Our available publications

It is a debate as old as organic farming itself: should organic products, in addition to meeting their specifications, also comply with social justice requirements as imposed by fair trade? Ecozept takes stock of the situation in Germany. 

Presentation of the global study on organic soy with results from 43 countries

In the new boom for the organic market in Germany, conventional and specialist retailers are not coping with the post-crisis situation in the same way. While German discounters are driving growth in the organic market, organic specialist shops are just getting back on their feet. The organic supermarket chain ‘tegut’ has tried to create a middle ground in southern Germany, but is now in serious trouble.

 This report analyses the market potential of plant products for the production of innovative food. To this end, a comprehensive literature review was first conducted to examine the importance and potential of 17 innovative crops in Germany and specifically in Bavaria. Subsequently, 11 crops were examined in more detail.

 After three and a half years of intensive research, the EU project CIRCULAR FoodPack has developed new processes to effectively recycle flexible polyethylene food packaging, blazing the trail for a sustainable circular economy in this sector.

Our presentation at the Natexpo trade fair explains Europe’s organic market development

 After three and a half years of intensive research, the EU project CIRCULAR FoodPack has developed new processes to effectively recycle flexible polyethylene food packaging, blazing the trail for a sustainable circular economy in this sector.

After the brief organic crisis of 2022 and 2023, the German organic trade is recovering and enjoying a new boom.However, not all concepts are successful. In this issue, Ecozept looks at the winners and losers of this crisis.

Presentation of Ecozept at the 11. national meeting of the regional movement in Farchant, Bavaria (in German)

On behalf of the Hessian Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Ecozept developed a procurement guide for municipalities and public institutions in cooperation with FiBL Projekte GmbH and Prof. Dr. Zeiss.

Ecozept analyzes the retail sector's problems related to price increases, supply and the decline in organic consumption, especially in the specialised organic retail.  (Article in the french trade journal "BioLinéaires" in French)

Price increases, supply problems, a decline in organic consumption, a narrowing of the price gap between organic and conventional, organic products cheaper than some major conventional brands, lack of qualified personnel - we have seen almost everything in the first six months of 2022. It's hard to say whether this is temporary turbulence or a new dynamic that we will have to get used to. Some benchmarks provided by Ecozept (article in the specialized retail journal “BioLinéaires” in French language).

Rising food prices, falling customer numbers in organic stores and a falling average shopping basket. Even organic fresh fruit and vegetables, which have long been the mainstay of the market, have seen a decline in sales in the first quarter of 2022. Transparent communication about the supply chains seems to be necessary in order to prevent organic consumers from turning to other distribution channels.

Ecozept presents an analysis of the growth in the organic sector in 2020 and 2021 (article in the trade journal BioLinéaires in French).

The desire for more organic and regional products in the awarding of public catering services in Saxony (Germany) is continuously growing since many years. But how can those products be taken into account and being promoted by the public catering institutions?

To answer those questions, Ecozept, FiBL Projekte GmbH, and Prof. Dr. Christopher Zeiss conducted a study together.

The results are presented in this 60-page “Work aid for the awarding of public catering services” and summarized in a “Handout guideline” for public administration, which is also available in the download area.

How to interpret the current evolution of the organic market in France? A perspective on the international market.

The Morocco organic sector

The desire for more organic and regional products in the awarding of public catering services in Saxony (Germany) is continuously growing since many years. But how can those products be taken into account and being promoted by the public catering institutions?

To answer those questions, Ecozept, FiBL Projekte GmbH, and Prof. Dr. Christopher Zeiss conducted a study together.

The results are presented in a 60-page “Work aid for the awarding of public catering services” (also available in the download area) and summarized in this “Handout guideline” for public administration.

The local Landcare Association Freising (Landschaftspflegeverband) wants to promote the marketing and thus the use and preservation of orchard meadows in the administrative district of Freising. Ecozept has developed a marketing concept for products from orchards in cooperation with other partners. A market analysis has been carried out, focusing on demand and sales potential for various product groups, such as organic apple juice. The concept aims to serve as a model for comparable regional marketing approaches throughout Bavaria.

Ecozept analysis of the distribution of organic products in Germany, where a two-speed market is emerging.

In order to develop and maintain grazing activities in the “Lech”- river areas near Augsburg (Bavaria), the Landschaftspflegeverband Stadt Augsburg e.V. (local landcare association) supports local shepherds. The project profile provides information about the economic operators, the current brand users, the sold number of animals according to their marketing channels as well as the retail outlets and the communication medias.

From Wednesday the 13th of October 2021 until Friday the 15th of October, the 10th meeting of the Bundesverband der Regionalbewegungen (national federation of regional movements) took place in Nauen (Brandenburg - Germany). During the forum “canteen is looking for region”, Ecozept presented legal aspects of public tenders for catering services. Ecozept also participated in a “knowledge market” with the topic “corporative selling solutions”. The studies „InnoDirekt“ and „alternatives in selling milk(products) in Saxony (Germany)“ were presented as a poster.

In collaboration with AND International, we conducted a study on organic field crops in the world on behalf of the Agence Bio at the international level. We have thus identified the volumes of production, uses by primary processing operators and trade as well as the prices of 11 species of cereals, oilseeds and protein crops between 2016 and 2020 in 18 countries (12 Member States and 6 third countries). We have also proposed several production projections to 2025.

The summary of this study is also available in French under the title "Synthèse de l'étude sur les grandes cultures bio dans l'UE et dans les principaux pays tiers en ligne" in this download section.

You will also find the synthesis in French as well as our presentation of the results on the website of the Agence Bio following this link: LINK

En collaboration avec AND International, nous avons mené une étude sur les grandes cultures biologiques dans le monde le compte de l’Agence Bio au niveau international.
Nous avons ainsi recensé les volumes de production, d’utilisation par les opérateurs de première transformation et d’échanges ainsi que les prix de 11 espèces de céréales, oléagineux et protéagineux entre 2016 et 2020 dans 18 pays (12 Etats Membres et 6 pays tiers). Nous avons également proposé plusieurs projections de production à l’horizon 2025. La synthèse de cette étude est également disponible en anglais sous le titre "Study on organic field crops in the EU and in the main non-member countries" dans cette section de téléchargement. Vous trouverez également la synthèse en français ainsi que notre présentation des résultats sur le site de l’Agence Bio suivant ce lien : LIEN

Article dans Bio Linéaires N°97. Présentation des résultats les 25 et 26 octobre lors du NATEXPO.

Dans un article pour le magazine Bio Linéaires, Ecozept fait le point sur la pénétration des différentes marques bio dans la GMS allemande.

Emballages: Les magasins spécialisés à la recherche des solutions

Direct sales of organic products are a distribution channel of growing importance, both in France and in Germany. 
According to the Agence Bio, 12 % of organic sales in France go through this channel - significantly more than in Germany (7 %). 
For two years, Ecozept investigated this form of marketing in three European countries. The article presents some results.

The EU-horizon 2020 project “Strength2Food” analyses Food Quality Schemes (FQS: organic and geographical indication products). Ecozept is part of the consortium and co-author of the following paper which explores the social sustainability advantage of FQS through the lens of supply chains’ bargaining power (BP) distribution. Therefore an indicator has been elaborated, synthesizing different sources underlying BP (competition-based, transactional, institutional) and counting two dimensions (fair BP distribution and adaptation capacity). Applied to 18 FQS supply chains and corresponding reference, the results show, that FQS perform better than their reference products on both dimension

Synthesis of the results of a study carried out among professionals in the mulch film sector on the market potential of a mulch film made from bio-waste produced in NoAW.

30-40% organic area without market distortion until 2030 - how can this work?

Our production and market potential study, prepared for the Ministry of Rural Areas and Consumer Protection Baden-Württemberg, is available for download.
We thank all market actors who participated in our surveys!

In the current issue of the trade journal BioPress, we report on political desires and market economy realities in increasing the share of organic products in French out-of-home catering. We look at government targets and promotion instruments and identify success factors in supporting market players. 

What can we expect from alternatives to plastics made from fossil-based raw materials?
In the trade journal BioPress we present various solutions for the prevention of plastic waste. Based on a survey of experts for the EU project GLOPACK, the existing challenges of marketable bioplastics are highlighted. In addition, the home-compostable packaging solutions of the GLOPACK project are presented, which consist of corn cobs or residues from juice production that are GMO-free and do not compete with food production.

New and innovative direct selling concepts for agricultural products – state of the art, best-practice examples and analysis of consumer expectations and recommendations for stakeholders, February 2020 

Les effets de la Covid-19 sur les marchés alimentaires et bio – notre intervention pour Interbio Nouvelle Aquitaine 2020

What marketing potentials will there be in the future? And what recommendations for action can be derived from this? The study conducted by Ecozept and AMI provides answers to these questions. The most important ones are summarised in a poster.

The problem with packaging: What can we expect from bio-based and biodegradable packaging?
Ecozept presented the challenges of using bio-based and biodegradable packaging from a practitioners’ point of view at the Naturkost-Süd conference "Zero Waste" in Aichach in July 2019. Results from interviews with packaging experts in Europe were presented. The expert study has been carried out as part of the EU Horizon 2020 project GLOPACK (Grant Agreement No. 773375). In particular, challenges of bioplastic for actors of the organic sector were identified and discussed.

Focussing on the topic "Welcome to Mainstream – Assuming Responsibility Jointly", the 2nd Organic Marketing Days took place at Castle Kirchberg in Kirchberg an der Jagst (Germany) on 19 – 20 November. Marketing experts from the fields of agricultural production, processing, trade, consulting and consumer advocacy came together to discuss the latest developments on the organic market. At a lunch discussion Ecozept presented the results of a strategy analysis of the organic specialized retail in Germany, Belgium, France and Italy. The study was commissioned by Natexbio - the association of French organic processing and specialized retail companies. The poster presentation identified recommendations for a successful positioning of the organic specialized retail in the future. The poster can be downloaded here.

30 percent organic by 2030? - a realistic milestone!
Ecozept and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL Projekte GmbH) get to the bottom of this question in the latest issue of the German trade journal Ökologie und Landbau (Ecology and Farming). The journal article summarizes the core results of a feasibility study for the Green Party in Bavaria. The goal of 30% organic farming by 2030 set in the petition "Save the Bees" in Bavaria is assessed to be realistic on the production side. However, the demand for organic food must increase significantly to reach the 30% market goal. According to the authors, the public authorities have a responsibility to enhance the demand side, for example through communication campaigns to consumers or through increased demand from the public sector.

ECOZEPT at the Wissenschaftstagung Ökologischer Landbau 2019: Presentation and abstract on the strategy analysis of the specialised organic retail now available for download. From March 5 to 8, 2019 the Wissenschaftstagung Ökologischer Landbau (German Conference on Organic Agriculture) took place in Kassel and was a huge success. For three days, over 500 participants discussed the current challenges of organic agriculture and how these can be solved in an innovative way. ECOZEPT presented a study on the strategic analysis of the German specialised organic retail. Based on the strengths and weaknesses of the specialised organic retail, ECOZEPT derived specific recommendations for action to improve its market position compared to conventional food retailers.

Organic farming in Bavaria is a firm component of Bavarian agriculture and food sector and has good prerequisites for further growth. ART and ECOZEPT performed a complete analysis of this industry pointing out the possibilities of supporting and accelerating the expansion of ecological growth. Partners for Ecozept and the research group for agricultural and regional development Triesdorf in this study were the Institute for Rural Development Research in Frankfurt/Main, the Chair Group Agricultural Production and Resource Economics, TUM, Prof. Dr. Paul Michels, University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triersdorf.

Notre nouvelle étude sur le rayon traditionnel dans les magasins bio en France.

Etude sur la situation et les perspectives de la cosmétique bio dans la distribution spécialisée bio en France: chiffres-clés sur le volume et la structure des magasins bio, tendances actuelles et les marques à succès de la cosmétique bio.

Study on local organic products in french organic specialised retail: data and facts regarding volumes and structures of French specialised organic retailers, supply, commercialisation and development perpectives of local organic products in French organic retail.

Sur demande de l'association BioSuisse, Ecozept a réalisé une étude de marché sur l'état de référencement du fromage bio suisse "Le Gruyère" dans les magasins spécialisés bio en Allemagne et en France. L'objectif de l'étude est de connaitre les circuits de distribution actuels et les possibilités de référencement supplémentaire. Ecozept a répondu à cette question à l'aide de storechecks et d'interviews d'experts (Juillet à Septembre 2016).

Mise en place d'une coopérations entres agriculteurs et l'entreprise municipale de l'eau (Stdtwerke) de Freising en Bavière visant à réduire les dépassements de taux limite pour la protection des eaux potable.

La Grande Distribution conventionnelle s'investit de plus en plus dans le bio et prend des parts de marché. Devant cette évolution : quelle sera la place des magasins bio dans le marché alimentaire de demain? Nous analysons la récente crise de la distribution spécialisée en bio en Allemagne pour identifier les perspectives et pour développer des recommandations. L'étude a été mandatée et financée par Natexbio. Elle a été présentée lors du salon Natexpo sur le forum tendances de Biolinéaires.

30% de bio en 2030 ? Nos extrapolations suggèrent que c’est une perspective réaliste dans plusieurs pays, pourvu que les conditions sociétales continuent à évoluer vers plus de développement durable en général. Des grands challenges restent à relever- notamment dans la mobilisation de la production agricole, souvent en décalage avec la demande des consommatrices et consommateurs.

Notre enquête auprès de 107 magasins bio en France souligne l’essor des produits locaux et l’amélioration des pratiques, mais aussi l’attention qu’il faut prêter à une gestion efficace de cet assortiment

Fiche de présentation du projet : Nouvelles formes innovantes de vente directe de produits agricoles

Studie zum Markt und zur Marktentwicklung von Naturkosmetik im französischen Bio-Fachhandel: Daten und Fakten zu Volumen und Marktbeschaffenheit des französischen Bio-Fachhandels, aktuelle Tendenzen und Erfolgsmarken im Bereich Naturkosmetik.

Success factors of the organic specialized retail in Europe: Ecozept’s presentation at Bio-beurs on January 22nd in Zwolle, NL
At the Dutch trade fair Bio-beurs, Ecozept presented its results of a strategy analysis on the organic specialized retail in France, Germany, Belgium and Italy. The presentation was part of a discussion panel on the development of the organic specialized retail in France and its success factors titled “Biowinkels zijn booming in Frankrijk: wat is hun geheim?”. Ecozept identified specific recommendations for a successful positioning of the organic specialized retail in the future.

Trends in der Direktvermarktung landwirtschaftlicher Produkte - Herausforderungen, Chancen und Empfehlungen für die Praxis, Februar 2020.

New and innovative direct selling concepts for agricultural products – state of the art, best-practice examples and analysis of consumer expectations and recommendations for stakeholders, February 2020

The urgency for sustainable packaging is greater than ever, but many barriers for its adoption exist. At the Biofach 2020, Ecozept gave insights into the Horizon 2020 project GLOPACK together with Fraunhofer IVV and the Belgish organic food producer La vie est belle. In the discussion panel “Sustainable packaging: how market actors put scientific findings into practice”, implications have been drawn on how to improve the sustainability of packaging in the organic sector. Ecozept presented the core results of a survey with packaging experts on challenges in the use of sustainable packaging and discussed solutions how to overcome them. Ecozept’s presentation can be downloaded here.

Ausgewählte Ergebnisse des BÖLN-Projektes „Neue und innovative Formen der Direktvermarktung landwirtschaftlicher Produkte – Analyse und Erarbeitung von Handlungsempfehlungen“

Fakten, Trends und Handlungsempfehlungen zu unverpackten Bio-Produkten in Frankreich. Unser Biofach-Vortrag

Punkten mit der grünen Frische. Mit frischem Obst und Gemüse kann der Naturkostfachhandel bei seinen Kundinnen und Kunden punkten und sich gleichzeitig vom Angebot im konventionellen Lebensmitteleinzelhandel abheben. Wie das gelingen kann, das war Inhalt eines Impulsvortrags von Ecozept auf der Naturkost-Süd Tagung „Immer gutes Obst & Gemüse“ am 23.Oktober in den Räumlichkeiten der Andechser Molkerei Scheitz. Der Vortrag thematisierte zentrale Aspekte wie Preisgestaltung, Sortimentsvielfalt, Kundenkommunikation und Qualität der Lieferbeziehungen. Der Vortrag kann hier heruntergeladen werden.

Ecozept-Vortrag zum Thema „Bio-regionale Produkte in der französischen Gemeinschaftsverpflegung“, anlässlich des vom KERN veranstalteten „Bayerischen Kongress Gemeinschaftsverpflegung“ am 17. Mai 2019 in Nürnberg. Für den unter dem Motto „Regional is(s)t gut!“ stehenden Kongress wurden die Rahmenbedingungen Herangehensweisen zur Einführung bio-regionaler Produkte in Frankreich dargestellt.

Biomarkt im Wandel: sind Bioläden ein Auslaufmodell?

Organic will never be a niche market again: The fast growth in the last years has brought paradigmatic change: in several markets worldwide organic has definitely stepped out of the niche. And that entails a lot of consequences: the behaviour of market actors changes, positioning and competition have new meanings. Learn more about your business opportunities in our Biofach presentation “How to succeed in fast changing markets”, of 15th of February 2018

Market study on the organic market in Greece: data, facts and analysis on organic market development, relevant retail channels, consumer behaviour, price analysis, profiles of retail actors, wholesalers, food processors, food brands.

Several biopolymers  derived from agro-waste and biodegradable have been developed within the NoAW project. This study focuses on the market potential of some of the PHBVs developed in this way, in different agricultural applications: coated fertilisers, mulch films and horticultural pots. Through various research studies and interviews with economic actors, we have assessed the interest of these biopolymers for these applications.

On behalf of PROMPERU (Export Promotion of Peruvian Products), ECOZEPT did a market research study on the following peruvian organic products in the french market: bananas, mango, quinoa, amaranth and brazil nuts. Through expert interviews as well as review of specialized literature Ecozept provided recommandations regarding commercialisation possibilities.

Within the framework of the commissioned BÖLN study “Development and Testing of a Small Market Analysis for Use of Organically Produced Food in the Out-of-Home Catering Market”, the German-French consulting office Ecozept has examined the out-of-home catering market in France on behalf of a’verdis. Key issues were the approach to the gathering of structural data for sales development and the use of organic food in the individual and mass catering as well as the impact of legislation and control procedures on the market development (December 2015 - April 2016). Resumee

Synthesis of the results of a study carried out among professionals in the horticultural pot sector on the market potential of a horticultural pot made from bio-waste produced in NoAW.

Eine der bei LIFT untersuchten Fallstudien ist die Region Simssee (Bayern). Die Ergebnisse stehen hier zur Verfügung

Nach einem weiteren Projektjahr wurden in 12 europäischen Ländern durch mehrere internationale Workshops und Befragungen, unter anderem von Landwirtinnen und Landwirten, wertvolle Ergebnisse zu den ökologischen Betriebstypen zusammengetragen.  Die wichtigsten Resultate sind im 3. LIFT-Newsletter zusammengefasst, der hier verfügbar ist.

Après une autre année de projet, des résultats sur la typologie des exploitations agro-écologiques ont été compilés dans 12 pays européens grâce à plusieurs ateliers et enquêtes internationales, notamment auprès des agriculteurs.  Les résultats les plus importants sont résumés dans le 3e bulletin d'information LIFT, disponible ici.

In Germany, organic bulk products are available in almost all distribution channels: in organic specialized shops and in supermarkets, but also in specialized bulk shops that often offer both organic and conventional products. The special feature in
Germany are returnable packaging, such as reusable glass.
The article in the French BioLinéaires magazine gives an insight into current developments in Germany (in French language).

As a part of the pilot project for the preservation and planting of orchard meadows in the Archdiocese of Munich / Freising, Ecozept has developed an information leaflet on the sustainable use of orchard meadows in cooperation with the landscape planning office Ruhland and the Local Landcare Association Freising. The leaflet presents the project goals, underlines the ecological value of orchard meadows, explains sustainable use and ask meadow managers for their participation in the project. So far, ten parishes from the diocese have already shown interest!

After another project year, valuable results on organic farm types have been collected through several international workshops and surveys with farmers in 12 European countries. The main results are summarized in the 3rd LIFT newsletter, which is available here.

Ecozept reports on the growing sales of discounters in the organic segment as well as on the strategies of organic retailers (Article in the french trade journal "BioLinéaires" in French)

Organic sales are rising again in Germany, especially in supermarkets and discounters. One of the main contributing factors is that associations of organic producers are incresingly opening up to discounters, such as Aldi Süd with taking their private label “Nur nur Natur“ to trade, which is certified by “Naturland“. Where is the German organic market situated across Europe?

How Alnatura managed to achieve first place among all organic markets.