EU Bioeconomy Strategy Sets New Direction for Bio-Based Construction - Reflections from the Irish Embassy
The European Commission has released its updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy, signalling a major step forward for bio-based manufacturing, modular construction and regionally anchored supply chains. For those of us working to industrialise natural materials and reshape the way buildings are made, the announcement feels both timely and significant. The Strategy makes it clear that Europe now sees the bioeconomy not as a peripheral environmental agenda but as a core industrial pathway—one capable of strengthening competitiveness, creating new rural economies and delivering healthier, lower-carbon buildings.
The measures outlined are substantial. They include new support for biomanufacturing demonstration facilities at TRLs 5–7, mechanisms to certify long-lasting biogenic carbon storage in buildings, and the creation of a €10 billion Bio-based Europe Alliance designed to give investors and manufacturers confidence in long-term market demand. Importantly, the Strategy places strong emphasis on regional value chains that connect agriculture, materials processing and advanced manufacturing. This alignment is exactly what we have been building toward at Natural Building Systems.
By coincidence—but a welcome one—the Strategy was published on the same day I attended Unlocking Opportunities in the Upper Shannon–Erne Region at the Irish Embassy in London. The event centred on the strengths of Irish regions: skilled and adaptable communities, resilient agricultural economies, and a cultural willingness to embrace new industries. The optimism in the room was striking. It stood in contrast to the UK’s current mood, where industrial confidence often feels more tentative. The discussions at the Embassy were a reminder of what becomes possible when regions recognise their own potential and invest in the capabilities that sit on their doorstep.
It was also encouraging to hear construction and retrofit included within this wider optimism, not as outliers but as part of a broader narrative about innovation and regional opportunity. References to programmes such as Circ-Reno, where our ADEPT® panels will be used in circular retrofit demonstrators, underscored how Ireland is already exploring new material systems and collaborative manufacturing models. This work ties closely to our CHC×3 partnership, through which we are developing a pipeline of new bio-based products derived from short-cycle crops.
My own belief has always been that agriculture and the bioeconomy can fundamentally change how we build—not out of idealism, but because natural materials have demonstrably better performance profiles for human health and indoor environmental quality. The physics has been clear for a long time. What has held these materials back has never been capability; it has been economics, supply chains and the dominance of cheaper, faster, more familiar alternatives. The EU Strategy directly addresses those constraints by working to make the sustainable option the most accessible, commercially viable option too.
The conversations in the Embassy were a reminder of how closely regional identity and industrial transition are linked. Listening to Irish regional leaders describe their confidence in new industries, I couldn’t help thinking about the UK, and particularly about East Anglia. With its farming landscape, research institutions and pressing housing needs, East Anglia has everything it would require to become a centre of excellence for bio-based manufacturing and modular construction. What we lack is a coherent industrial strategy that treats agriculture and construction as parts of the same value chain rather than separate policy domains.
At the same time, the event highlighted how strong the opportunities are on the island of Ireland itself. Our OSB already comes from there, and the alignment between agricultural capacity, manufacturing appetite and research capability creates a uniquely promising environment for collaboration. The momentum I felt in the Embassy only strengthened my view that it would be exciting to establish a pilot project—or even explore a first production facility—with Irish partners who share this vision.
Taken together, the EU Strategy and the discussions in London point toward the same conclusion: the next phase of decarbonisation and industrial transformation will be regional, agricultural and deeply interconnected. Europe is moving with clarity and confidence. The UK has the ingredients to do the same—and, if we choose to, to lead. But it will require a more ambitious, place-based approach that joins the dots between farming, manufacturing and the built environment.
At Natural Building Systems, we will continue to develop the technologies, partnerships and regional models that make this transition possible—from East Anglia to Ireland and across Europe. The opportunity is real, the direction of travel is clear, and the moment to move boldly is now.