Co-op Leader Conversation: John Brosnan Bioeconomy Executive, Irish Cooperative Organisation Society (ICOS)

Listen as we discuss bioeconomy initiatives in Ireland and the role of cooperatives with John Brosnan, Bioeconomy Executive, Irish Cooperative Organisation Society (ICOS). Ireland has a rich history of cooperatives, with ICOS representing 130 commercial co-ops contributing €14 billion in turnover. The bioeconomy offers opportunities for co-ops to address climate challenges and create new value streams from biological resources.

John gives an overview of the bioeconomy and covers collaborative models including co-ownership structures to mitigate risk and pool resources and cooperation beyond the co-op sector with private companies and government. He talks about some of the challenges and considerations such as access to capital for large-scale facilities; the importance of careful planning to optimise logistics and avoid stranded assets; building farmer confidence after past failed crop diversification attempts and balancing existing land use. He also talks about innovative bioeconomy in Ireland and Denmark.