Bioeconomy, Eco‐Modernism, and the Meat Industry
A Thematic Literature Review
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21788086 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Christin Bernhold (0000-0002-3083-2946, Universität Hamburg, corresponding author), Christian Stache (0000-0003-0985-0178, Universität Hamburg), Maximilian Ahrens (Universität Hamburg) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Geography Compass (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1749-8198 • E-ISSN: 1749-8198 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/gec3.70081 |
| OpenAlex | W7162205846 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 96 |
This review article key trends and debates in bioeconomy research, with a particular focus on the role of the meat industry. We begin by briefly introducing bioeconomy studies as a scholarly terrain on which projects of ecological modernization are both promoted and critically debated. The main part presents a thematic review of literature that explicitly addresses meat within the context of the bioeconomy. We then analyze how these studies reflect (or challenge) the paradigm of ecological modernization and assess the extent to which the meat industry features in these debates. From an economic geography perspective, we identify notable omissions in the literature concerning the political economy of this industry, as well as the resulting uneven socio‐spatial relations and environmental impacts. We conclude by suggesting directions for future research to better assess the implications of capital‐led strategies in the meat industry for broader goals of social‐ecological transformation within bioeconomy frameworks
Ecological modernization · Modernization theory · Politics · Terrain · Thematic analysis · Thematic map · Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact · Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development · Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability
The Ecological Hoofprint
Business, Power and Sustainability in a World of Global Value Chains
A Transition to Which Bioeconomy? An Exploration of Diverging Techno-Political Choices
The role of biomass and bioenergy in a future bioeconomy
Consumer acceptance of cultured meat
What Is the Bioeconomy? A Review of the Literature
Making Meat, Better
Sustainable Development
Kapitalismus und Naturzerstörung
The Tragedy of the Commodity
Good food for the future
Capitalism’s systemic barriers to environmental upgrading in global value chains
Globalization and the water-energy-food nexus – Using the global production networks approach to analyze society-environment relations
Many Meats and Many Milks? The Ontological Politics of a Proposed Post-animal Revolution
Learning to change
Unpacking the Concept of Bioeconomy
Theorizing the Bioeconomy
The Bioeconomy as Political Project
Harvesting value
Conceptualising animal exploitation in capitalism
National champions' in global meat supply chains
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |