The term bioeconomy may sound abstract and unfamiliar to some, more a term for professionals than for citizens. Yet it is part of our everyday lives already. The Allthings.bioPRO project brings the bioeconomy closer to citizens in a fun and interactive way. For that purpose, a dedicated app and a serious mobile game have been developed. Citizens from different European countries have actively helped in the development and have contributed their ideas and visions on the bioeconomy.
Both, the Allthings.bioPRO project and the app and game focus on four key themes: Food Packaging, Fashion & Textiles, Children & Schools and Jobs & Careers. The serious game and the smartphone app will not only engage people but can also be used as tools to aggregate their ideas related to the four themes and allow everyone to make a difference in the political agenda of the coming years. The data generated by the game and the app will be useful to policymakers, brand owners and organisations, and the bio-based industry.
The serious game: Mission BioHero
The game is called Mission BioHero because it is made of eight campaigns, each focusing on a specific theme that the player must achieve to save the Earth. The campaigns feature activities such as quizzes; real-life tasks to be solved; so-called city-builders, which are mini-games with the goal to turn a city with a non-sustainable value chain into a clean and sustainable city; special skills that award specific abilities and in-game points; and a glossary summarising important definitions.
Everyone with a mobile phone and over the age of 12 can play Mission BioHero. Players typically include teachers, students, bioeconomy stakeholders and citizens with an interest in the bioeconomy and sustainable living. The game could also be of interest for vocational training centres.
The app: Label BioHero
The mobile app will be linked to the serious game and can be used continuously. The user can scan (eco-)logos, labels and EU certificationschemes or enter them manually into the search field. The app then provides information on what the (eco-)label stands for, on which products and product categories it can be found, which aspects it covers, what it guarantees and who owns or operates the label. Specifically, it focuses on non-food, non-energy bio-based products, such as packaging made from bio-based plastics and textiles made from organic cotton. Labels in the app will be split into six different categories:
- Bio-based content
- Sustainability of forestry biomass
- Textiles
- End-of-life (what happens at the end of the product lifetime, such as biodegradability)
- Multi-issue (labels that cover more than one environmental aspect, e.g. Blue Angel)
- Others (labels that are not directly related to bio-based or biodegradable products, as they deal with topics such as fair trade or recycling).
Take part in the change
The project is now looking for people to test the user experience and they can contact Ms. Maria Khrapunenko: mailto:maria.khrapunenko(bei)ibs.ee
Allthings.bioPRO is funded by the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) under the European Unions’ Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 887070). The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the Bio-based Industries Consortium.
Project duration: 09/2020 - 08/2023
FNR contact person: Valerie Sartorius
