‘We now know that in Italy the bioeconomy is worth €241 billion and employs approximately 1.6 million people. Such figures are provided by Intesa Sanpaolo Think Tank based on a thorough analysis carried out in Italy, Spain, France, Germany and the UK (the so-called EU 5 countries). It also provides the value of world exports (US$ 2.1 trillion in 2012) for the first time.
In this special list of the European bioeconomy, Italy is in third position. Germany is first with a production worth €330 billion and France second with €295 billion. Spain is fourth (€186 billion) followed by the UK (€155 billion). In these five countries, the bioeconomy is worth €1.2 trillion and employs 7.5 million people (the total of people working in this sector in the EU-27 countries amounts to 18 million).
But how has Intesa Sanpaolo Think Tank come up with these figures? According to Stefania Trenti and Serena Fumagalli, the two authors of the report, “The calculation of the value of the bioeconomy was carried out using available statistical data both on the value of production and employment and exports. As for agriculture, silviculture, fishing, wood, paper and food industries, official statistical information already provides the bulk of the data. Calculating the value of the chemical industry was rather more complex”.’
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