Social Licence to Operate in the Emerging Bioeconomy—A Case Study of Short-Rotation Coppice Poplar in Slovakia

Wood plays a key role in the endeavours of the EU to establish a circular bioeconomy based on renewable biological resources. Today, forestry on its own cannot sustainably satisfy the demand for woody biomass. Short-Rotation Coppice (SRC) represents a possible alternative production system where fast-growing tree species are cultivated on agricultural land. Thus far, lacking engagement from farmers and public opposition against other bioenergy projects have hindered the expansion of SRC. At the same time, society does not consider wood unconditionally sustainable anymore. The Social License to Operate (SLO) describes the dynamic relationship between industries, their communities, and other stakeholders. The present study adapted a quantitative SLO model based on integrative socio-psychological relationship modelling and applied it to a case study in Slovakia. The roles of trust, fairness, impact assessment, and governance hold for the establishment of social acceptance were analysed with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The model revealed the perception of individual benefits as the strongest predictor for social acceptance. The average level of social acceptance was found to be between “Acceptance” and “Approval”. The results thus show that SRC currently must not face societal pressure in Slovakia. However, the SLO is not static and must be constantly re-evaluated

Beyond Monetary Cost-Benefit Analyses: Combining Economic, Environmental and Social Analyses of Short Rotation Coppice Poplar Production in Slovakia

Rising demand for bio-based products exerts a growing pressure on natural resources such as wood. Sustainable solutions are becoming increasingly important to meet the demand. In this study, 20-year poplar Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) plantations located in Western Slovakia are investigated with respect to (socio)-economic, environmental and social sustainability. The cost–benefit methodology is applied to assess the economic profitability of a switch from conventional annual crops (corn maize and winter rye) to perennial SRC. To compare economic profitability of the land management, net present value (NPV), payback time (PBT), internal rate of return (IRR) and benefit–cost ratio (BCR) are calculated. The study was enhanced by adopting the concept of regional value added to indicate the local value creation. The results for the three scenarios yield an NPV equal to 12,156 euros ha−1 for corn maize, 9763 euros ha−1 for winter rye and 2210 euros ha−1 with a PBT of 14.13 years for poplar SRC production. The regional value added for the corn maize scenario was estimated with 10,841 euros ha−1, the winter rye with 7973 euros ha−1 and the poplar SRC with 1802 euros ha−1. To appraise non-monetized social values, semi-structured interviews (N = 4) were conducted among experts familiar with SRC management in Eastern Europe. Non-monetary benefits for the stakeholder groups society, farmers or landowners and the industry were identified in terms of land fragmentation, carbon sequestration and an increase in biodiversity within the plantations, farm diversification and higher independency from wood markets. The relatively poor image of SRC, farmers or landowners having concerns about being tied on long-term contracts and legal restrictions may become obstacles in the establishment of SRC. For estimating the capability of carbon sequestration in SRC plantations the RothC model was utilized, resulting in the potential soil organic carbon (SOC) average increase of 29% during the 20 years. However, a transition in land use patterns must involve thorough considerations of all three pillars of sustainability to ensure long-term viability of the establishment