Bioeconomy - A driver for regional development in the Nordic countries.

The bioeconomy is generally conceived as an economy based on land- and marine-based natural resources including eco-system services and biowaste. The dominant research has focused on the resource approach, i.e. the supply of different biomass products and services. Less emphasis has been put on the products and services stemming from the bioresources and the value differences these may have for individual entrepreneurs, for circular economy clusters or for municipalities and regions. This article is a first attempt for a more comprehensive assessment of regional economic and social impacts of the new bioeconomy in the Nordic countries. Combining employment statistics and empirical cases, we show how the new bioeconomy makes important contributions to more environmentally and socially sustainable economic growth, particularly in the rural areas of the Nordics. The data and cases show the importance of the regional and local levels in creating the new institutional structures for cooperation between firms and public authorities that pave the way for successful synergistic clusters. Such clusters allow for a reduction in waste streams and the replacement of fossil fuels and other inputs, while also creating significant local added value, local jobs and reducing climate emissions.

Household behaviour and attitudes with respect to recycling food waste--experiences from focus groups.

It is a challenge to reduce the ever-increasing flow of waste. In Norway the systems for recycling of organic waste, paper, glass, metals, etc. differ between municipalities, both with regard to organizational and to technological structures. Our hypothesis is that people's attitudes and behaviour may differ with different systems of waste management. People's behaviour and attitudes regarding (organic) waste recycling were investigated in two municipalities with differing technical and organisational systems. Data came from interviews with municipal employees, questionnaires, focus groups and multi-criteria mapping. People seem to be better informed and more positive about organic waste recycling in one of the municipalities (MH, which has recycling of organic waste) than in the other (MS, which has no such recycling). The two municipalities had similar sets of important criteria for waste management (price, environmental friendliness, easy solutions, information). Many participants stated that they had learned from the group process, though only a few reported changed preferences. The institutional context seems to be important for people's behaviour and attitudes towards waste management. This implies that people's recycling behaviour does not only depend on technical and organisational aspects, but also on institutions. These are important messages for policy makers. On an individual basis, the different systems in the two municipalities seem to affect people's stated attitudes. These differences diminish when they are in a common setting where process and dialogue stimulate new thoughts and encourage people to act more altruistically.