Venetian Prosecco and Radicchio at the Heart of the European Bioeconomy

The final conference of the TeBiCE - Territorial Biorefineries for Circular Economy Project took place on Tuesday 24 March at the Corte Benedettina in Legnaro. This project, funded by the Interreg Central Europe programme and coordinated by Veneto Agricoltura , leader of a partnership made up of institutional, technical and scientific bodies from Italy, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia and Poland, took place.

The aim of the three-year project was to analyze the potential of the bioeconomy in the main agricultural supply chains of the participating European regions and to develop concrete actions to promote the creation of supply chains for biomass-based products.

The proceedings were opened by Enrico Brivio , an official from the European Commission – Directorate-General for the Environment, who illustrated the European strategy for the bioeconomy and its importance.

Federico Caner , Director of Veneto Agricoltura, before introducing the subsequent presentations, commented: "The latest update of the Veneto Region's Smart Specialization Strategy (S3) included the bioeconomy as a strategic mission , placing biotechnology and bioenergy among the top investment priorities. This is precisely what this TEBICE project is all about: the Potential of Residual Mass, Transforming Waste into Income.
The circular bioeconomy is not a niche option, but a strategic necessity and a great opportunity for our country and for Europe as a whole. It involves transforming the agricultural production system, moving from a linear to a circular model, where agricultural waste becomes a resource .
The TeBICE project focuses on the sensitive issue of our primary sector: waste management . In Italy, the agri-food supply chain accounts for 63.2% of the entire bioeconomy.

This was followed by a focus on opportunities for the bioeconomy by the Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster – SPRING and one on the strategic importance of cooperation to create a more circular Europe by the Joint Secretariat of the Interreg Central Europe Programme.

The results of the project were then presented, which analyzed the supply chains of two of the Veneto Region's finest products: Prosecco and late-harvest radicchio . The project aimed to overcome the technological, regulatory, and cultural barriers that hinder the development of the agricultural bioeconomy. Through transnational pilot projects , it demonstrated how even spent yeast residues from the Prosecco winemaking process and radicchio waste in Veneto, as well as waste from apple, pumpkin, and hemp production in the rest of Europe, can become valuable raw materials for other sectors. As the Director of Veneto Agricoltura emphasized in his opening remarks, "Often the technologies exist, but the know-how is lacking, or national regulations differ too much, impeding seamless transnational exchanges."

The meeting continued with presentations by agricultural technicians and entrepreneurs, who illustrated the challenges and potential of using agricultural waste for some of the most promising applications.

The Conference provided an opportunity to review the European bioeconomy strategy and present concrete opportunities, including for territorial cooperation. It also provided a forum for industry, SMEs, universities, and research organizations working in the sector to engage in dialogue.