Building an inclusive bioeconomy: Addressing gender, age, and socio-cultural barriers for a just transition

Towards a circular bio-based economy, a just transition is critical to guarantee equitable distribution of benefits and prevent the exclusion of certain groups. Transition is inherently complex and requires comprehensive assessments of its multi-dimensional impacts. However, current evaluation frameworks often prioritise economic and environmental factors while neglecting social indicators, including equity, inclusion, and well-being. This gap calls for transdisciplinary approaches, merging insights from social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences to co-develop solutions. Accordingly, this paper aims to understand how socio-cultural dimension influence the transition. Building on a literature review, dynamic modelling, and indicator collection, we investigate more precisely the gender and age aspects of a just transition. The key aspects identified are related to the absence of a gender perspective in public policymaking and research, and the shortcomings in educational frameworks for fostering critical bioeconomy literacy among diverse age groups. Addressing these gaps requires a multi-pronged strategy including the promotion of behavioural change, building knowledge-sharing networks, policy integration with gender and intersectionality perspectives, and inclusive and resilient business models. Finally, adopting a holistic approach to boost the transition in the right direction can foster greater inclusivity and create a more balanced and sustainable bioeconomy landscape, benefiting diverse communities and stakeholders.