Unpacking the quantitative assessment of bioeconomy system sustainability: gaps, insights, and future pathways.

Assessing the sustainability of bioeconomy systems is essential to ensure that bioeconomy development is aligned with its strategic goals. Effective assessments must account for the full spectrum of bioeconomy systems considered as a socio-ecological system. Bioeconomy systems are composed of several activities, present specific spatiotemporal dynamics, and are multifunctional by nature. This study presents a systematic literature review of quantitative bioeconomy system sustainability assessments. We selected 93 articles dealing explicitly with bioeconomy systems. Most of the studies concentrated on bioenergy and use life cycle assessment (LCA) methods. However, none evaluated the entire value chain of activities, and downstream processes such as recycling were often overlooked. In addition, few studies considered the detailed practices and processes that critically shape sustainability outcomes. Spatiotemporal dynamics, which are key to understanding system functioning, were rarely addressed. The scope of assessed sustainability criteria was also limited: environmental dimensions were well covered, but economic and social aspects were underexplored. Crucial systemic properties like circularity and resilience were largely absent. These findings reveal significant gaps in current sustainability assessments of bioeconomy systems. Advancing integrated assessment and modelling approaches appears necessary to capture system complexity and support more informed, goal-oriented bioeconomy strategies.