ABSTRACT
The concept of the bio-economy, often used interchangeably with “bio-based economy” or “the Green Economy”, has become popular in recent years and the transition of the global economy to a bio-economy has been a central topic in academic and policy realms. The forest sector is expected by many analysts to take center stage in this process. In this chapter we discuss the potential for the bio-economy to, as it claims, join economic growth with sustainability, and the role of the forest sector in advancing this process. The key question is “if” – or under which conditions – the forest sector can truly propel a revitalized world economy that is based on the sustainable use of bio/forest-resources. Does the vision of the forest sector providing bio-based products align with the vision of an efficient, competitive and sustainable forest sector and forest industry processes – the fundamentals of a bio-economy (Figure 10.1)? To what extent can forests and the related industry provide forest-based goods and services that not only fulfill the ecological and social requirements in their management and processes, but also provide superior products, services, user value and competitiveness in the market? The bio-economy and the forest sector https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315771397/857b2013-8672-451b-bebc-d9d734e4d1e8/content/fig10_1_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
