Responsible Research and Innovation framework for identifying social risks within the value chain of bio-based products

Main Presenter:    Iines Toivanen 

Co-Authors:   Essi Paronen     Hanna Pihkola                                          

The development of the bioeconomy poses societal challenges such as land-use conflicts and competing interests around the use of biomass resources (FAO, 2022). Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) framework was developed by the EC to integrate social and ethical considerations within the early stages of technology development (EC, 2025; Owen et al., 2021). RRI allows anticipation of potential social risks from a life cycle perspective, integrating also stakeholder perspectives. RRI shares similar principles with social-LCA and LCSA, but due to its qualitative nature, it can be more easily applied at early stages of product design.

This research presents an RRI framework that has been tailored for bio-based products. The framework can be implemented for anticipating potential social impacts during the early stages of the innovation process, when many uncertainties exist. The framework provides input for potential future social-LCA, or LCSA. It can be integrated as part of the goal and scope definition step or conducted as an independent evaluation.

A literature review focused on the combination of RRI and sustainability assessment was conducted. Moreover, potential social risks related to bio-based products were acquired from existing literature. To ensure adaptability of the framework in the R&D process of companies, interviews were conducted with three companies operating in the bio-based sector. The aim was to understand potential opportunities and challenges related to RRI implementation. The ongoing research includes testing and validating the framework through industrial case studies.

The RRI framework developed by the EC was operationalised by defining seven practical steps with predefined questions and checklists for each of the steps. The practical tools offered include a visual framework and supporting templates for mapping the value chain, stakeholders, and social topics. During the on-going European ESCIB project, the framework will be tested with case companies and integrated within an LCSA methodology. Initial results from the first test cases will be provided.

The developed practical RRI framework is complementary to LCSA and provides a basis for early anticipation of potential social impacts when there are more uncertainties, yet design adjustments are easier to apply. Currently, social considerations are not yet systematically integrated within the early stages of product development. The RRI framework aims at providing a systematic tool that could help to fill this gap and be used to identify existing data gaps and potential risks that require further studies as the product development continues.

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