BIOPATH profile portraits: Pål Börjesson
Pål Börjesson is Professor at the Department of Technology and Society at Lund University. He contributes to the Mistra BIOPATH research with his expertise in life cycle assessment of biobased production systems.
What topics are most interesting in your research field at the moment?
My research field is environmental and energy systems studies of biobased production systems with focus on bioenergy systems, based on an interdisciplinary approach including various sustainability criteria and perspectives. At the moment the impact on biodiversity from various production systems of biomass for energy purposes in forestry and agriculture is an increasingly actual topic, and how this can be included in environmental assessment tools, such as in life cycle assessment (LCA).
How does your research align with the impact pathways in Mistra BIOPATH?
Pål Börjesson, Lund University and WP1, Mistra BIOPATH
My contribution to BIOPATH include analyses of how tools such as LCA can be developed to include also biodiversity and utilized by companies in their sustainability work. We perform case studies with partners where we test different approaches and evaluate their practical applicability, but also their scientific coverage regarding biodiversity. Our goal is to try to identify potential approaches which can be utilized by, for example, energy companies using biomass feedstock as decision support having sufficient reliability.
Tell us something about your research journey?
My research has been developed within the bioenergy field to include more and more aspects from different scientific perspectives. I started with more biological and technical assessments, but where I over time also have embraced environmental and climate performance, resource availability, policy implications, public acceptance etc. This broadening of my systems studies has been necessary to cover the increased complexity regarding long-term sustainable biomass production and utilization systems.
What are the additional values of working in an interdisciplinary research programme?
Collaborations with a large variety of partners in a research programme like Mistra BIOPATH, both within and outside of academia, are essential in my interdisciplinary systems studies. This makes it possible to identify and cover actual and critical issues and perspectives which needs to be considered in broad sustainability assessments. This will also ensure that our recommendations, based on our results, will be as relevant as possible for different decision makers.
In what ways do you interact with or collaborate with external stakeholders in your research?
I am active in different national and international scientific communities and organizations where my research is usable. One example is a collaboration between Mistra BIOPATH and the International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 45 resulting in a joint publication regarding LCA and biodiversity impacts of bioenergy systems. Another example is my involvement in government inquiries and other public investigations related to bioenergy issues.
Coelho, C. R.V., Börjesson, P., Smith, H. G. (2025). Understanding land use impacts of croplands on biodiversity through UNEP’s Global Guidance for Life Cycle Impact Assessment. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 222, 108420. ISSN 0921-3449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108420