Transcript Fabio Terragni, CERISS BREW SYMPOSIUM Wiesbaden, May 11th

Bioperspective, Wiesbaden 11 May 2005
BREW Symposium
White Biotechnology
An Emerging Platform for Industrial Products and Processes
HOW IS
WHITE BIOTECHNOLOGY
PERCEIVED IN WESTERN
EUROPE?
Fabio Terragni
CERISS – Milano
One of the aims of the BREW Project
is to evaluate
public perception and
likely public acceptance
of biotechnological production of bulk
chemicals form renewable resources
Fabio Terragni, CERISS
BREW SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden, May 11th
No previous systematic analysis on the public perception of White
Biotechnology. Possible references are:
EUROBAROMETERS on biotechnology: general public opinion polls (91,
93, 96, 99 AND 2002) exploring KNOWLEDGE, SUPPORT, RISK
PERCEPTION, MORAL ACCEPTABILITY, PERCEIVED USEFULNESS of
biotech application in EU countries. Among the results:
• CLEAR DISTINCTION BETWEEN MEDICAL (red, generally accepted)
AND AGROFOOD APPLICATIONS (green, generally disputed);
• VERY FEW SPECIFIC DATA ON WHITE BIOTECHNOLOGY (GM
ENZYMES FOR SOAP PRODUCTION): NO SUBSTANTIAL OPPOSITION
Fabio Terragni, CERISS
BREW SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden, May 11th
Another reference, at national level, is
KASSEL 2002: an on field survey on 600 consumers in KASSEL on BDP
– BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS – for food packaging. Amongst the
results:
- 90% SUPPORT REPLACING CONVENTIONAL WITH COMPOSTABLE
PLASTICS;
- 80% EVALUATE BDP QUALITY AS EITHER GOOD OR VERY GOOD;
- 87% WOULD BUY IT AGAIN;
- 1/3 WILLING TO PAY A SURCHARGE FOR A COMPOSTABLE BAG.
Fabio
Fabio
Terragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
BREWBREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden,
May
May
11th
11th
Existing data indirectly referable to
White Biotechnology suggested:
- the lack of prejudicial opposition and
- a possible positive perception by the general public.
More info needed, even is must be considered that
BREW products are not intended to be addressed to
the final consumer.
Fabio
Fabio
Terragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
BREWBREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden,
May
May
11th
11th
Three classes of factors potentially influencing the
public perception have been identified:
1. Environmental impact and ethical considerations
2. Socioeconomic and macroeconomic effects
3. Impact of eventual incidents
Fabio
Fabio
Terragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
BREWBREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden,
May
May
11th
11th
TO RANK THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF FACTORS POTENTIALLY
INFLUENCING PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE OF WHITE BIOTECHNOLOGY
WE USED “EXPERTS” EVALUATION.
A QUESTIONNAIRE HAS BEEN SENT TO MORE THAN 300
EXPERTS IN NOVEMBER 2004
IN THE SAMPLE WE INCLUDED THE FOLOWING
CONCERNED STAKEHOLDERS:
RESEARCH
INDUSTRY
NGOs
POLICYMAKERS
Fabio
Fabio
Terragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
BREWBREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden,
May
May
11th
11th
DESCRIPTION OF THE SAMPLE
(high answer rate: 16%)
Distribution by country (N = 58)
Sweden
Italy
Finland
Ireland
Austria
Switzerland
Denmark
UK
France
Netherlands
Belgium
Germany
0
Fabio
Fabio
Terragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
5
10
BREWBREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
15
20
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden,
May
May
11th
11th
A SAMPLE OF PROFESSIONALS
A PROXY OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC
Distribution by type of organisation
Other
Industrial
association
NGO
Company
governmental
organisation
Research
institute
0
Fabio
Fabio
Terragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
5
10
15
BREWBREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
20
25
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden,
May
May
11th
11th
SUSTAINABILITY
Assessment of the sustainability of a group of technologies
50
45
40
35
Sustainable
30
Can become if improved
25
Not sustainable
20
N.A
15
10
5
fr
om
bi
om
as
s
st
oc
k
ic
al
s
ch
em
k
B
ul
k
ch
em
ic
al
s
fr
om
fo
ss
il
fe
ed
as
s
n
uc
tio
pr
od
ne
rg
y
E
B
ul
le
fr
om
so
u
bi
om
rc
es
ue
l
fr
om
n
uc
tio
pr
od
E
ne
rg
y
E
ne
rg
y
pr
od
uc
tio
n
re
ne
w
ab
fr
om
fo
ss
il
f
tu
re
ag
ri
cu
l
c
O
rg
an
i
C
on
ve
nt
io
na
la
gr
ic
ul
tu
re
0
Fabio
FabioTerragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May
11th
11th
CONVENTIONAL CHEMISTRY VS.
BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PRODUCTION
Bulk chemicals from biomass or fossil
fuels?
35
30
25
Nowadays
In the future
20
15
10
5
0
From
From
biomass fossil fuels
Fabio
FabioTerragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
both
DK
NA
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May
11th
11th
REASONS TO PREFER EACH OPTION
Reasons to prefer production of bulk
chemicals from biomass only
Reasons to prefer production of bulk chemicals from
fossil feedstock (nowadays )
(more than one option allowed)
(more than one option allowed)
Environmental
Environmental
Economic
Economic
Nowadays
Geopolitical
In the future
Geopolitical
Technical
Technical
Other
Other
0
0,2
0,4
0,6
Fabio Terragni,
Fabio
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
0,8
1
1,2
0
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
1
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May11th
11th
Reasons to prefer production of bulk chemicals from both
biomass and fossil fuels feedstock
(more than one option allowed)
Environmental
Economic
nowadays
Geopolitical
In the future
Technical
Other
0
Fabio
FabioTerragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
1
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May
11th
11th
ATTITUDES TO POSSIBLE RISKS
Do you think the risks of biotechnological production
of chemicals from biomass will be effectively
managed?
Yes, sure
I'm confident it can be achieved
It depends
I'm sceptical it can be achieved
No
DK
NA
0
Fabio Terragni,
Fabio
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
5
10
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
15
20
25
30
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May11th
11th
PERCEIVED ECONOMIC POTENTIAL
Will the biotechnological production of
bulk chemicals from biomass become
an important area for innovation and
economic growth in the next 30 years?
Will the biotechnological production
of bulk chemicals from biomass
revitalise the petrochemical industry
and contribute to its international
competitiveness in the next 30 years?
50
45
40
30
35
30
25
25
20
20
15
15
10
10
5
5
0
0
Yes
No
Fabio
FabioTerragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
D.K.
N.A.
Yes
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
No
D.K.
N.A.
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May
11th
11th
EXPLORING VIEWS OF COMPETING
TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIONS
THIS SECTION COMPARES 4 ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR
BULK CHEMICAL PRODUCTION:
A) SYNTHESIS FROM FOSSIL FEEDSTOCK
(CONVENTIONAL CHEMISTRY)
B) BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PRODUCTION BY NATURALLY
OCCURRING BACTERIA (BACTERIA)
C) BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PRODUCTION BY GENETICALLY
MODIFIED BACTERIA (GM BACTERIA)
D) SYNTHESIS IN GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS (GM
PLANTS)
Fabio
FabioTerragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May
11th
11th
The first 10 criteria by importance are the following:
1. Helps to achieve climate protection goals…
2. Is likely to perform better … regarding key environmental impacts …
3. Contributes to saving fossil resources
4. Strengthens long-term international competitiveness….
5. Has low production costs
6 . Is economically attractive …
7. Reduces the country’s dependency on fossil resources…
8. Helps to make industrial chemical production more sustainable
9. Safe use of GMOs …
10. Serves customers’ and consumers’ preferences…
‘Environmental’ criteria (1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10) turn out to be the
most relevant, followed by ‘economic’ (4, 5, 6) and
‘geopolitical’ criteria (7).
Fabio
FabioTerragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May
11th
11th
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
RANKING OF TECHNOLOGICAL
OPTIONS ACCORDING TO
PERSONAL ASSESSMENT
18
16
14
1
2
3
4
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
conventional
chemistry
Fabio
FabioTerragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
bacteria
GM bacteria
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
GM plants
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May
11th
11th
DISAGGREGATED ANALYSIS
To avoid excessive “professional” bias due, the sample has been
split between ‘industry’ and ‘others’.
Main differences:
- ‘industry’ more reluctant to short-run shift from oil to biomassbased production (opposed 48% vs. 16%)
- more emphasis on economic vs. environmental criteria
- ranking of technological options (most favoured option):
fossil
bacteria
gm bacteria
gm plants
Fabio
FabioTerragni,
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
industry
industry
industry
industry
0%
33%
42%
25%
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
others
others
others
others
0%
60%
40%
0%
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May
11th
11th
CONCLUSIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES REPRESENT THE MOST
IMPORTANT SET OF FACTORS INFLUENCING PUBLIC
PERCEPTION AND ACCEPTANCE OF BULK
CHEMICALS FROM RENEWABLE RESOURCES
WHITE BIOTECHNOLOGY IS PERCEIVED AS A
SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY WHILE OIL-BASED
PRODUCTS ARE PERCEIVED AS UNSUSTAINABLE IN
THE LONG RUN AND TO BE REPLACED
Fabio Terragni,
Fabio
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May11th
11th
CONCLUSIONS
AS IN OTHER BIOTECH SURVEYS
A PERCEIVED SOCIAL USEFULNESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH
A LOW PERCEPTION OF RISKS
OUR SURVEY INDICATES A CLEAR OPTIMISM TOWARD
THE MANAGEMENT OF POSSIBLE “INDUSTRIAL” RISKS TO
HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(EVEN GM BACTERIA ARE NOT PERCEIVED AS
DANGEROUS)
Fabio Terragni,
Fabio
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May11th
11th
CONCLUSIONS
EVEN POTENTIALLY CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES LINKED TO
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION OF RENEWABLE
RESOURCES ARE PERCEIVED AS RELATIVELY LESS
RELEVANT
CONFIRMED ALSO BY THE LOW RESPONSE RATE FROM
FARMERS’ ORGANISATIONS
ANYWAY A CLEAR PREFERENCE FOR NATURALLY
OCCURRING PLANTS IS EXPRESSED BY NON INDUSTRY
RESPONDENTS
Fabio Terragni,
Fabio
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May11th
11th
CONCLUSIONS
EVEN IF NOWADAYS TECHNICAL AND ECONOMICAL
FACTORS ARE PERCEIVED AS A BARRIER TO THE
INTRODUCTION OF BULK CHEMICALS PRODUCTION
FROM RENEWABLE RESOURCES
THERE ARE POSITIVE EXPECTATIONS ABOUT THE
CONTRIBUTE OF WHITE BIOTECHNOLOGY TO
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Fabio Terragni,
Fabio
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May11th
11th
CONCLUSIONS
FINALLY
A RELATIVELY LOW IMPORTANCE OF GEOPOLITICAL
FACTORS
IN INFLUENCING PUBLIC PERCEPTION AND ACCEPTANCE
OF BULK CHEMICALS PRODUCTION FROM RENEWABLE
RESOURCES SEEMS TO EMERGE FROM THE STUDY
Fabio Terragni,
Fabio
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May11th
11th
Aknowledgements
Elena Recchia, CERISS
Baerbel Hüsing, FgH - ISI
Martin Patel, Utrecht University
THANK YOU
[email protected]
Fabio Terragni,
Fabio
Terragni,
CERISS
CERISS
BREW
BREW
SYMPOSIUM
SYMPOSIUM
Wiesbaden,
Wiesbaden, May
May11th
11th