Stakeholders’ awareness and perception of bio-economic transformation in Ukraine

Abstract Existing bio-economic strategies are complex political documents that affect all spheres of human life, nature, and the economy and require broad social perception. Despite Ukraine’s high bio-economic potential, this term has yet to enter the everyday lives of both politicians and ordinary citizens. The vision of what positive or negative consequences this concept generates and what conflicts and political demands may be associated with it has yet to be accurately formed. The article explores the micro-level perception of bio-economic transformation by critical stakeholders to support policy and strategy development at all decision-making levels. We used quantitative data from surveys in three target groups of respondents (scientific and innovation sector, business and industry, government and non-government organizations) to form an approximate picture of the bio-economic transformation perception from scientific, public, and business perspectives. According to the results, bio-energy and agriculture are considered the sectors of the bio-economy with the highest potential for growth in Ukraine. Respondents of all target groups are united in the understanding that the state bears greater responsibility for communicating and promoting the bio-economy among a broader audience, which is not sufficiently informed about potential advantages and problematic issues. The advantages of bio-economic transformation for the environment are perceived as undeniable. Potential risks are minimized or not perceived as such. The understanding of the role of bio-economic transformation in economic growth, job creation, innovation development, and digitalization is less visible. Almost 20 percent of respondents believe that the problem of insufficient biomass for bio-economic transformation is the most critical risk. Biomass as a raw material of sufficient quality may have other options for creating products with high added value before being used in bioenergy at the end of its life cycle. The risks of insufficient biomass can be partially reduced due to the widespread implementation of the cascade use of biomass and the principles of the circularity of the bio-economy. Thus, it is vital to include circularity, cascading use of biomass, and aspects of the rational resources used in the communication policy of bio-economic transformation, as well as its synergy with the main bio-economic sectors regarding the use of biomaterials and innovative knowledge and technologies with their undeniable positive impact on mitigation climate change. The results of the bio-economy perception survey can be used by stakeholders when developing or revising communication strategies and plans and fill a scientific gap in the perception of bio-economic transformation by various stakeholders in Ukraine.