Reducing the environmental pressure along the products life cycle, increasing efficiency in the consumption of resources and use of renewable raw materials, and shifting the economic system toward a circular and a climate-neutral model represent the heart of the current macro-trends of the European Union (EU) policy agendas. The circular economy and bioeconomy concepts introduced in the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan and the Bioeconomy Strategy support innovation in rethinking economic systems focusing on market uptaking of greener solutions based on less-intensive resource consumption. In recent decades, industrial research has devoted enormous investments to demonstrate sustainable circular bio-based business models capable of overcoming the “Valley of Death” through alternative strategic orientations of “technological-push” and “market-pull”. The study highlights industrial research’s evolution on bio-based circular business model validation, trends, and topics with particular attention to the empowering capacity of start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to close the loops in renewable biological use and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The research methodology involves a bibliographic search based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach and the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Data Hub investigation to understand SMEs’ key success factors and start-ups of the circular bioeconomy sector. Eco and bio-based materials, nutraceuticals, and microalgae represent the most sustainable industry applications, leading to circular bioeconomy business models’ future perspective.

Biotechnology is an essential tool for the sustainable exploitation of marine resources, although the full development of their potential is complicated by a series of cognitive and technological limitations. Thanks to an innovative systematic approach that combines the meta-analysis of 620 articles produced worldwide with 29 high TRL (Technology Readiness Level) European funded projects, the study provides an assessment of the growth prospects of blue biotechnologies, with a focus on pharmaceutical and food applications, and the most promising technologies to overcome the main challenges in the commercialization of marine products. The results show a positive development trend, with publications more than doubled from 2010 (36) to 2019 (70). Biochemical and molecular characterization, with 150 studies, is the most widely used technology. However, the emerging technologies in basic research are omics technologies, pharmacological analysis and bioinformatics, which have doubled the number of publications in the last five years. On the other hand, technologies for optimizing the conditions of cultivation, harvesting and extraction are central to most business models with immediate commercial exploitation (65% of high-TRL selected projects), especially in food and nutraceutical applications. This research offers a starting point for future research to overcome all those obstacles that restrict the marketing of products derived from organisms.

The evaluation of probiotics’ efficacy in treating irritable bowel syndrome is supported by an increasing number of clinical studies based on a heterogeneous approach of products tested and the patient cohort involved. Although the role of gut microbiota dysbiosis in IBS pathogenesis and the beneficial contribution of probiotics were demonstrated, a tool to discriminate symptom-specific strains and a personalised medicine protocol are still lacking. Thus, this study employs, for the first time, a method that combines the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis and multi-criteria decision analysis methods in a structured decision-making tool to analyze the efficacy of probiotic mix, in order to identify the most effective formulation and to discriminate which probiotics are more efficient in treating different symptoms. The PRISMA methodology resulted in a qualitative and quantitative analysis of 104 clinical studies from 2011 to 2021, revealing a prevalence of Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis. MCDA analysis showed that formulations based on Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus acidophilus have the highest efficacy, especially on quality of life, bloating, and abdominal pain. This methodological approach could become more specific by modelling clinical studies according to the age and gender of patients and probiotic strain.

Despite the growing recognition of the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) framework by companies as a transparency tool to meet stakeholders’ requirements, a universal standard for ESG reporting is currently lacking, potentially fueling greenwashing phenomena. This study focuses on one of the leading sectors dominated by big players at the Italian level, the poultry sector, with the aim of analyzing how the green transition can be integrated into ESG company identity. This study employs, for the first time, the grounded theory (GT) methodology to investigate how sustainability is “perceived” and “practiced” by the entrepreneurs of the Italian poultry supply chain. The results provide insights into how changes toward greater sustainability can be transformed into concrete pathways that function within the organizational design. The outcome could be the reconfiguration of the organizational design, whereby the practice becomes incisive, or its circumvention, whereby the practice is adopted only superficially. The development of a more standardized ESG reporting system, along with incentivization measures and policies supporting small and medium-sized agrifood companies in the adoption of sustainability practices, could contribute to overcoming the “detachment” between the sustainability “perceived” and “practiced” by agrifood companies and to effectively adopting environmental sustainability as a development strategy.

Poultry livestock profitability significantly depends on feed, accounting for 60–70% of the total production cost, of which protein sources are among of the most expensive ingredients. The maintenance of profitability while meeting feed demand and reducing the environmental impact represents a considerable challenge driving research of alternative protein sources (APS), such as insects and algae meals. This study employs, for the first time, techno-economic assessment (TEA) methodology to evaluate the technological performance and the industrial feasibility of an APS-based poultry feed production method based on the valorization of the pre-treated organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) as a substrate for Hermetia illucens larval growth and microalgae cultivation. The Excel-based analysis, which evaluated the mass and energy balance as well as the income statement, was integrated with a thematic analysis focused on exploring how the overall value attributed to the sustainability concept is reflected in the willingness to adopt sustainable business models by entrepreneurs in the poultry sector. Despite the ability to generate revenues, the model cannot be said to be profitable for animal feed production due to the strong dependence of its profitability on scale economy logics. Enabling solutions could be derived from the recovery of abandoned infrastructures, government financial incentives, and integrated systems associating OFMSW treatment with poultry farming, thus resulting in marked economic sustainability and profitability: key elements from the poultry entrepreneurs’ point of view.

Regional policies play a pivotal role in green transition and pursuing the European Green Deal decarbonization targets. Despite the general recognition of the strategic value of the bioeconomy in realizing this challenge, regional roadmaps for its growth are not yet a widespread tool in local innovation policy. Conversely, driving green investments by measuring the innovation potential of the bioeconomy could shape a low-carbon economy by leveraging the full potential of local resources. In order to validate a replicable decision-making model driving 2021–2027 ERDF funds towards this mission, this paper measures the economic, social and technological impact of the Lombard bioeconomy through five applications and eight criteria. The methodology allows quantification of the local bioeconomy value and, through a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), identifies the bio-based applications with the highest innovation potential. By measuring the current and prospective impact of the bioeconomy, Bio-chemicals, Agri-foods, and Biopolymers emerges as the applications with the highest innovation potential rate for Lombardy. Five recommendations to drive green investments and shape the regional roadmap for the bioeconomy are finally defined, providing a tool for industrial applications with a greater impact on local competitiveness.