Biopolymers & materials

Ship-hull coatings that prevent marine biofouling using biological repellents, self-polishing polymers and biomimetic surface texture instead of toxic heavy-metal-based biocides.

Depolymerizing the lignin fraction of wood biomass into renewable aromatic platform chemicals — vanillin, phenols, BTX and lignosulfonate dispersants — replacing petrochemical aromatics.

The bamboo bioeconomy — engineered bamboo building materials (compressed timber, panels, framing and composite decking) from one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth.

Flexible packaging films and laminates that replace plastic barrier layers with compostable or bio-based materials — plant-oil polyesters, dissolvable plant-protein films, wood-cellulose…

Bio-based drilling-fluid additives — fermentation-derived xanthan and scleroglucan thickeners, cellulosic CMC/PAC and modified starch for fluid-loss control, plus vegetable-ester base…

Bio-based dry-strength additives — cationic and thermally modified starch, cellulose polymers and refining enzymes — restore inter-fibre bond strength in paper and board made with a high recycled-fibre content, displacing synthetic polyacrylamide chemistry.

Bio-based flame retardants replace halogenated flame retardants (brominated, chlorinated) — restricted under EU REACH and squeezed by US and EU regulatory pressure — with renewable-carbon phosphorus chemistry, lignin platforms and bio-based wood fire-protection formulations.

Bioplastic compounds, biodegradable PCB substrates and bio-based housing materials engineered as drop-in replacements for petrochemical plastics in electronic devices and printed circuit…

Plant-based phase-change materials that absorb and release thermal energy at a defined temperature, replacing paraffin/petroleum-based PCM chemistry.

Bio-based plasticizers replace regulated petroleum phthalates (DEHP, DBP, DINP — under EU REACH SVHC authorization and US EPA endocrine-disruption review) with renewable alternatives: epoxidized soybean oil (ESO/ESBO, the leading non-phthalate plasticizer, ~8.

Printing inks whose binders, solvents and additives are derived from vegetable oils, rosin, lignin and other renewable feedstocks instead of mineral oil.

Bio-based paper sizing agents — pine gum rosin, fatty-acid-derived AKD, partially renewable plant-oil ASA, plus biomass-derived surface sizing and brightening agents.

Bio-bitumen and bio-asphalt replace or extend petroleum bitumen with binders and rejuvenators derived from plant oils and lignocellulosic biomass.

Recombinant spider-silk fibres and biomimetic photonic skin engineered for ballistic protection and adaptive camouflage, replacing petroleum-derived aramid fibre with protein produced by fermentation or transgenic silkworm expression, approaching…-class strength.

Microorganisms and mineral carbonation bind aggregate into cement at room temperature — replacing the 1,500-degree kiln responsible for Portland cement's roughly 8% share of global CO2 emissions.

Bio-FDM filaments — spools for fused-deposition-modelling 3D printing wound from bio-based polymers: predominantly polylactide (PLA) fermented from corn or cane starch, and a growing segment of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA).

Environmentally sound adhesives and coatings based on lignin, soy proteins, starch and vegetable oils, engineered to replace formaldehyde resins and petrochemical epoxies in construction, packaging and food preservation.

A proprietary finish based on whey protein, a dairy-processing byproduct.

Bio-based building insulation materials, including hemp wool, mycelium composites, straw panels and expanded cork.

Bio-polyamide (nylon) polymers and fibres from renewable monomers — 100% castor-oil-based PA11, fermentation-derived pentanediamine PA56/PA510 and fully bio-based PA66 — supplied as polymer chips and melt-spun textile yarn feeding into apparel and technical-nylon supply chains.

UV-curable 3D printing resins built substantially from soy or other vegetable oil instead of fully petrochemical acrylates — sold by resin makers primarily on lower odour and reduced fossil content rather than a…

Biocompatible surface coatings — predominantly UV-curable hydrophilic polymer layers, plus drug-eluting and antimicrobial variants — applied to catheters, guidewires, stents and other blood- or tissue-contacting…

Advanced bio-based materials — structural and functional, including mycelium composites, nanocellulose and natural-fibre-reinforced polymers — that replace fossil-derived plastics, fibreglass and expanded polystyrene (EPS).

Flexible and rigid polyurethane foams made from castor- and soy-oil bio-polyols with built-in biodegradation enzymes, replacing petrochemical polyols and HFC blowing agents in mattresses, car seats and furniture cushioning.

Optical lenses, displays, and polarizing and structurally coloured films made from renewable biopolymers — cellulose nanocrystals, PLA and isosorbide-based biopolycarbonate — replacing petroleum PMMA and PC in electronics and protective optics.

Biopolymers and bioplastics — PLA, PHA, PBAT and drop-in bio-PE/PP — from sugarcane, corn and vegetable oils: a value chain running from fermentable sugars to certified-compostable packaging, fibres and 3D-printing filament.

Natural rubber and latex produced outside the Hevea plantation belt — from the desert shrub guayule, from Kazakh dandelion (kok-saghyz), and from fermentation-derived monomers — driven by Hevea supply volatility, the EU…

Fermenting engineered Yarrowia lipolytica yeast for direct biosynthesis of wax esters and n-alkanes, followed by fractional crystallization and hydrogenation into food-safe paraffin substitutes and beeswax/carnauba-wax analogues.

Microbial and fungal biofabrication that replaces petrochemical and animal textile inputs — from mycelium leather and collagen leathers to DNA-encoded dyeing and enzymatic finishing.

Industrial production of cellulosic fibres — viscose, lyocell and cellulose acetate spun from wood pulp — displacing the toxic CS2-solvent process of classical viscose manufacture with a closed-loop NMMO-solvent…

Chitin from crustacean shells and fungal biomass, converted into chitosan for water-treatment flocculants, medical haemostats, agricultural biostimulants and biodegradable packaging.

Collection, automated sorting and fibre-to-fibre recycling of post-consumer textile waste — the infrastructure layer turning Europe's 12M+ tonnes of annual textile waste back into new fibre under the EU Circular…

Lab-grown wood and engineered plant scaffolds — producing wood material from plant cell cultures guided onto 3D scaffolds and lignified in vitro.

Bio-based edible films and invisible coatings derived from lipids, proteins and polysaccharides that extend fresh produce shelf life and reduce reliance on single-use plastic.

A genuinely single-supplier category — cotton fibre grown from plant cell culture rather than field-grown cotton plants, using significantly less water and land.

Keratinases, lipases and transglutaminase replace sulfide unhairing and chrome tanning in leather processing, cutting effluent toxicity and chemical-oxygen-demand load, producing chrome-free leather certifiable by the Leather Working Group for premium fashion and automotive interiors.

Recycling polyester and poly-cotton textile waste with engineered hydrolytic enzymes (PET depolymerases, cellulases) that break PET down to terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol and dissolve the cotton fraction,…

Textile finishing technologies that give fabric a specific health benefit — antimicrobial protection, odour control or scalp/skin comfort — via a bio-based active ingredient (chitosan, plant extract, bio-derived organic…

Hempcrete and hemp construction materials process industrial hemp shiv and fibre — a fast-growing, carbon-sequestering crop — into building products: blocks, insulation and plaster mixes that displace petrochemical insulation and cement masonry.

Plant, mineral and algae-derived pigments extracted and applied at genuine industrial dyeing scale — replacing synthetic azo dyes and heavy-metal-mordant dyes with GOTS/OEKO-TEX-certified natural dyes, sold…

Industrial binders made from soy protein, kraft lignin and biomimetic catechol polymers, replacing formaldehyde resins in wood panels, packaging and underwater repair.

Turning poultry feather and wool waste into biocompatible keratin proteins for wound dressings, cosmetic ingredients, coatings and tissue-engineering scaffolds.

Producing sustainable, high-strength carbon fibre using technical lignin from the pulp and paper industry as a low-cost, bio-based precursor to replace petrochemical polyacrylonitrile (PAN).

Textile coatings, dyes, fibres and decorative elements based on algae and microorganisms — living pigment coatings that keep absorbing CO2 after application, algae-extract dyes replacing synthetic and heavy-metal dyes,…

Living concrete replaces or extends conventional cement chemistry with biology or bio-based binder systems — CSIR-CBRI-validated, EPD-certified carbon-negative bio-concrete made from agricultural residues with an alkali-activated binder.

Living filtering materials use a living organism, biofilm or biological molecule as the active filtration element — instead of inert media like sand, activated carbon or synthetic membranes.

Medical bioprinting filaments — bioresorbable polymers extruded into filament or pellet form for 3D printing devices that resorb into the body as surrounding tissue regenerates.

Coatings based on cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and nanofibrils (CNF) that give paper and fibre packaging oxygen, moisture and grease barrier properties previously provided by plastic film or PFAS…

Nanocrystals, nanofibrils and bacterial nanocellulose — the strongest and lightest biomaterials — plus cellulose aerogels and the accompanying lignin fraction, turning wood pulp into high-value functional materials.

Biogenic textile materials, including cellulosic fibres, mycelium leather and precision-fermentation proteins, replacing fossil-based synthetic fabrics and animal-derived materials.

Plant-based bio-leather from agricultural waste — cactus, plant polymer, grape pomace and apple waste — turns food-crop and winemaking residues into leather-like sheets for fashion, footwear and automotive interiors.

Collagen and gelatin produced via precision fermentation — in engineered yeast or by molecular farming in plants, rather than extraction from animal hides and bones — for food, supplements, wound care and tissue engineering, eliminating prion-contamination risk and batch variability.

Precision-fermentation collagen engineered specifically for skincare and injectable aesthetic medicine — sequence-matched to human collagen, free of prion risk and allergenicity, small enough to penetrate the skin's epidermal barrier.

High-strength protein fibres spun from microbially fermented spidroins — steel-grade strength and Kevlar-grade toughness at a fraction of the weight, with no spiders farmed.

1% CAGR).

Electronic devices on silk fibroin, nanocellulose or chitosan substrates with magnesium/zinc conductors, dissolving completely on a programmed timeline — for implants, agricultural sensors and smart packaging.

PET made from bio-based monoethylene glycol (bio-MEG) and bio-based purified terephthalic acid (bio-PTA) — chemically identical to conventional petroleum PET and fully compatible with existing bottling and recycling…