What this family covers
- Biowaste: food waste from households, catering and retail.
- Garden waste: grass cuttings, prunings and leaves from gardens and green spaces.
- Food-industry by-products: pomace, pulp, brewers’ grains, oilseed cakes, cereal by-products.
- Waste wood: see the forest biomass page.
Uses
Composting, anaerobic digestion and, for some dry streams, energy recovery. In the European Union, the Waste Framework Directive has required since 31 December 2023 that biowaste is either separated or recycled at source: Directive (EU) 2018/851.
Reference bodies
France
- ADEME — Agence de la transition écologiquePublic agencyFrench public agency for the ecological transition: studies, funding and data on renewable heat and waste.
- FranceAgriMerPublic agencyFrench public body for agricultural and sea products; publishes work on biomass resources.
- SDES — statistique publique de l'énergieOfficial statisticsStatistics service of the French Ministry for the Ecological Transition: energy balances, including renewables.
- INRAEResearch and expertiseFrench national research institute for agriculture, food and the environment.
- GIS Biomasse (ADEME, FranceAgriMer, IGN, INRAE)ObservatoryScientific interest group set up in 2024 by ADEME, FranceAgriMer, IGN and INRAE to support the French State on biomass resources and uses.
- ONRB — Observatoire national des ressources en biomasse (FranceAgriMer)ObservatoryObservatory run by FranceAgriMer since 2009 on agricultural, forest and waste biomass resources and their uses, at national and regional level; data available on the Visionet platform.
- OREGES — Observatoire régional de l'énergie, de la biomasse et des gaz à effet de serre (AREC Nouvelle-Aquitaine)ObservatoryRegional observatory run by AREC Nouvelle-Aquitaine, which notably tracks biomass energy production facilities.
- The Shift ProjectThink tankThink tank on decarbonising the economy; biomass is covered in its work on energy and agriculture.
Belgium
- ValbiomResearch and expertiseWalloon association supporting biomass valorisation projects.
- SPW ÉnergieGovernmentWalloon energy administration: policy, support schemes and regional statistics.
- VEKA — Vlaams Energie- en KlimaatagentschapGovernmentFlemish Energy and Climate Agency.
- ODE VlaanderenTrade organisationFlemish organisation of renewable energy stakeholders.
Germany
- FNR — Fachagentur Nachwachsende RohstoffePublic agencyGerman agency for renewable resources: research programmes, data and publications.
- DBFZ — Deutsches BiomasseforschungszentrumResearch and expertiseGerman Biomass Research Centre: bioenergy and bioeconomy.
- UmweltbundesamtPublic agencyGerman Environment Agency: data on renewables and waste.
- DestatisOfficial statisticsFederal Statistical Office of Germany.
- C.A.R.M.E.N. e.V.Research and expertiseBavarian competence centre for renewable resources; publishes price indices.
- Fachverband BiogasTrade organisationGerman Biogas Association.
- DBFZ — RessourcendatenbankObservatoryOpen DBFZ database on biomass potentials in Germany and the European Union, with time series and a programming interface.
Spain
- IDAEPublic agencySpanish Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving.
- MITECOGovernmentSpanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
- CIEMATResearch and expertiseSpanish public research centre for energy, environment and technology.
- APPA RenovablesTrade organisationSpanish association of renewable energy companies.
Italy
- GSE — Gestore dei Servizi EnergeticiPublic agencyItalian public operator of renewable energy support schemes; publishes statistics.
- ENEAResearch and expertiseItalian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Development.
- ISPRAPublic agencyItalian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research.
- MASE — ministère de l'Environnement et de la Sécurité énergétiqueGovernmentItalian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security.
United Kingdom
- DESNZ — Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroGovernmentUK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
- DefraGovernmentUK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
- REA — Association for Renewable Energy and Clean TechnologyTrade organisationUK renewable energy and clean technology trade association.
- OfgemGovernmentUK energy regulator; administers several support schemes.
Europe
- EurostatOfficial statisticsStatistical office of the European Union: energy balances, agriculture and forestry data.
- JRC — Centre commun de rechercheResearch and expertiseScience service of the European Commission, including biomass work.
- Commission européenne — ÉnergieGovernmentEuropean Commission Directorate-General for Energy.
- Directive (UE) 2023/2413 — énergies renouvelablesOfficial textOfficial text of the revised Renewable Energy Directive, including biomass sustainability criteria.
- Agence européenne pour l'environnementPublic agencyEuropean Union agency for environmental information.
- Bioenergy EuropeTrade organisationEuropean bioenergy association; publishes annual statistical reports.
- EBA — European Biogas AssociationTrade organisationEuropean association for biogas and biomethane.
- IEA BioenergyResearch and expertiseTechnology collaboration programme of the International Energy Agency on bioenergy.
- Centre de connaissances sur la bioéconomie (Commission européenne)ObservatoryEuropean Commission knowledge centre: bioeconomy monitoring system and EU biomass flows tool.
Latest news
Flanders: number of biomethane sites doubles to 12, says Biogas-E
According to the annual report of the Flemish platform Biogas-E, 133 biogas plants produced 691 GWh of electricity and 811 GWh of heat in 2025, and biomethane output reached 186 GWh.
Spain: AVEBIOM and CAAE team up to certify digestate as an EU fertilising product
The Spanish bioenergy association and the certification body CAAE have signed an agreement to help biogas producers have their digestate recognised under the EU Fertilising Products Regulation.
Bioeconomy: 272 projects compete for €170.7m in the 2026 CBE JU call
The 2026 call of the Circular Bio-based Europe partnership received 272 proposals requesting €1.65bn against €170.7m available; results are expected in January 2027.