Industry Report
Biobased Building Blocks and Polymers in the World:
Capacities, Production, and Applications–Status Quo and Trends Towards 2020
Florence Aeschelmann and Michael Carus
nova-Institute, Hürth, Germany
Introduction
T
he following report is an update of a market study of
biobased polymers released 2 years ago by nova-
Institute. This update expands the range of the initial
market study and includes biobased building blocks as
precursors of biobased polymers. Table 1 gives an overview on
the covered biobased polymers and the producing companies
with their locations and production capacities in 2013.
Share of Biobased Polymers
in the Total Polymer Market
The biobased share for structural polymers, which are the focus
of the study, is 2%. For polymers overall, however, the biobased
share is even higher (8.3%) because of the higher biobased shares
in rubber (natural rubber, 43%) and manmade fibers (mainly
cellulosic fibers, 11%). In 2011, these shares were 1.5% and
8.2%, respectively. The biobased share is clearly growing at a
faster rate than that of the global polymer market (Fig. 1).
This study focuses exclusively on biobased building block and
polymer producers, and the market data therefore do not cover the
biobased plastics branch. We must clearly differentiate between
these two terms. A polymer is a chemical compound consisting of
repeating structural units (monomers) synthesized through a po-
lymerization or fermentation process, whereas a plastic material
constitutes a blend of one or more polymers and additives.
Biobased Polymers
In 2014, for the first time, the European Bioplastics associa-
tion (http://en.european-bioplastics.org) used nova-Institute’s
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a condensed version of a report
developed by the authors together with ten international ex-
perts. The full market study is available at www.bio-
based.eu/markets. The information and views contained in
this Industry Report are those of the authors. They do not
necessarily represent the views of Industrial Biotechnology
journal, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, or their affiliates.
None of the above organizations or companies, and no per-
sons acting on their behalf are responsible for the use of the
information contained in this publication.
154 INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY J U N E 2 0 1 5
market study as its main data source for their recently published
market data. For European Bioplastics’s selection of biobased
polymers, which differs from nova-Institute’s selection, bio-
based polymers production capacities are projected to grow by
more than 400% by 2018, from 1.6 million tonnes in 2013 to 6.7
million tonnes in 2018 in absolute terms. The market is clearly
dominated by biobased and non-biodegradable polymers. Drop-
in biobased polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
and polyethylene (PE) lead this category. Drop-in biobased
polymers are chemically identical to their petrochemical coun-
terparts but at least partially derived from biomass. European
Bioplastics uses plastic as a synonym for polymer.
The global capacities in 2013 and 2018 have been split by
material type in Table 2. Biobased PET is the overall market
leader and is expected to grow at a quick rate, from 37% in
2013 to 74% in 2018. As a consequence, the biobased non-
biodegradable polymers market is expected to grow strongly as
well since biobased PET is part of this category. In 2013 a
distant second behind biobased PET was biobased PE, which
was closely followed by polylactic acid (PLA), starch blends,
and biodegradable polyesters such as polybutylene succinate
(PBS) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT).
However, in 2018, PLA would be second, followed by biode-
gradable polyesters, starch blends, and biobased PE. This
means that PLA’s production capacity could increase more
than biobased PE’s.
European Bioplastics’s selection of biobased polymers and
time span differ from nova- Institute’s. nova-Institute decided to
cover further biobased polymers by including biobased ther-
mosets (epoxies, polyurethanes [PUR], and ethylene propylene
diene monomer [EPDM] rubber) and cellulose acetate [CA] until
2020. Production capacity of biobased polymers will triple from
5.2 million tonnes in 2013 to nearly 17 million tonnes by 2020.
The production capacity for biobased polymers boasts very im-
pressive development and annual growth rates, with a compound
annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 20% in comparison to
petrochemical polymers, which have a CAGR between 3–4%.
Due to their broader scope, nova-Institute’s projected production
capacities are much higher than those projected by European
Bioplastics.
The 5.2 million tonnes represent a 2% share of overall
structural polymer production at 256 million tonnes in 2013.
This biobased share of overall polymer production has been
growing over the years: it was 1.5% in 2011 (3.5 million tonnes
biobased for a global production of 235 million tonnes). With an
expected total polymer production of about 400 million tonnes
in 2020, the biobased share should increase from 2% in 2013 to
DOI: 10.1089/ind.2015.28999.fae
 BIOBASED BUILDING BLOCKS AND POLYMERS

Table 1. Biobased Polymers, Short Names, Current Biobased Carbon Content, Producing Companies with Locations
and Production Capacities in 2013
PRODUCING PRODUCTION
SHORT CURRENT BIOBASED COMPANIES IN 2013 LOCATIONS IN 2013 CAPACITIES IN
BIOBASED POLYMERS NAME CARBON CONTENTa AND UNTIL 2020 AND UNTIL 2020 2013 (TONNES)
Cellulose acetate CA 50% 17 20 850,000

Epoxies – 30% – – 1,210,000

Ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber EPDM 50–70% 1 1 45,000

Polyamides PA 40–100% 9 11 85,000

b
Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) PBAT Up to 50% 4 5 75,000
b
Polybutylene succinate PBS Up to 100% 10 11 100,000

Polyethylene PE 100% 1 1 200,000

Polyethylene terephthalate PET 20% 5 5 600,000

Polyhydroxyalkanoates PHA 100% 14 16 32,000

Polylactic acid PLA 100% 28 34 195,000

Polytrimethylene terephthalate PTT 27% 1 2 110,000

Polyurethanes PUR 10–100% 7 7 1,200,000

c
Starch blends – 25–100% 15 16 430,000

Total – – 112 129 5,132,000

a
Biobased carbon content: fraction of carbon derived from biomass in a product (EN 16575 Bio-based products – Vocabulary).
b
Currently still mostly fossil-based with existing drop-in solutions and a steady upward trend.
c
Starch in plastic compound.

more than 4% in 2020, meaning that biobased production ca-
pacity will grow faster than overall production.
The most dynamic development is foreseen for drop-in bio-
based polymers, but this is closely followed by new biobased
polymers. Drop-in biobased polymers are spearheaded by partly
biobased PET, the production capacity of which was around
600,000 tonnes in 2013 and is projected to reach about 7 million
tonnes by 2020, using bioethanol from sugar cane. Biobased
PET production is expanding at high rates worldwide, largely
due to the Plant PET Technology Collaborative (PTC) initiative
launched by The Coca-Cola Company. The second most dy-
namic development is foreseen for polyhydroxyalkanoates
(PHA), which, contrary to biobased PET, are new polymers, but
still have similar growth rates to those of biobased PET. PLA
and biobased PUR are showing impressive growth as well: their
production capacities are expected to almost quadruple between
2013 and 2020.
PRODUCTS WITH WELL-ESTABLISHED MARKETS
Epoxies. Epoxies are approximately 30% biobased (only
biobased carbon content, defined as fraction of carbon derived
from biomass, considered in this report) and are produced out of
biobased epichlorohydrin. The market is well established and is
not expected to grow much since epoxies have already long been
partly biobased.
Polyurethanes. PUR can be 10–100% biobased and are pro-
duced from natural oil polyols (NOP). Biobased succinic acid
can be used to replace adipic acid. The global PUR market
(including petro-based PUR) is continuously growing but the
biobased PUR market is expected to grow faster.
Cellulose acetate. CA is 50% biobased. This market is similar
to that of epoxies: well established, for example cigarette filters
are made from CA, with small growth.
Polyethylene terephthalate. PET is currently 20% biobased and
produced out of biobased monoethylene glycol (MEG) and ter-
ephthalic acid (TPA) as a drop-in biobased polymer. TPA is cur-
rently still petro-based but subject to ongoing R&D. Biobased TPA
can be produced at pilot scale. Most biobased PET and MEG are
produced in Asia. Biobased PET is one of the leaders of the bio-
based polymers market and is slated to become the biobased
polymer with the biggest production capacity by far. This is largely
due to the PTC initiative launched by The Coca Cola Company.
OTHER BIOBASED POLYMERS
Biobased epoxies, PUR, CA and PET have huge production
capacities with a well-established market in comparison with
other biobased polymers. However, other biobased polymers,
such as those listed below, show strong growth as well. Some

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AESCHELMANN AND CARUS
Fig. 1. Polymers worldwide with biobased shares, 2013 (nova-Institute 2015).
of these polymers are brand new biobased polymers. That
is why their markets are smaller and need to be developed
correspondingly.
Polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT). PTT is 27% biobased and
made out of biobased 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) and currently
petro-based TPA. PTT is similar to PET since both have TPA as
precursor. Biobased PTT and 1,3-PDO are produced by one
leading company, DuPont. The market is well established and is
not expected to grow much.
Polyethylene furanoate (PEF). PEF is 100% biobased and is
produced out of biobased 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (2,5-
FDCA) and MEG. PEF is a new polymer that is expected to enter
the market in 2017. Just as PTT, PEF is similar to PET. Both
PEF and PET are used in bottle production, however PEF is said
to have better properties, such as better barrier properties, than
PET. Technology company Avantium is heavily involved in the
development of PEF and is planning a 2017 launch.
156 INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY J U N E 2 0 1 5
Ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber. EPDM is made out
of biobased ethylene and can be 50–70% biobased. Specialty
chemicals company Lanxess is currently producing biobased
EPDM in Brazil. The market is small and is not expect to grow in
the coming years.
Polyethylene. PE is a 100% biobased drop-in polymer. The
biobased building block needed is ethylene, which is made out
of sugar cane. Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem pro-
duces biobased PE in Brazil. Biobased PE has been on the
market for a few years but its production capacity has hitherto
remained the same. Further developments have been slowed
down because of the shale gas boom.
Polybutylene succinate. PBS is biodegradable and currently
mostly fossil-based but could in theory be 100% biobased. PBS
is produced from 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BDO) and succinic acid.
Both building blocks are available biobased but 1,4-BDO is not
commercially available yet; this is expected in 2015. PBS is
 BIOBASED BUILDING BLOCKS AND POLYMERS

Table 2. Global Production Capacities of Bioplastics Evonik has recently developed a polyamide based on palm
by Material Type, 2013 and 2018a kernel oil. The market, which is expected to grow moderately, is
headed by one big player, Arkema.
MATERIAL TYPE 2013 (%) 2018 (%)
Biobased/Non-biodegradable 62.4 83.3 Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). PHA are 100% biobased and
Bio-PET30 b
37.0 74.3 biodegradable even in cold sea water. PHA are produced
through a fermentation process mainly by specific bacteria.
Bio-PE 12.3 3.0
Many different companies are involved in the production of
PTT 6.8 1.6 PHA. The market is currently very small but is expected to grow
tremendously. The joint venture Telles, set by Metabolix and
Bio-PA 4.9 1.5
ADM in 2006, aimed at big capacity but hardly sold any PHA
Bio-PVC – 1.2 and subsequently collapsed in 2012. PHA are brand new poly-
Other 1.4 c
1.7d
mers, which means their market still needs time to fully develop.
Nevertheless PHA producers and several new players are opti-
Biodegradable 37.6 16.7 mistic and see potential in PHA. Therefore, production capacity
PLA 11.4 6.5
is expected to have grown 10-fold by 2020.

Starch blends 11.3 3.1 Starch blends. These are completely biodegradable and 25–
Polyesters e
10.8 5.5 100% biobased, with starch added to one or several biodegradable
polymers. Many players are involved in the production of starch
PHA 2.1 1.1 blends, but the Italian company Novamont is currently the market
Regenerated cellulose 1.7 – leader. The market is expected to keep on growing, with pro-
duction capacity projected to double between 2013 and 2020.
f
Other 0.3 0.5g

Total 1.62 million tonnes 6.73 million tonnes
a
Source: European Bioplastics, Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites, nova-
Institute, 2014.
b
Biobased content amounts to 30%, increase of volume subject to realization of
planned production facilities.
c
Contains durable starch blends, Bio-PC, Bio-TPE, Bio-PUR (except thermosets).
d
Contains durable starch blends, Bio-PC, Bio-TPE, Bio-PUR (except thermosets),
Bio-PP, PEF.
e
Contains PBAT, PBS, PCL.
f
Biodegradable cellulose ester.
g
Contains regenerated cellulose and biodegradable cellulose ester.
currently produced exclusively in Asia. It is expected to grow
and profit from the availability and lower cost of biobased
succinic acid.
Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate). PBAT is also currently
mostly fossil-based. PBAT is produced from 1,4-BDO, TPA, and
adipic acid. PBAT is biodegradable. PBAT can theoretically be up
to 50% biobased since biobased adipic acid is not available yet. It
is still at the research stage. PBAT has mostly been produced by
one big company, BASF, but a new player, Jinhui Zhaolong High
Technology, entered the market and another one, Samsung Fine
Chemicals, which has a relatively small production capacity at the
moment, is planning to extend its production capacity.
Polyamides (PA). PA are a big family since there are many
different types of polyamides. This explains the wide range of
biobased carbon content: from 40–100%. Polyamides are gen-
erally based on sebacic acid, which is produced from castor oil.
Polylactic acid. PLA is 100% biobased and biodegradable but
only under certain conditions. PLA is industrially compostable.
Produced by numerous companies worldwide, with Nature-
Works as market leader, PLA is the most well established new
biobased polymer. However, the PLA market is still expected to
grow further, with a projected 4-fold growth between 2013 and
2020. PLA can already be found at near-comparable prices to
fossil-based polymers.
SUMMARY OF BIOBASED POLYMERS
In short, the most dynamic development is expected for biobased
PET, with a projected production capacity of about 7 million tonnes
by 2020. Second in the drop-in polymers group are biobased
polyurethanes. Regardless, new biobased polymers such as PLA
and PHA are showing impressive growth as well: PLA production
capacity is expected to almost quadruple and PHA production
capacity is expected to grow 10-fold between 2013 and 2020.
Biobased Building Blocks as a Precursor
of Biobased Polymers
The total production capacity of the biobased building blocks
reviewed in this study was 2 million tonnes in 2013 and is ex-
pected to reach 4.4 million tonnes in 2020, which means a CAGR
of almost 12%. Contrary to biobased polymers, most of which
are still partly biobased, biobased building blocks are 100%
biobased. This explains why the total production capacity of
biobased building blocks is considerably lower than the total
production capacity of biobased polymers. On the other hand, we
are currently witnessing the development of integrated bio-
refinery facilities that produce both biobased building blocks and
polymers. This makes tracking production capacities a little more
complicated. The most dynamic developments are spearheaded
by succinic acid and 1,4-BDO, with MEG as a distant runner-up.

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AESCHELMANN AND CARUS
Biobased MEG, L-lactic acid (L-LA), ethylene, and epichlo-
rohydrin are relatively well established on the market. These
biobased building blocks cover most of the total production ca-
pacity. They are expected to keep on growing, especially biobased
MEG and ethylene, whereas L-LA and biobased epichlorohydrin
are projected to grow at a lower rate. Both are brand new drop-in
biobased building blocks on the market. The first facilities are
currently running and more will be built in the coming years.
MONOETHYLENE GLYCOL
MEG is one of PET’s building blocks. Biobased MEG is a
drop-in that is mostly produced in Asia. The very fast increase in
biobased PET production has had a considerable impact on the
production capacities of biobased MEG.
L-LACTIC ACID
L-LA is PLA’s building block, together with D-lactic acid (D-
LA). Both are optical isomers of LA. L-LA is much more
common than D-LA since D-LA is more complicated to pro-
duce. Lactide is an intermediate between LA and PLA. It can be
bought as such to produce PLA. A lot of different companies are
involved in this business worldwide since most LA has long
been used in the food industry as, among other things, a food
preservative, pH regulator, and flavoring agent. The production
capacities do not only include LA used for polymer production,
but also for the food industry. It is estimated that more than half
of LA is used by the food industry.
ETHYLENE
Ethylene is PE’s building block. Biobased ethylene is cur-
rently made from sugar cane in Brazil. Further developments
have slowed down because of a sudden extreme price drop in
petro-based ethylene due to the shale gas boom.
EPICHLOROHYDRIN
Epichlorohydrin is one of the building blocks of epoxies.
Glycerin, which is a byproduct of the production of biodiesel, is
used as feedstock.
SUCCINIC ACID
Succinic acid is a very versatile building block. Biobased
polymers such as PBS can be made of succinic acid but also
other biobased building blocks such as 1,4-BDO. It can be used
as well in PUR to replace adipic acid. However, the market still
has to be developed. Petro-based succinic acid is not a big
market since petro-based succinic acid is relatively expensive.
Biobased succinic acid is actually cheaper than its petro-based
counterpart. The first facilities have been running since 2013
and the next ones are already in the pipeline.
1,4-BUTANEDIOL
1,4-BDO is also a versatile building block. At the moment no
facility able to produce commercial quantities is running but the
first one is expected in 2015. 1,4-BDO can directly be produced
from biomass or indirectly from succinic acid. Since biobased
succinic acid is relatively new to the market, this partly explains
why 1,4-BDO is still not commercially available.
158 INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY J U N E 2 0 1 5
2,3-BUTANEDIOL (2,3-BDO)
2,3-BDO is another isomer of butanediol. Global Bio-Chem
Technology Group, based in China, is currently producing 2,3-
BDO, which they obtain by processing corn.
1,3-PROPANEDIOL
1,3-PDO is one of PTT’s building blocks. 1,3-PDO is mostly
produced from corn by DuPont. The market is well established
and is not expected to grow much.
2,5-FURANDICARBOXYLIC ACID
2,5-FDCA can be combined with MEG to produce PEF. 2,5-
FDCA is a brand new building block that is expected to come to
the market in 2017. Avantium is deeply involved in 2,5-FDCA but
others are also showing interest.
Investment by Region
Most investment in new biobased polymer capacities will take
place in Asia because of better access to feedstock and a favorable
political framework. Table 3 shows the 2013 and 2018 global
production capacities for biobased polymers repartitioned by re-
gion. European Bioplastics published these market data, which
take into account fewer types of biobased polymers than nova-
Institute. Due to the complexity of the manufacturing value chain
structure of epoxies, PUR, and cellulose acetate, the breakdown by
region cannot be reliably determined for all biobased polymers.
Europe’s share is projected to decrease from 17.3–7.6%, and
North America’s share is set to fall from 18.4-4.3%, whereas
Asia’s is predicted to increase from 51.4-75.8%. South America
is likely to remain constant with a share at around 12%. In other
words, world market shares are expected to shift dramatically.
Asia is predicted to experience most of the developments in the
field of biobased building block and polymer production, while
Europe and North America are slated to lose more than a half and
just over three quarters of their shares, respectively.
Production Capacities in Europe
Europe’s position in producing biobased polymers is limited
to just a few polymers. Europe has so far established a solid
position mainly in the field of starch blends and is expected to
Table 3. Global Production Capacities of Bioplastics
by Region, 2013 and 2018a
REGION 2013 (%) 2018 (%)
Asia 51.4 75.8
South America 12.3 12.2
North America 18.4 4.3
Europe 17.3 7.6
Australia/Oceania 0.6 0.1
Total 1.62 million tonnes 6.73 million tonnes
a
Source: European Bioplastics, Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites, nova-
Institute, 2014.

remain strong in this sector for the next few years. Nevertheless,
a number of developments and investments are foreseen in
Europe. PLA production capacities, especially starch blend
production capacities, are predicted to grow. The growth of
these increased production capacities for starch blends can be
traced back to Italy’s Novamont, a leading company in this field.
One noteworthy finding of other studies is that Europe shows the
strongest demand for biobased polymers, while production tends
to take place elsewhere, namely in Asia. In Europe, biobased
polymer production facilities for PLA are not only small in size
but also small in number. On the other hand, biobased PA and
CA production is based in Europe and is likely to continue
supplying for the growing markets of the building and con-
struction and automotive sectors.
Europe does have industrial production facilities for PBAT,
which is still fully fossil-based. However, judging by industry
announcements and the ever-increasing capacity of its bio-
based precursors, PBAT is expected to be increasingly bio-
based, with a projected 50% share by 2020. Housing the
leading chemical corporations, Europe is particularly strong
and has great potential in the fields of high value fine chemicals
and building blocks for the production of inter alia biobased
PA, PUR, and thermosets. However, only few specific, large-
scale plans for biobased building blocks incorporating concrete
plans for the production of biobased polymers have been an-
nounced to date.
The European Union’s relatively weak position in the pro-
duction of biobased polymers is largely the consequence of an
unfavorable political framework. In contrast to bioenergy and
biofuels, there is no European policy framework to support
biobased polymers, whereas bioenergy and biofuels receive
strong and ongoing support during commercial production
(quotas, tax incentives, green electricity regulations, market
introduction programs, etc.). Without comparable support,
biobased chemicals and polymers will suffer further from un-
derinvestment by the private sector. It is currently much safer
and much more attractive to invest in biobased polymers in Asia,
South America, and even North America.
Market Segments
The packaging industry consumes most petro-based poly-
mers. For biobased polymers, the same trend can be observed:
the major part of this as rigid packaging (bottles, for example)
and the rest as flexible packaging (films, for example). These
uses cannot come as a surprise, since biobased PET is one of the
biggest biobased polymers in terms of capacity and is mostly
used for the production of bottles. On the other hand, the
packaging industry has a considerable interest in biodegrad-
ability since packaging is only needed for short times but in big
quantities, which contributes to the accumulation of waste. It
should be understood that not all biobased polymers are bio-
degradable but some important ones are, e.g., PHA, PLA, and
starch blends. This feature is also interesting for agriculture and
horticulture applications (mulch films, for example). However,
biobased polymers are also used in many different other market
segments, including textiles, automotive and transports, con-
sumer goods, building and construction, and electrical and
electronics.
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BIOBASED BUILDING BLOCKS AND POLYMERS
Table 4. Worldwide Shares of Biobased Polymers Production
in Different Market Segments, 2013 and 2020
MARKET SEGMENT 2013 (%) 2020 (%)
Packaging—rigid Iincluding food serviceware 14 40
Functional 2 2
Packaging—flexible 9 6
Automotive and transports 16 13
Textiles (including non-woven and fibers) 18 8
Electrical and electronics (including casing) 4 2
Agriculture and horticulture 3 2
Building and construction 15 11
Consumer goods 18 16
Others 1 –
The order of importance of the market segments is expected to
stay approximately the same between 2013 and 2018, according
to European Bioplastics’ projections. Rigid packaging is sup-
posed to keep its first place by growing tremendously with an
almost 7-fold growth in only 5 years. This is again due to the
very fast development of biobased PET. However, the auto-
motive sector is projected to gain faster importance than con-
sumer goods and agriculture sectors. Automotive is actually
the second most dynamic after rigid packaging and is followed
by electronics, a sector which is still very small, followed by
textiles, which is already well established on the global market.
Table 4 shows the worldwide shares of biobased polymers
production in different market segments in 2013 and 2020 for
nova-Institute’s scope of biobased polymers (with thermosets and
cellulose acetate). The same statement can be made regarding the
packaging sector: packaging (rigid and flexible together) is the
leader, with a clear advantage for rigid packaging, which is slated
to grow strongly. On the other hand, automotive, building
and construction, textiles and consumer goods are much bigger
because biobased epoxies, polyurethanes, and cellulose acetate
are used in these sectors. The smallest market segments are ag-
riculture and functional. In agriculture, applications are mostly
limited to biodegradable polymers (mulch films), which are
clearly not a market leader in terms of capacities–but depending
on future policy on plastic microparticles, mulch films and
other biodegradable applications could grow strongly. Functional
polymers are used for coatings, adhesives, paint, and ink appli-
cations, which require relatively small quantities of polymers.
Florence Aeschelmann is a Staff Scientist in the Technology & Markets
department and Michael Carus is Founder and Managing Director of
nova-Institute, Hürth, Germany.
Contact: Florence Aeschelmann, Staff Scientist, nova-Institute, Chemiepark
Knapsack, Industriestrasse 300, 50354 Hürth, Germany. Phone: + 49 22 33-48-14-
40; Fax: + 49 22 33-48-14-50; Email: florence.aeschelmann@nova-institut.de
NO. 3  JUNE 2015 INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY 159