The Rural BioReFarmeries (RBRF) project is rethinking how we can build local, circular and sustainable value chains for bio-based products. By focusing on small-scale and decentralised green biorefineries, the project aims to unlock the potential of rural areas across Europe — reducing waste, boosting local economies and supporting the EU’s green transition.
To successfully achieve the project’s mission, the 19 partners that conform the RBRF consortium are joining forces across 8 work packages. This article focuses on Work Package 6 (WP6), led by Unitelma Sapienza.
WP6 in a nutshell
Title: Analysis of Environmental and Socio-Economic Performance
WP Leader: Eleonora Staffieri, Bioeconomy in Transition Research Group at Unitelma Sapienza.
Figuring out whether small-scale green biorefineries can truly deliver environmental, social and economic benefits is a crucial part of the mission behind Rural BioReFarmeries. To fully understand this, WP6 will evaluate the overall sustainability performance of the proposed biorefinery models — from their impact on ecosystems and biodiversity to their role in strengthening local rural economies.
Objectives
WP6 is shaped by 4 key goals:
- Quantify environmental impacts along the value chain using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
- Assess biodiversity impacts under different feedstock and biorefinery scenarios to ensure ecosystem compatibility.
- Analyse socio-economic effects through Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA), focusing on employment, well-being and inclusion in rural areas.
- Evaluate economic viability from the farmer’s perspective using techno-economic analysis of alternative biorefinery models.
Main tasks
To meet these objectives, the WP6 team is carrying out a series of interlinked activities:
- Review of previous studies: Conducting a systematic literature review to identify best practices, lessons learned and methodological insights from existing research on sustainability assessment in biorefineries.
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Quantifying the environmental impacts of the entire value chain, from feedstock sourcing to end-product use, to ensure the proposed models are truly resource-efficient and low-emission.
- Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA): Assessing how small-scale biorefineries affect local communities (focusing on employment creation, social inclusion and well-being) while engaging directly with farmers, local authorities and rural stakeholders.
- Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA): Evaluating the economic feasibility of different green biorefinery scenarios from the farmer’s perspective, ensuring models are both environmentally and financially sustainable.
- Biodiversity impact assessment: Examining how various feedstocks and process configurations affect biodiversity and ecosystem services, providing critical data for designing ecologically responsible bio-based systems.
Expected outcomes
WP6 will deliver a series of reports and public-facing documents:
- A comprehensive review of existing studies and sustainability frameworks relevant to green biorefineries.
- Detailed LCA, SLCA and TEA reports quantifying environmental, social and economic performance across multiple case studies.
- A biodiversity impact assessment clarifying how biorefinery feedstocks interact with local ecosystems.
- A holistic understanding of the overall sustainability of small-scale biorefineries — providing solid evidence to guide future policies and investments that foster a just, inclusive and circular bioeconomy in rural Europe.
By assessing environmental, social and economic impacts across the entire biorefinery value chain, WP6 ensures that sustainability is not just an ambition but a measurable outcome in this project. Through its integrated analyses, the team from Unitelma Sapienza is helping to prove that small-scale green biorefineries can deliver tangible benefits for both people and the planet — driving a fair, inclusive and resilient transition towards a circular bioeconomy in Europe’s rural regions.