D3.2 - Economic assessment of selected CARINA concepts

This report presents the methodological foundations of the economic assessment applied to the selected innovative bio-based value chains of the CARINA project, carried out within WP3 (Sustainability Assessment) and specifically linked to T3.2 (Economic assessment of selected CARINA concepts). In this context, a set of economic indicators was defined in T3.1 (Identification of sustainability indicators) as part of the overall project framework. To address these indicators comprehensively and ensure a holistic evaluation, the economic impacts of the selected CARINA value chains were assessed through a Cost-benefit Analysis. This document reports exclusively on those indicators examined from a life cycle perspective, presenting a first-round assessment. The preliminary results serve a dual purpose: (i) to identify economic hotspots across the different phases of the selected CARINA value chains, thereby providing decision support for developing more sustainable process routes, and (ii) to refine both the data inputs and the methodological framework applied. A second-round assessment will be presented in a forthcoming deliverable (D3.5), in which the full set of economic indicators will be evaluated as part of a broader Integrated Sustainability Assessment (T3.5). This will be complemented by a social (T3.3) and an environmental assessment (T3.4), ensuring a multidimensional perspective on sustainability performance. In conclusion, this assessment represents an initial step for the evaluation of the economic sustainability of CARINA concepts. Although results remain preliminary and constrained by data availability, they already provide some insights on economic hotspots and performance within CARINA value chains. Future assessments, incorporating more comprehensive datasets and building on the know-how developed during the first two years of experimental trials, are expected to provide a more robust and consolidated analysis.