Abstract
This editorial introduces the special issue on the geography of innovation and sustainability transitions in the bioeconomy, situating the bioeconomy as a policy-driven transformation project with strong regional and multi-scalar implications. The special issue contains six papers that focus on different parts of the bioeconomy and employ a wide range of empirical approaches; jointly, they provide fruitful insights into the geography of bioeconomy innovation. Building on these insights, we outline three main directions for future research: first, developing a more nuanced view of bioeconomy innovation that incorporates digital and controversial innovations as well as place-specific (re)valuation processes; second, examining the multi-system nature of bioeconomy transitions across sectors, industries and land uses; and third, adopting a global perspective on bio-based value chains, geopolitics and justice. We close by calling for methodological and epistemological pluralism to better capture the complex, spatially uneven dynamics of the (global) bioeconomy transition.