Preparatory phase

BioPrint is an inter- and transdisciplinary research collaboration with the overarching purpose to improve the management of biodiversity footprints of product groups as well as individual products along value chains. Currently, biodiversity impact assessments take a top-down modelling approach with an aggregated view. However, to mitigate biodiversity loss along value chains, we need to understand how business, public, and private activities along value chains impact biodiversity and what actions effectively conserve biodiversity. Consequently, BioPrint follows a bottom-up modelling approach, and hence targets a higher accuracy and depth of detail than existing assessments. BioPrint will quantify life cycle-based biodiversity footprints (WP1), identify biodiversity related actions (WP2), develop and implement strategies in businesses (WP3, WP4), and synthesise knowledge-transfer (WP5). The BioPrint preparatory phase establishes the foundation for the five WPs. This includes the establishment of a biodiversity working group composed of key actors on the market, systematic and extensive literature review, detailed planning of the model structure for the quantification of biodiversity impacts and testing of the model structure. Furthermore, target actions/decision-makers, barriers and benefits of actions of target decision-makers are investigated and identified, and dissemination channels, that ensure the implementation of effective strategies, are established. Overall, BioPrint will showcase how biodiversity footprint management can be successfully fostered along value chains.