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Sus ainabili y
c i e ia
and
indica o s
o
bioene gy
sys ems
om
s ee ing,
esea ch and Finnish bioene gy business ope a o s’ pe spec i es
Rimppi
Heli,
Uusi alo
Ville,
Väisänen
Sanni,
Soukka
Ris o
Rimppi,
H.,
Uusi alo,
V.,
Väisänen,
S.,
Soukka,
R.
(2016).
Sus ainabili y
c i e ia
and
indica o s
o
bioene gy sys ems om s ee ing, esea ch and Finnish bioene gy business ope a o s’
pe spec i es. Ecological Indica o s, Vol 66, Issue July. p. 357-368. DOI: 10.1016/j.
ecolind.2016.02.005
Au ho 's accep ed manusc ip (AAM)
Else ie
Ecological
Indica o s
10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.02.005
© Else ie 2016
Ecological Indica o s, 2016, Vol., 66, pp. 357–368.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.02.005
Sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s o bioene gy sys ems om s ee ing, esea ch and
Finnish bioene gy business ope a o s’ pe spec i es
Heli Rimppia*, Ville Uusi aloa, Sanni Väisänena, Ris o Soukkaa
a Lappeen an a Uni e si y o Technology, LUT School o Ene gy Sys ems, P.O. Box 20, 53851
Lappeen an a, Finland
* Co esponding au ho E-mail add ess: heli. imppi@lu . i, Telephone: +358 50 439 3984
Abs ac
This pape add esses he in e ace o s ee ing, esea ch, and business ope a o s’ pe spec i es
o bioene gy sus ainabili y. Al hough bioene gy business ope a o s a e essen ial o sus ainable
de elopmen o bioene gy sys ems h ough implemen a ion o sus ainabili y c i e ia, hei
pe spec i e o sus ainabili y is a ely s udied. We sys ema ically s udied he ele an
sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s om he h ee pe spec i es in di e en s ages o a gene al
bioene gy li e cycle and in di e en sus ainabili y dimensions, and e alua ed bioene gy
ope a o s’ sus ainabili y p inciples, c i e ia and indica o s simul aneously wi h espec o he
s ee ing and esea ch da a and a business sus ainabili y ma u i y amewo k. We collec ed da a
om li e a u e and a wo kshop o Finnish bioene gy expe s. The esul s show a simila
di ision o s ee ing and ope a o s’ sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s o li e cycle s ages and
sus ainabili y dimensions wi h a sligh emphasis on business economic sus ainabili y om
ope a o s’ pe spec i e. The accep abili y p inciple could p o ide bioene gy ope a o s a
meaning ul way o iden i ying he ole o sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s om s ee ing
and esea ch sou ces in ad ancing hei business sus ainabili y ma u i y.
Keywo ds
bioene gy; sus ainabili y; li e cycle; sys em analysis; Finnish business
1 In oduc ion
In 2010, 10% o he global p ima y ene gy demand was me by bioene gy p oduc ion. One
hi d o bioene gy was consumed by he indus y, ene gy, o anspo a ion sec o . (IEA, 2012.)
Acco ding o a scena io by he IEA (2012), he global p ima y ene gy demand o bioene gy,
excluding adi ional uses, could mo e han double by 2035. Cu en ly, he ma ke s o ene gy
biomass a e inc easing and in e na ionalizing apidly (Vakkilainen e al., 2013).
G eenhouse gas emission educ ion and enewable ene gy p omo ion a ge s, such as he EU
20-20-20 policy (2009/28/EC) and esul ing poli ical manda es and subsidies (FAO, 2008;
ICTSD, 2009) o biomass-based solu ions as pa o he ene gy in as uc u e a ec he
p oduc ion o bioene gy. Renewable ene gy p oduc ion, including bioene gy, is gene ally
ecognized as a p omising solu ion o eplace ossil uels in an a emp o co e he apidly
g owing ene gy demand, igge ed by d as ic popula ion and economic g ow h, especially in
he de eloping a eas o he wo ld.
The bioene gy g ow h should be managed so ha he bioene gy sys ems de elop sus ainably.
The sus ainabili y o human ope a ions p esumes ha he plane a y bounda ies o local
en i onmen al ceiling a e no exceeded and he quali y o li e is main ained by espec ing he
social ounda ion o human well-being (G iggs e al., 2013; Heijungs e al., 2014; Rawo h,
2012; Rocks öm e al., 2009).
Scien is s s ess he impo ance o a holis ic ision and in eg a ed app oach o bioene gy sys em
sus ainabili y assessing he en i onmen al, social, and economic impac s oge he (Buchholz
e al., 2007; Dale e al., 2013; Pu ba e al., 2009; Sheehan, 2009). Se e al au ho s ha e ound
in e ac ions and in e dependencies be ween he sus ainabili y dimensions (B ose e al., 2010;
Dale e al., 2013; ISO 13065 d a ; Pülzl e al., 2012) esul ing in bo h syne gies and con lic s
be ween he en i onmen al and socioeconomic impac s (Diaz-Cha ez, 2014). Fo example,
Re enmaie and Hienz (2014) ound links be ween he en i onmen al and socioeconomic
indica o s, o ins ance he land use impac s on ood secu i y, ecosys em se ices, biodi e si y,
wa e , and soil.
Howe e , bioene gy sus ainabili y s udies ha e ended o concen a e on he en i onmen al
sus ainabili y and especially on wo issues: g eenhouse gas and ene gy balance (Buchholz e
al., 2009; Che ubini and S ømman, 2011), which a e necessa y bu no su icien sus ainabili y
indica o s because hey ail o include a a ie y o o he ele an en i onmen al aspec s. (Liao
e al., 2011; Maes and Van Passel, 2014). Fu he mo e, Diaz-Cha ez (2014) s a es ha in he
con ex o sus ainabili y emphasis has been pu on economic and en i onmen al dimensions,
whe eas social dimensions ha e been less igo ously add essed, un il ecen ly. The same end
is isible in he cu en ly applicable sus ainabili y c i e ia o bio uels and bioliquids in he
legisla ion (EU Di ec i e 2009/28/EC (RED)) on he p omo ion o he use o ene gy om
enewable sou ces) and s anda d se ies EN 16214 (1, 3 and 4), he c i e ia o which a e in
acco dance wi h he RED c i e ia. Re enmaie and Hienz (2014) s a e ha he RED manda o y
c i e ia cu en ly concen a e exclusi ely on g eenhouse gas and biodi e si y e ec s, whe eas
c i e ia (on e.g. soil, wa e , and ai p o ec ion) s ongly linked o he ecosys em se ices would
co e he social impac s be e . Howe e , new s anda ds (such as ISO 13065) and ce i ica ion
schemes o bioene gy sus ainabili y a e unde de elopmen c ea ing a new po en ial o
co e ing he sus ainabili y mo e holis ically om he s ee ing pe spec i e.
Bioene gy sys ems can be desc ibed as adap i e sys ems (Buchholz e al., 2007) whe e he
bioene gy li e cycle p ocesses and hei p ac ical implemen e s, ha is, bioene gy ope a o s,
cons an ly in e ac wi h di e en le els o hei ope a ional en i onmen : business, mic o-, and
mac o-en i onmen (Ke ola, 2005). A p e equisi e o he sus ainable de elopmen o
bioene gy sys ems is ha he bioene gy ope a o s a e awa e o he sus ainabili y aspec s in he
bioene gy li e cycle s ages adop ing sus ainabili y hinking and c i e ia in p ac ice (Bo ghesi
and Ve celli, 2008). In he esea ch li e a u e, he in e ace o bioene gy ope a o s’, s ee ing,
and esea ch pe spec i es on he sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s o bioene gy li e cycles
has ye ecei ed li le a en ion.
This pape aims o build a iew o he bioene gy ope a o s’ pe spec i e o he sus ainabili y
c i e ia and indica o s in bioene gy sys ems and compa e hem wi h he cu en bioene gy
sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s in he bioene gy legisla ion in he EU, in e na ional and
Eu opean s anda ds, and esea ch li e a u e. The ope a o s’ pe spec i e is s udied in a
wo kshop o Finnish bioene gy expe s and s ee ing and esea ch pe spec i es om he
li e a u e. Sus ainabili y is conside ed holis ically om he en i onmen al, social, and
economic pe spec i es, and he c i e ia and indica o s a e sys ema ically ca ego ized u ilizing
li e cycle hinking. Wo kshop sus ainabili y aspec s, including c i e ia and indica o s, a e
e alua ed wi h espec o a business sus ainabili y ma u i y amewo k. The esul s p o ide
in o ma ion on he ex en o which bioene gy ope a o s, s ee ing and esea ch cu en ly
conside di e en sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s wi h ega d o li e cycle s ages and
sus ainabili y dimensions, on he cu en ma u i y o bioene gy sus ainabili y hinking in
Finnish bioene gy companies, and on possibili ies o de elop bioene gy sys ems owa ds a
be e s a e o sus ainabili y h ough in e ac ions be ween s ee ing, esea ch and bioene gy
ope a o s in he de elopmen o sus ainabili y p inciples, c i e ia and indica o s.

2 Theo y
2.1 Sys ema ic and holis ic app oach o sus ainabili y
Figu e 1 shows how we s uc u ed ou sys ema ic app oach o sus ainabili y. Bau is a e al.
(2016) ha e p e iously applied a simila mul idimensional sus ainabili y amewo k wi h
di e en sus ainabili y p inciples, c i e ia and indica o s and sus ainabili y dimensions o
biodiesel supply chain.
Figu e 1. Sys ema ic app oach: he pe spec i es o sus ainabili y, li e cycle s ages and
sus ainabili y dimensions in which sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s we e di ided ( he cube)
2.1.1 The sus ainabili y dimensions
Sus ainabili y is conside ed o comp ise ou dimensions: en i onmen al, social, economic, and
ins i u ional (He a e al., 2011). As s a ed in he in oduc ion, his pape ocuses on he
en i onmen al, social, and economic dimension o sus ainabili y. Pülzl e al. (2012) ha e
concluded ha al hough a i icial and sugges i e a bes , he ca ego iza ion o sus ainabili y
aspec s acco ding o sus ainabili y dimensions can be a use ul a emp o manage he
complexi y o sus ainabili y. To enhance he sys ema ic s uc u ing o ou da a, we u ilized he
sus ainabili y dimension app oach in ou analysis. The socioeconomic dimension was
conside ed o include aspec s ela ed o mac oeconomy and mic oeconomy (i.e., he economy
o he ex e nal ope a ional en i onmen o a company), human well-being, cul u e, and wo k.
Al hough business economic sus ainabili y aspec s (i.e., company in e nal economy) ha e
adi ionally no been sepa a ely discussed and may be in eg a ed in o he socioeconomic
sus ainabili y dimension, we dis inguished he business economic dimension o highligh he
bioene gy ope a o s’ pe spec i e and o compa e i s emphasis in he wo kshop e sus li e a u e.
2.1.2 The bioene gy li e cycle s ages
Li e cycle app oach was selec ed as he basis o he esea ch because LCA is a gene ally
accep ed me hod o he en i onmen al impac assessmen o p oduc s (Che ubini and
S ømman, 2011; ISO 14040, 2006), social impac s can be ela ed ei he di ec ly o he li e
cycle p ocesses o o he supply chain and he conduc o companies pe o ming he p ocesses
(Dale e al., 2013; Jø gensen e al., 2008), and he cos s can be ela ed o he li e cycle (e.g.
Klöpp e and Ci o h, 2011). Thus, his pape ela es o he li e cycle-based sus ainabili y
hinking as sugges ed by Klöpp e (2008), Guinée e al. (2011) and Klöpp e and G ahl (2014).
2.1.3 The s akeholde pe spec i e
The h ee di e en s akeholde s (s ee ing, esea ch and business) o bioene gy sys ems, ha e
undamen ally di e en sus ainabili y- ela ed objec i es. S ee ing aims o p o ec human heal h
and he en i onmen and ensu e ai and equal ea men and well-being o humans, whe eas
esea ch aims o p oduce new knowledge abou bioene gy sus ainabili y. The di e ence in he
ime span o he s ee ing and esea ch is ema kable: whe e esea ch p oduces new knowledge,
s ee ing inco po a es his knowledge in o, o example, legisla i e ac s a e legisla i e
p ocesses ha could ake se e al yea s (Kapanen, 2014; The Fede a ion o Finnish Technology
Indus ies, 2010) – hus, he isk o ou da ed knowledge may hinde he implemen a ion o he
p o ec ion objec i es h ough egula ion. Business ope a o s ha e a ious objec i es anging
om sho o long e m, howe e , he common objec i e is he con inui y o business. Figu e
2 is a simple depic ion o business app oaches o sus ainabili y, applied om heo ies and ideas
by (Anso , 1987, 1984; Fa a, 2014; Heikku inen, 2013; Heikku inen and Ke ola, 2012;
Schumpe e , 2014).
Figu e 2. De elopmen o he ma u i y o business app oaches o sus ainabili y ( he iangle)
In igu e 2, cons an compliance wi h manda o y legisla i e equi emen s is he basis o
building sus ainable business and us among s akeholde s a le el 1. The ole o s ee ing by
s anda ds and ce i ica ion sys ems may be mo e signi ican a le el 2 whe e he ocus is on
modi ying ope a ions owa ds a sus ainable di ec ion and building us o among s akeholde s.
In he uppe le els, c ea i i y and olun a iness ela ed o sus ainabili y ac i i ies inc ease.
Ac i i ies on hese wo uppe le els, aiming o acqui e long- e m license o ope a e om
s akeholde s, a e clea ly mo e dependen on he no el knowledge p o ided by esea ch.
2.1.4 C i e ia and indica o s
In his pape , c i e ia and indica o s o m he basis o he compa ison o he bioene gy
ope a o ’s pe spec i e, bioene gy legisla ion, in e na ional s anda ds, and esea ch li e a u e.
As a gene al concep , sus ainable de elopmen is ambiguous and ague, and he e o e,
indica o s ha p o ide me ics o ac ion le el a e needed (He a e al., 2011: Tibbs 1999,
Johns on e al., 2007). Indica o s a e quan i a i e o quali a i e indica i e measu es o
componen s, and hey a e used o he assessmen o ul ilmen o c i e ia, which a e p inciples
ope a ionalized by elabo a ing hei goals and objec i es, o o he depic ion o impac
ca ego ies and hus assessmen o impac s (Chang, 2011; C ame e al., 2007; Heink and
Kowa ick, 2010). Figu e 3 depic s he ela ion o p inciples, c i e ia, di e en ypes o
indica o s and ela ed concep s. Figu e 3 has been cons uc ed based on heo ies and ideas by
(Chang, 2011; Ch is en and Schmid , 2012; Co biè e-Nicollie e al., 2011; C ame e al., 2007;
Diaz-Cha ez, 2014; Heink and Kowa ick, 2010; Ibáñez-Fo és e al., 2014; Kaa io and Pel ola,
2008; Mendoza and P abhu, 2000; Rame s eine e al., 2011; Rempel e al., 2004; SFS-EN
16214-1: 2012; SFS-EN-ISO 14040, 2006; Wu and Wu in Madu and Kuei (eds.), 2012).
Figu e 3. Rela ions o p inciples, c i e ia, indica o s, e i ie s and da a
Figu e 3 inco po a es p ac ical p ocess managemen , moni o ing and de elopmen , knowledge
p oduc ion (Kaa io and Pel ola, 2008) and s ee ing pe spec i es, hus including one o mo e o
bioene gy ope a o s’, esea che s’ and policy-make s’ in e es s. In he bes case, he di e en
ac o s coope a e o p oduce p o ound unde s anding (wisdom) o he s a e o sus ainabili y and
sus ainable de elopmen o he speci ic bioene gy sys em. Thus, bo h no ma i e and
desc ip i e (Heink and Kowa ick, 2010) dimensions o sus ainabili y a e included in he
analysis.
The s ee ing pe spec i e on one hand ep esen s a no ma i e app oach h ough manda o y
sus ainabili y c i e ia and on he o he , gi es guidance on e i ica ion o compliance h ough
e alua i e o desc ip i e indica o s. Figu e 3 includes he depic ion o knowledge p oduc ion.
Da a is agg ega ed o indica o s, and an indica o uni gi es a meaning o he indica o ,
p oducing in o ma ion, which h ough u he in e p e a ion ans o ms in o knowledge and
u he o wisdom (Kaa io and Pel ola, 2008) in a la ge con ex , o example o he ole o
bioene gy in sus ainable ene gy p oduc ion. Resea ch is impo an , on one hand, in knowledge
p oduc ion bo om-up om he da a, and on he o he , de elopmen o c i e ia h ough he
acqui ed knowledge. Bioene gy ope a o s can eac i ely apply he gi en c i e ia in hei
bioene gy sys em p ocesses and p oduce equi ed in o ma ion o hei p ocesses (as in le el
one o igu e 2). Bioene gy ope a o s could also ac i ely assess impac s o hei cu en o
planned bioene gy chain ope a ions, de elop indica o s, and aim o se he indus y s anda ds
as well as lobbying new sus ainabili y c i e ia in o legisla ion – simul aneously s i ing owa ds
a be e s a e o sus ainabili y (as in le els 2–3 in igu e 2).
In his pape , we classi y indica o s wi h desc ip i e o mula ion as indica o s and p esc ip i e
indica o s wi h no ma i e o mula ion as c i e ia. Ve i ie s only ha e a a he ague de ini ion
in EN 16214-1. Thus, e i ie s a e no included in u he analysis.
oppo uni ies. The o mula ion o each ca ego y indica es di e ences be ween he ca ego ies.
Fu he mo e, able 6 shows he p esence o espec i e ca ego ies in li e a u e. Fo
compa abili y o he esul s om di e en sou ces, only sus ainabili y aspec s ha we e de ined
as c i e ia o indica o s, we e aken in o accoun in he calcula ions, and hus, p oduc ion o he
quan i a i e esul s. In quan i a i e esul s, c i e ia and indica o s we e no u he sepa a ed.
Table 6. Ca ego iza ion o sus ainabili y aspec s om wo kshop, s ee ing li e a u e and
esea ch li e a u e
3.2.2 P oduc ion o quali a i e esul s based on business app oaches ( he iangle)
In quali a i e compa ison o da a om di e en sou ces, sus ainabili y aspec s o di e en
ca ego ies (p inciples, c i e ia, indica o s e c., see able 6) we e s udied mo e b oadly han in
quan i a i e analysis, wi h ocus on con en . Mos impo an ly, p inciples, c i e ia and
indica o s in wo kshop and li e a u e da a we e compa ed. Addi ionally, impac s o be indica ed
om wo kshop da a we e included in he compa ison because o hei close ela ion o c i e ia
and indica o s. Decision-making ques ions and obse a ions om wo kshop da a we e u ilized
in he compa ison as sou ces o addi ional in o ma ion on bioene gy ope a o s’ awa eness o
di e en sus ainabili y hemes. Indica o uni s and e i ie s we e no conside ed in he
compa ison due o hei absence in wo kshop da a.
The aims o he quali a i e analysis we e o compa e he co e age o sus ainabili y hemes om
s ee ing, esea ch and business ope a o s’ pe spec i es and o e alua e wha sus ainabili y
ma u i y le els ( igu e 2) bioene gy business ope a o s can each h ough compliance wi h
c i e ia and u iliza ion o indica o s om di e en s akeholde s ela ed o di e en
sus ainabili y hemes. Sus ainabili y p inciples, c i e ia and indica o s om s ee ing and
esea ch li e a u e we e g ouped heme-by- heme, and he ea e , he sus ainabili y aspec s
exp essed by bioene gy ope a o s ( hose discussed in he wo kshop) we e loca ed in he g oups
based on whe he hey we e a he le el o legisla i e s ee ing, cu en s anda ds, he u u e
s anda d (ISO 13065), ce i ica ion o esea ch li e a u e con en -wise. The ini ial assump ion
was, based on he hypo hesis on in Sec ion 2.1.3, ha p inciples, c i e ia and indica o s in
legisla i e s ee ing would belong o le el 1 o sus ainabili y ma u i y (manda o y ac i i ies), in
s anda ds and ce i ica ion sys ems o le el 2 ( olun a y de elopmen o sus ainable di ec ion
and building us among s akeholde s) and in esea ch li e a u e o le el 3 (ac i e, c ea i e
sus ainabili y-d i en ac i i ies and acqui ing long- e m licence o ope a e).
Numbe o sus ainabili y aspec s
Wo kshop Li e a u e
P inciples 8 62 No ma i e
C i e ia 83 161 No ma i e
Indica o s 162 74 Desc ip i e
Indica o uni s 1 61 SI uni
Ve i ie s N/A 42 Desc ip i e
Impac s o be indica ed 29 N/A Desc ip i e
Decision-making ques ions, op ions 31 N/A Desc ip i e/in e oga o y
Obse a ions 96 N/A Desc ip i e/no ma i e/in e oga o y
Fo mula ion
Ca ego y o sus ainabili y aspec

4 Resul s and discussion
4.1 Quan i a i e esul s: aspec s o di e en s akeholde s in di e en dimensions o
sus ainabili y and li e cycle s ages ( he cube)
Figu e 5 shows how he sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s o di e en s akeholde s a e
di ided in o h ee di e en sus ainabili y dimensions in h ee di e en li e cycle s ages. Some
c i e ia and indica o s di ec ly link o mo e han one li e cycle s age and mo e han one
sus ainabili y dimension. Fo example, in he s ee ing li e a u e, 19% o sus ainabili y aspec s
we e di ided o mo e han one sus ainabili y dimension, and espec i ely in he esea ch
li e a u e 18% and in he wo kshop 34%. This mul iplici y explains pe cen ages o e 100.
Figu e 5. Sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s o di e en s akeholde s (wo kshop ep esen s
business pe spec i e) di ec ly linked o di e en sus ainabili y dimensions in di e en li e
cycle s ages
The esul s show ha he s ee ing li e a u e mainly concen a es on en i onmen al
sus ainabili y, whe eas socioeconomic sus ainabili y is highligh ed o e o he sus ainabili y
aspec s in e e y li e cycle s age in he esea ch li e a u e. The selec ion o he esea ch li e a u e
sou ces o e iew and a small numbe o e e ences, howe e , a ec s he dis ibu ion o he
sus ainabili y aspec s be ween sus ainabili y dimensions, and does no p o ide an all-
encompassing pic u e o he esea ch si ua ion. As s a ed in he in oduc ion, bioene gy
sus ainabili y esea ch by a has had he endency o ocus on g eenhouse gas emissions and
ene gy balance – bo h issues gene ally pe cei ed as en i onmen al. Finnish bioene gy business
seems o ha e adop ed hinking ha is close o he s ee ing li e a u e han he esea ch
li e a u e. The main di e ences be ween he s ee ing li e a u e and he wo kshop ma e ial a e
ha s ee ing li e a u e concen a es mo e on en i onmen al sus ainabili y (especially in he i s
li e cycle s age) while business economic sus ainabili y has mo e impo ance in he wo kshop
ma e ial in e e y li e cycle s age. The business ope a o s’ ocus on he easibili y o business
migh explain his a ia ion. In all cases, he majo i y o he sus ainabili y aspec s can be
di ec ly linked o he aw ma e ial selec ion and acquisi ion.
In he s ee ing li e a u e 60% o he c i e ia and indica o s di ec ly linked o he en i onmen al
sus ainabili y dimension, 29% o he socioeconomic dimension and 11% o he business
economic dimension. The espec i e pe cen ages we e 30%, 57% and 13% o esea ch
li e a u e and 46%, 25% and 29% o he wo kshop. Bau is a e al. (2016) s udied 103
documen s ha included ce i ica ion and ini ia i es o sus ainabili y c i e ia o bio uels,
bio uel s anda ds and policies, esea ch pape s and bio uel es ing amewo ks and sco eca ds.
They concluded ha 43% o he documen s ela ed o he en i onmen al, 29% o he social and
16% o he economic sus ainabili y dimension (Bau is a e al., 2016). Ou wo kshop esul s a e
mos in line wi h hese p e ious esul s, especially he aw ma e ial selec ion and acquisi ion
s age, hough he sligh di e ences in he di ision o socioeconomic and business economic
dimension. This s udy does no and could no sugges , whe he he pe cen ages should be equal,
howe e , esea ch migh ha e some mo e socioeconomic issues o add o he s ee ing and
bioene gy ope a o s’ pe spec i e.
4.2 Quali a i e esul s: p inciples, c i e ia, indica o s and o he aspec s a di e en
le els o business sus ainabili y ma u i y ( he iangle)
The li e a u e highligh ed legali y and compliance wi h legisla ion as a sepa a e sus ainabili y
heme. Respec i ely, business ope a o s ha e o ollow s ee ing li e a u e o comply wi h he
legisla i e sus ainabili y c i e ia and op imize he bioene gy chain wi hin he bounda ies se by
legisla ion. The equi emen o compliance may explain he simila p o iles o s ee ing
li e a u e and wo kshop ma e ial in he p e ious sec ion. Acco ding o he wo kshop
discussions, bioene gy ope a o s can choose hei le el o e o wi h ega d o legisla i e
sus ainabili y equi emen s: o example, whe he i is bene icial o be no ably unde maximum
emission limi s o o achie e minimum compliance.
Cu en ly, sus ainable de elopmen o bioene gy sys ems la gely depends on he ac i e s i ing
o bioene gy ope a o s owa ds sus ainabili y h ough c ea i e, olun a y ac ions, because he
in luence o legisla i e equi emen s is so a qui e sub-op imal due o limi ed sus ainabili y
hemes o legisla ion (g eenhouse gas emissions, ca bon balance, pea land d ainage,
biodi e si y and a me s), limi ed co e age o bioene gy li e cycle (mainly aw ma e ial
cul i a ion) and es ic ed scope (bio uels and bioliquids). Solid and gaseous biomass based
uels a e un egula ed by sus ainabili y legisla ion. Gi en he in e es o esea ch owa ds
biodi e si y, i seems a ising issue o conce n in mo e ex en . Fu he mo e, s ee ing migh
ocus mo e on socioeconomic aspec s in he u u e as highligh ed by esea ch and ia s ee ing,
business ope a o s will apply socioeconomic aspec s.
Ou analysis o legisla i e equi emen s ha a ec bioene gy ope a ions is na ow and
concen a es on bioene gy sus ainabili y c i e ia. A la ge a ie y o legisla i e ac s, o
example, local laws se e y speci ic equi emen s o each ope a o , such as en i onmen al
pe mi s (c . En i onmen al P o ec ion Ac 527/2014 in Finland). In e na ionally ha monized
sus ainabili y c i e ia a e ew, hough, and hus, he ole o local s ee ing is emphasized. A
some loca ions, sus ainable ac ions may depend on he business ope a o s’ e hics and olun a y
ac i i y.
As legisla i e s ee ing o ms he basis o accep able business, as in le el 1 o he sus ainabili y
ma u i y iangle ( igu e 2), s anda ds and ce i ica ion sys ems signi ican ly b oaden he scope
o bioene gy s ee ing sys ems wi h ega d o sus ainabili y hemes. Demons a ing compliance
wi h he c i e ia o s anda ds and ce i ica ion sys ems h ough u iliza ion o hei indica o s is
no manda o y om legal pe spec i e, and hus he le el o olun a iness and c ea i i y is
highe o hose companies ha add s anda ds and ce i ica ion sys ems o hei compliance lis
in compa ison o hose companies me ely s i ing o legisla i e compliance. Bioene gy
ope a o s s a ed ha compliance wi h he sus ainabili y c i e ia in s anda ds and ce i ica ion
sys ems could be impo an ools o bioene gy ope a o s o gain u he long- e m accep ance
om cus ome s and o he s akeholde s.
Al hough he wo kshop discussion was no a a de ailed le el, i co e ed he sus ainabili y
hemes o he li e a u e. Thus, he wo kshop pa icipan s we e well awa e o he li e a u e ha
we selec ed o e iew, o he hemes a e cu en ly gene ally discussed ega ding bioene gy.
Fu he mo e, he wo kshop highligh ed some hemes ha we e no p esen in he s ee ing o
esea ch li e a u e, and may, hus, bes ep esen he bioene gy ope a o s’ own pe spec i e o
sus ainabili y. Inclusion o hese hemes, add essed mo e in-dep h in he ollowing chap e s,
in o holis ic bioene gy sus ainabili y assessmen s in esea ch could be impo an .
Resou ce e iciency and ela ed sub- opics, such as nu ien balance, e ilize use, and
op imiza ion o aw ma e ial use, we e discussed in he wo kshop, no in li e a u e. A ocus o
discussions on he sus ainabili y o ene gy om biowas e migh ha e con ibu ed o his
emphasis. Fu he mo e, esou ce e iciency is cu en ly a high le el on he EU en i onmen al
policy agenda (Eu opean Commission, 2015). Acco ding o Schumpe e (2014), aiming a
educed cos s h ough esou ce e iciency measu es is a adi ional business app oach o
sus ainabili y.
Bioene gy ope a o s ponde ed he ad an ages o o alue added h ough bioene gy in
compa ison o o he ene gy p oduc ion op ions o jus i y bioene gy p oduc ion. They
highligh ed oppo uni ies o emission sa ings o ai , soil and wa e . Fu he mo e, hey ound
op imiza ion o bioene gy p oduc ion impo an , he e o e emphasizing ope a ional aspec s
mo e han he li e a u e: eliabili y o ope a ion ha includes a leas c i e ia on unin e up ed
biomass/ uel supply o he powe plan , aw ma e ial and uel quali y in luenced by
anspo a ion, s o age and e minal condi ions, choices ela ed o he scale o p oduc ion, o
example cen alized s decen alized bioene gy p oduc ion guided by economy o scale, and
al e na i e ene gy p oduc ion echnologies. The c i e ion on eliable and secu e, good-quali y
aw ma e ial sou ces may a leas pa ly o igina e om he aceabili y equi emen o he RED.
Indica o s o in as uc u e and logis ics capaci y we e discussed in esea ch li e a u e, no a
he s ee ing le el. Howe e , bioene gy ope a o s we e equally able o ind challenges and
c i icism ela ed o bioene gy p oduc ion, such as he impac s o subsidies on he ue
sus ainabili y o bioene gy. Acco ding o Sala e al. (2013), he sus ainabili y assessmen s
cu en ly end o concen a e on a oiding nega i e impac s, whe eas enhancing posi i e
impac s is a ising end. Whe he bioene gy ope a o s pe cei e sus ainabili y aspec s as
challenges o oppo uni ies and whe he hese wo mindse s enhance o dec ease c ea i i y on
sus ainabili y ac i i ies, could be an in e es ing opic o u he esea ch, o example u ilizing
he SWOT analysis.
Resou ces ele an o bioene gy p oduc ion – land, wa e and employees – seemed o include
di e en sus ainabili y ma u i y pe spec i es. Resea ch and he wo kshop discussions included
indica o s on land-use change, which u he leads o ques ions on land igh s and land
a ailabili y. Land igh s a e a legisla i e issue ela ed o p ope y igh s as well as human igh s,
whe eas land a ailabili y is a alue o he local communi y. ISO 13056 and he RSB (2013)
ce i ica ion as well as esea ch include c i e ia and indica o s on land igh s, whe eas land
a ailabili y indica o s a e discussed exclusi ely in esea ch li e a u e, and a e a a highe le el
in he iangle. The same applies o wa e quali y and quan i y, wa e igh s and wa e
a ailabili y. Wa e igh s a e discussed in RSB (2013) and ISO 13065, whe eas esea ch, GBEP
(2011), discusses he a ailabili y. In land and wa e a ailabili y issues, esea ch leads he
sus ainabili y hinking, and bioene gy ope a o s ha e adop ed he a ailabili y idea. Howe e ,
ega dless o bioene gy, he wa e oo p in s anda d ISO 14046 will p obably con ibu e o he
wa e a ailabili y hinking. Labou igh s a e, again, mo e legisla i e issues, included in he
ISO 13065, whe eas wo king condi ions could be imp o ed limi lessly, hus, imp o ing he
well-being o employees and c ea ing alue o hem. The wo king condi ions and added alue
o employees we e discussed mainly in esea ch (no s ee ing), and seem o be o g ea in e es
o he bioene gy ope a o s. The di ision p esen ed in his chap e is somewha analogous o
wha Schumpe e (2014) has sugges ed abou wo business app oaches o sus ainabili y: he
adi ional app oach ocused on e iciency imp o emen s and he new app oach based on alue
c ea ion o a ious s akeholde s.
Fu he sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s ha we e no discussed in s ee ing li e a u e, and
a e d i en by esea ch o bioene gy ope a o s, we e included in hemes ha a e o signi icance
o he well-being o local communi ies. Resea ch li e a u e included indica o s and ew c i e ia
on con ibu ion o local o egional economy, mac oeconomic sus ainabili y, employmen and
ene gy secu i y. Business ope a o s ouched hese hemes and added new ideas o
cha ac e is ics o he ma ke a ea and hei in luence business economic sus ainabili y: demand
o g een elec ici y, ma ke o and compe i i eness o he end-p oduc , and compe i i e p ice
o he end-p oduc o consume s. Food secu i y, howe e , was included bo h in he
ce i ica ion sys em RSB (2013) ha p esen ed wo p inciples and c i e ia o ood secu i y and
in esea ch, which mainly included indica o s and ew c i e ia.
Ano he heme o alue o local communi ies discussed me ely by Buchholz e al. (2009) and
bioene gy ope a o s was local en i onmen al quali y and a ac i eness ela ed o isual
impac s and noise. Bioene gy ope a o s added odou impac s o he discussion – bo h as an
impo an indica o o public accep ance o bioene gy ope a ions and as an indica o o p ocess
unc ionali y. En i onmen al quali y aspec s, such as soil and wa e quali y seemed o be,
measu ed by he numbe o indica o s and c i e ia ela ed o hese hemes in li e a u e,
impo an , possibly ising sus ainabili y hemes oge he wi h biodi e si y ha was discussed
abo e. Bioene gy ope a o s ecognized soil quali y indica o s, such as e osion, ca bon balance
and loss o nu ien s, as well as su iciency and quali y o wa e esou ces. Al hough he EU

has ex ensi e p oduc - ela ed chemical legisla ion ( o example he REACH egula ion (EC)
No 1907/2006 and CLP egula ion (EC) No 1272/2008), heal h haza ds caused by chemical
pollu ion we e no ound om s ee ing li e a u e conce ning sus ainabili y o bioene gy
p ocesses. The chemical egula ions, howe e , apply o he end-p oduc s, such as bio uels. In
ou da a se , h ee esea che s, Buchholz e al. (2009), Che ubini and S ømman (2011) and
Smee s and Faaij (2010), add essed chemical pollu ion, as did bioene gy ope a o s. Li e a u e
discussed esponsible use o chemicals, pes icides, insec icides and he bicides, oxici y h ough
hea y me als and ca cinogens (Buchholz e al., 2009; Che ubini and S ømman, 2011).
Bioene gy ope a o s add o he lis emissions o d ug esidues and ge ms, especially in he
ene gy om biowas e chain.
Ou esul s sugges ha gaining accep ance om s akeholde s is essen ial o business
ope a o s, analogously o he iangle ( igu e 2) hinking in Sec ion 2.1.3. Simila ly, Dale e al.
(2013) conside social accep abili y as a majo social sus ainabili y ca ego y. As we sugges ed
abo e, he p e equisi e o accep abili y is compliance wi h legisla ion. Howe e , accep abili y
is a complex concep , which acco ding o ou wo kshop discussions, u he equi es e hical
business, commi men o local communi y, and open communica ions be ween he business
ope a o and di e en s akeholde s. The indings o Dale e al. (2013) suppo his obse a ion.
The concep o accep abili y comp ises di e en s akeholde s’ subjec i e and possibly alue-
based pe spec i es o sus ainabili y and iews o which sus ainabili y aspec s a e ele an . This
ad ances con ex -speci ic and local sus ainabili y hinking. Buchholz e al. (2007) and Sala e
al. (2013) ha e sugges ed a pa icipa o y app oach in decision-making o c ea e solu ions o
mul iobjec i e sus ainabili y ques ions. Thus, bioene gy ope a o s de eloping he sus ainabili y
o hei business o c ea ing new sus ainable bioene gy solu ions could bene i om applica ion
o accep abili y hinking and he sus ainabili y ma u i y app oach, which ha e simila i ies.
Le els 2 and 3 equi e ce ain eedom o companies o o e hei sus ainable solu ions,
un es ic ed by legisla ion and s ee ed by s akeholde accep ance o abandonmen . Whe he o
no his eedom wi hou expanding legisla i e equi emen s is bene icial o sus ainable
de elopmen o bioene gy sys ems, depends on he willingness and abili y o he bioene gy
ope a o s o olun a ily, c ea i ely and b oadly app oach he sus ainabili y challenges and
oppo uni ies. The di icul y wi h gi ing manda o y equi emen s o sus ainabili y hemes
cu en ly a highe le els o he sus ainabili y ma u i y iangle, based on o example
answe ing di e en s akeholde s’ alue-based needs such as a ac i e en i onmen , may be
he o mula ion o clea ly quan i iable o o he wise demons able indica o s.
In summa y, we ound ha con en -wise he di ision o s anda ds and ce i ica ion sys ems and
esea ch in o he wo mo e c ea i e le els 2 and 3 is no as unambiguous as i s p esen ed in
Sec ion 2.1.3 and assumed in Sec ion 2.3.2. All he h ee da a sou ces include c i e ia and
indica o s on he basic legisla i e le el and on mo e c ea i e le els. Dis inguishing le els 2 and
3 is nei he unambiguous. I mus be no ed ha he iangle gene alizes business app oaches,
al hough i s jus i ica ion lies in nume ous p e ious esea ch e o s. Using he ma u i y
app oach o unde s and he ela ionship, di e ences and in e ac ions be ween esea ch, s ee ing
and bioene gy ope a o s could, howe e , be use ul in he modelling and in he sus ainabili y
assessmen o adap i e bioene gy sys ems, as de ined by Buchholz e al. (2007).
4.3 Sensi i i y analysis
In quan i a i e analysis, we based he compa abili y o he h ee di e en da a sou ces on
sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s. Di e ences in he de ini ions o c i e ia and indica o s
and unde s anding o hei mu ual ela ion in di e en sou ces, howe e , add unce ain y o ou
esul s. S ee ing and esea ch li e a u e could di ide da a o p inciples, c i e ia and indica o s
di e en ly. In he wo kshop da a, in o ma ion on co ela i e and causal ela ionships, h ough
which he indica o s indica e (Heink and Kowa ick, 2010), was missing. Thus, mo e
in o ma ion abou he con ex would ha e been necessa y o unambiguously iden i y indica o s
in he da a.
Requi emen s in he legisla ion and s anda ds impac he implemen a ion o bioene gy
p ocesses, and hus, a ec he pe spec i e o bioene gy ope a o s on he mos impo an
sus ainabili y ques ions and ice e sa: company iews impac he legisla ion. Thus he
ques ion a ises whe he he bioene gy business ope a o s’ pe spec i e can be dis inguished
om he s ee ing o esea ch pe spec i es, and which pa o he wo kshop da a ep esen s
solely bioene gy ope a o s’ iew, is somewha unce ain. The aim o he wo kshop, howe e ,
was o concen a e on he bioene gy ope a o s’ pe spec i e o sus ainabili y, and hus, he
pa icipa ion o he esea che s in he wo kshop was no conside ed p oblema ic wi h ega d o
he emphasis o he esul s. Fu he mo e, a s ic di ision o people in o company
ep esen a i es and esea che s is ha dly possible due o o example di e en job desc ip ions,
wo k expe iences, pe sonal in e es s, and pe sonali ies. The a mosphe e o open discussion in
he wo kshop aimed a eleasing pa icipan s om hei company o esea ch o ganiza ion
ep esen a i e oles while b inging pa icipan s’ bes expe ise in o use. Unce ain y abou he
pe spec i e om which wo kshop pa icipan s exp essed hei iews is howe e ine i able.
In a wo kshop, g oup dynamics e iden ly a ec he ou come (c . Bell and Mo se, 2013),
al hough all pa icipan s we e gi en he oppo uni y o exp ess hei opinions be o e common
discussion on he ideas. On one hand, he esea che s in oducing he wo kshop and s ee ing
he wo k migh ha e in luenced he hemes unde discussion o ins ance by p omp ing
discussion on hei own a eas o in e es . On he o he hand, p ope s ee ing helps pa icipan s
o concen a e on he opic and p oduce mo e ele an esul s. Sligh di e ences be ween he
esul s o di e en li e cycle s ages may occu due o he conduc o wo kshop s ee ing.
Ou esea ch was lacking g ounds o assessing and compa ing he ela i e impo ance o
di e en sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s due o possible bias o igina ing om he selec ion
o hemes o discussion in he wo kshop, emo al o duplica es om he wo kshop da a, and
di e en app oaches in li e a u e sou ces. The weigh ing o en i onmen al sus ainabili y
hemes is, howe e , assessed in o he li e a u e sou ces: c . Buchholz e al. (2009) and
Che ubini and S ømman (2011).
5 Conclusions
Including whole li e cycles and mul iple, in e linked dimensions o sus ainabili y is essen ial
in s udying and assessing he sus ainabili y o bioene gy sys ems. Using a sys ema ic app oach,
we ecognized a ious sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s in all dimensions o sus ainabili y,
in all bioene gy li e cycle s ages om s ee ing, esea ch and Finnish bioene gy ope a o s’
pe spec i e. Finnish la ge bioene gy business ope a o s a e awa e o di e en sus ainabili y
aspec s and a e able o di ide he sus ainabili y aspec s o di e en li e cycle s ages. This
mindse would enable hem o ope a e a he mo e ma u e business sus ainabili y le els
p o ided ha hey ha e he esou ces and a sys ema ic s a egy.
The business ope a o s and s ee ing li e a u e ha e simila dis ibu ion o sus ainabili y c i e ia
and indica o s in bioene gy li e cycle s ages and sus ainabili y dimensions. Bioene gy ope a o s
and s ee ing li e a u e emphasize especially en i onmen al sus ainabili y, and bioene gy
ope a o s emphasize business economic sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s sligh ly mo e han
he s ee ing and esea ch li e a u e. Legisla i e bioene gy sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s
cu en ly lack he powe o in luence he holis ically sus ainable de elopmen o bioene gy
sys ems, and hus, he ole o c ea ing new esea ch knowledge and olun a y ac i i y o
bioene gy ope a o s in ad ancing sus ainabili y is signi ican . To achie e g ea e sus ainabili y
ma u i y, bioene gy ope a o s need o be awa e o possible eac i e eliance on legisla i e
sus ainabili y c i e ia de elopmen , i eac i e eliance is wha he simila dis ibu ions o
sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s sugges , and aim o mo e c ea i e and mo e b oadly
s akeholde -inclusi e sus ainabili y app oaches.
The accep abili y concep was p esen as an impo an heme h ough he whole da a se and
he business sus ainabili y ma u i y app oach. Accep abili y co e ed majo , pa ly o e lapping
sus ainabili y hemes, such as legisla i e compliance, jus i ica ion o bioene gy, human, labou
and p ope y igh s, esou ce a ailabili y, local en i onmen al quali y and a ac i eness,
biodi e si y and p oduc i i y, economic de elopmen , and human heal h and well-being.
Consequen ly, we sugges ha accep abili y could be aised as a sus ainabili y p inciple o
bioene gy sys ems and begin he de elopmen o espec i e c i e ia and indica o s om ha
s a ing poin . The accep abili y p inciple could p o ide bioene gy ope a o s a meaning ul way
o iden i ying he ole o sus ainabili y c i e ia and indica o s om s ee ing and esea ch
sou ces in ad ancing hei business sus ainabili y ma u i y. The accep abili y and sus ainabili y
ma u i y app oach could also be applicable o la ge, and possibly also smalle , bioene gy
ope a o s globally and o o he ields o indus y.
Acknowledgemen s
This wo k was ca ied ou in he Sus ainable Bioene gy Solu ions o Tomo ow (BEST)
esea ch p og am coo dina ed by FIBIC L d. and CLEEN L d. wi h unding om he Finnish
Funding Agency o Inno a ion, Tekes. The co esponding au ho would like o hank he s a
o he Ene gy Biosciences Ins i u e a he Uni e si y o Cali o nia, Be keley o encou agemen
du ing he w i ing p ocess. The au ho s wish o acknowledge D.Sc. (Tech.) Mika Luo anen
om Lappeen an a Uni e si y o Technology o pa icipa ion in he da a collec ion. In
addi ion, he au ho s would like o hank M.Sc. (Tech.), M.A. Sa i Sil en oinen o language
ad ice and wo anonymous e iewe s o aluable commen s.
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