The SCALE-UP consortium organised a thematic conference in the frame of Bio360, which took place on 5 and 6 February 2025 in Nantes, France. The international trade fair, dedicated to advancing the bioeconomy, drew more than 450 exhibitors and 40+ conferences featuring pioneering solutions in bio-based materials, circular agriculture, and renewable energy. As the coordinator of the SCALE-UP project, Ecologic Institute played a key role in bringing together innovators, investors, farmers, and researchers to discuss sustainable bio-based solutions.

Gerardo Anzaldúa, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, moderated the session "Scaling Up Innovations in the Bioeconomy: A Lever for Europe's Green Transition and Rural Development", featuring five entrepreneurs from France, Spain, and Poland who are using agricultural by-products to create high-value bio-based products for a wide range of applications. They shared their journeys from concept to market, discussing challenges and success factors in developing products like bio-based insulation panels from straw, biochar and biopolymers from olive pruning residues, and functional foods from apple pomace.

Following the session with the innovators, Gerardo Anzaldúa joined a panel discussion moderated by Yuang Sheng Yu from Lux Research on scaling and accelerating the biobased economy. In conversation with Michael Carus, CEO and Founder of the nova-Institute, and Jason Hallett, Professor of Sustainable Chemical Technology at Imperial College London, Gerardo Anzaldúa brought the aspects of resilience and direction of travel of our social and economic systems to the table. He pointed to the importance of giving serious consideration to the limits that a strained environment, a sluggish global economy, and the shifting priorities of society can impose on the speed of the transition.

The enthusiastic response at Bio360 underlines the mounting momentum for the bioeconomy as a key pillar of Europe's green transition. Simultaneously, it confirms its potential to drive competitiveness and innovation responsibly. By providing a suite of tools, networking opportunities, and advisory services, SCALE-UP empowers regions and innovators to convert local biomass and co-products into market-ready solutions, balancing environmental imperatives with economic viability. The SCALE-UP stand and thematic conference at Bio360 showed how regional innovations, collaborative networks, and bold entrepreneurial efforts can accelerate the shift to a circular bioeconomy.