Environment and Bioeconomics: An Analysis of the Brazilian Ecosystem in Bioproducts Development

Abstract

This paper is part of an interdisciplinary and interinstitutional study involving biology, biotechnology and humanities researchers with the aim of examining the gaps as well as the opportunities that bioeconomics macrosegment offers to Brazil. For this, it adopted an action-research methodology based on interviews with stakeholders that work directly in the sector. Eighteen actors were contacted among researchers, experts and entrepreneurs, of which ten gave face-to-face interviews, with open questionnaires, semi-structured. From the analysis of these data, and from a vast theoretical framework, the article delimits biomass as a pillar of bioeconomics and points out the emerging trends of this science such as “green chemistry” and biotechnology. This is a field that condenses an important economic potential and a great capacity to develop mechanisms for the environment’s preservation. By analyzing the production chain and its interfaces, the article reveals that Brazil, although it has an undeniable capacity to emerge as a world protagonist in sustainable production, still lacks well-defined public policies that invest in innovation, in addition to the consumer culture’s transformation, production and economic development focused on non-renewable products.