+++ Registration for our conference „Closing the Biomass Gap“ is now open +++
We would be delighted to welcome you to Lychen by the lake this November for the European conference „Closing the Biomass Gap“.
Time: 17 November 2026, 14:00 – 19 November 2026, approx. 11:30
Venue: Schlüßhof 1, 17279 Lychen (one hour north of Berlin)
Nearest train station: Fürstenberg (Havel)
Language: English
Closing the Biomass Gap: shared solutions to meet biomass demand within planetary boundaries
The updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy raises urgent questions about the future availability and use of biomass in Europe. As demand for biogenic raw materials keeps growing, the challenge is no longer only how to expand supply, but how to stay within ecological limits while ensuring fair and sustainable resource use. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre concludes that a significant biomass gap is likely to emerge unless decisive action is taken.
We want to respond with solutions: concrete, constructive and, where necessary, uncomfortable. denkhausbremen, Fern and Ekoskog invite researchers, civil society actors and policy experts to explore shared pathways towards a resource-efficient and socially just bioeconomy.
The conference will:
- examine the biomass gap in light of the climate and biodiversity crises
- discuss current and future policy instruments for governing biomass use
- debate concrete examples of shifting biomass from energy generation to material use
- explore how reducing industrial livestock production could free up biomass
- show how reuse systems can replace the throwaway economy and speed up the transition to a circular economy
Registration via eveeno.com
Programme
DAY 1 · Tuesday, 17 November  |  The Biomass Gap
14:00Arrival and check-in
15:00Welcome and Introduction
Ulrike Eppler
Peter Gerhardt
Jonas Daldrup – denkhausbremen project team
15:20Biomass Within Planetary Boundaries
Where sustainable limits lie – and what follows for the bioeconomy.
Joachim Spangenberg – Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board, Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND)
16:00The EU Bioeconomy Strategy
How the European Commission intends to shape the bioeconomy.
Mirabela Maria Lupaescu – Policy Officer Bioeconomy, DG Environment, European Commission
16:50Coffee break
17:15German Bioeconomy Policy
The Federal Government’s perspective on biomass use and its limits.
Katharina Schwarz – Head of Bioeconomy Division, Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUKN)
18:00Reflections
First impressions and open questions.
Plenary – all participants
19:00Dinner, camp fire and informal exchange
DAY 2 · Wednesday, 18 November  |  Ways to Close the Gap
09:00Introduction: How Do We Close the Gap?
denkhausbremen team
09:10Do We Need a Biomass Budget?
Sustainable limits for biomass use – and how to enforce them in the EU Single Market.
Hermann Lotze-Campen – Head of Research Department Climate Resilience, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
09:50Biomass Availability Scenarios
Projected EU biomass demand versus sustainable supply – what the data show.
Sarah Mubareka – Scientific Officer, Forests and Bioeconomy Unit, Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission
10:30Policy Mix for Land and Biomass Use
Policies that put planetary boundaries first: the German Environment Agency’s perspective, with responses from civil society.
Wiebke Jander and Jens Günther – Research Officers, German Environment Agency (UBA)
Florian Schöne – Managing Director, German League for Nature and Environment (DNR)
Caroline Tiefenbach – Policy Officer Transport and Clean Air, Environmental Action Germany (DUH)
11:30Coffee break
11:45Chemistry and Renewable Carbon
European lead markets as lever for climate, employment and efficient biomass use.
Matthias Held – Director Public Affairs Germany, UPM
12:15(In)coherence in EU Policy
Climate architecture, biodiversity objectives, renewable energy targets and bioeconomy rollout: Why we must prioritise
Sydney Vennin – Forest Campaigner, Fern
12:45Lunch
14:00Biomass from Forests
How much can Europe’s forests deliver without harming climate and biodiversity?
Martin Jentzen – Ekoskog, Sweden
Jens Dörschel – Policy and Environment Officer, German Energy Wood and Pellet Association (DEPV)
Jana Ballenthien – Forest Campaigner, ROBIN WOOD
Wolfgang Beck – Senior Vice President Global Wood Sourcing, Mercer International
15:40Coffee break
16:00Biomass from Agriculture
What reducing livestock could free up – and what it would mean for farmers and land use.
Pierre Johannes – Team Lead Land Use, NABU (BirdLife Germany)
Wilhelm Klümper – Team Lead Climate Policy and Bioeconomy, Agora Agriculture
17:00Cutting Biomass Demand with Reuse?
Does reuse actually cut biomass demand, or merely shift it to other materials?
Sergio Baffoni – Senior Campaign Coordinator, Environmental Paper Network (EPN)
Larissa Copello – Packaging & Reuse Policy Officer, Zero Waste Europe
18:00Conclusions and Follow-up
Key takeaways and next steps.
Plenary – all participants
19:00Dinner and informal exchange
DAY 3 · Thursday, 19 November  |  From Theory to Practice
07:30Breakfast
09:00Field Visit: Holzindustrie Templin
At the sawmill: where the wood comes from, how it is processed, and what rising demand means for the industry.
Registration required
11:35Departure: train to Berlin from Templin station
Draft agenda, subject to change.
