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Business—Bioproducts in the Bioeconomy

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Environmental Impacts of Traditional and Innovative Forest-based Bioproducts

Abstract

This chapter considers the key issues of, and challenges for, the business development of forest-based bioproducts, defining the conditions and improvement potential for different product types: established forest products (building materials, paper and wood energy), potential large-volume bioproducts (e.g. liquid biofuels), and high value-added products (biomaterials, new chemicals, and pharmaceuticals). These products’ respective competitive position, including success factors, are analyzed together with their innovation and market development potential, barriers, and production economics. We illustrate that key challenges differ between “old” bioproducts such as lumber, where progress is connected with design development, and the incremental improvement of industrial processes, and “radical” innovations of new materials and substances, which involve new market development. The economic conditions for the production and marketing of bioproducts are discussed. The chapter describes the innovation process for forest-based products and challenges to a successful market launch, using examples illustrating the range of potential bioproducts.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Products, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

    Anders Roos

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  1. Anders Roos
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Correspondence to Anders Roos .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia

    Andreja Kutnar

  2. Environmental Services Manager-Asia, SGS Hong Kong Limited, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu

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Roos, A. (2016). Business—Bioproducts in the Bioeconomy. In: Kutnar, A., Muthu, S. (eds) Environmental Impacts of Traditional and Innovative Forest-based Bioproducts. Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0655-5_6

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