Welcome to the Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Association (BBIA)

The BBIA exists to champion the industrial bioeconomy to accelerate the development and adoption of bio-based and biodegradable materials and products through advocacy, collaboration, and education.

We do this to reduce the impact of human consumption on the planet.

Chemicals are found in almost everything that we buy, use, eat and drink, and are a vital part of the UK manufacturing base, with more than 96% of all globally manufactured products containing inputs from the chemicals industry.

However, the chemicals industry is inherently carbon- and energy-intensive, and unlike other industries, uses fossil resources as both a fuel and as a feedstock – contributing to both fossil-derived production CO2 emissions, plus release of embodied fossil carbon at end of life. This means that the chemical sector is responsible for 8% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.

As global temperatures continue to rise, the drive towards a more environmentally friendly economy is not an option, it is an obligation. We simply cannot afford to keep digging up fossil resources and releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It’s time to start using carbon that is already above ground.

Future sources of carbon for the chemical industry include biomass, carbon dioxide, and recycled feedstocks. All three face considerable challenges in displacing fossil-based carbon in chemical production. The end of life of chemicals and materials must also be considered, with traditional landfill and incineration replaced by more circular options.

At the BBIA we are focused on accelerating the adoption of bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable chemicals and materials in the UK, in order to reduce our reliance on fossil resources and create a sustainable circular economy.