CHALLENGE
- Predicting the exact materials that will be in use in the future is challenging due to the evolving nature of science, technology, and industry
- With the need to reduce our reliance on fossil resources, we need to design and re-design the sustainable bio-based materials of the future
- To do so we need to better understand the feedstocks we will have access to in the future, ensure policies are in place for this to be used in the right way, and ensure consistent funding is available. To date investment and innovation in this sector has been limited.
OPPORTUNITY
- There is a window of opportunity for the UK to become a global leader in developing, manufacturing, using and exporting the bio-based materials of the future
- Unique biochemical synthesis routes can enable completely new combinations of material properties, where the technical advantages are the primary driver of product adoption, with the added bonus of enhancing the environmental profile
- Significant opportunities lie in the carbon intensive industries of packaging, textiles, farming, and automotive
- By bringing together experts across a range of disciplines we can horizon scan and begin to design the smart sustainable bio-based materials of the future.