FAO has launched a new Inventory of Bioeconomy Indicators, an online tool designed to help countries and stakeholders translate bioeconomy strategies and plans into measurable, decision-ready evidence. The tool responds to a central challenge: how to monitor bioeconomy development and assess its sustainability in a credible, comparable and context-sensitive way.  

The indicators inventory complements FAO’s 2025 publication Indicators for sustainable bioeconomy: Towards building a monitoring and assessment framework developed in close collaboration with the G20 Initiative on Bioeconomy under South Africa’s Presidency - by translating the methodological approach into an operational, user-oriented dashboard. Building on a consolidated database of around 3,000 indicators relevant for bioeconomy monitoring, the Inventory is intended to help users navigate an increasingly complex indicator landscape and make more informed, fit-for-purpose choices for monitoring and assessing bioeconomy.  

Users can explore the full Inventory flexibly or follow a step-by-step pathway that guides them sequentially. In both cases, the FAO prioritization approach helps users move from a broad overview to a tailored selection aligned with specific objectives and bioeconomy goals, assuming that a bioeconomy strategy or plan is already in place, consistent with FAO’s  publication The bioeconomy toolbox. A guide to support the development of sustainable bioeconomy strategies and policies. 

Inaugural Meeting of the Bioeconomy Challenge Metrics Working Group 

The Inventory was unveiled during the inaugural meeting of the Bioeconomy Challenge Metrics and Indicators Working Group (WG-METRICS), held on 26–27 February at the United Nations Office Site at the Vienna International Centre (VIC). The Bioeconomy Challenge is a three-year voluntary, multi-stakeholder initiative launched under Brazil’s UNFCCC COP30 Presidency in November 2025. The WG-METRICS aims to support the practical implementation of the G20 High-level Principles on Bioeconomy by advancing towards a harmonized framework on bioeconomy metrics and indicators.   

In his opening remarks, Kaveh Zahedi, FAO's Director for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, framed the challenge in practical terms, noting that bioeconomy’s potential “will not be fulfilled without clear metrics of what counts as bioeconomy and how to monitor its development and assess its sustainability.” He also emphasized the need for science-based metrics that allow countries to prioritize indicators aligned with national contexts and commitments, while maintaining international comparability on core criteria.