New BIC study ties Europe's bio-based potential to a missing demand policy
Last update on Jul 28, 2026
The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) has published a new two-part study on Europe's bio-based products lead markets, covering chemicals, plastics and polymers, fiber-based packaging, and textiles. For formulators and product developers working across these sectors, the study's conclusion is direct: the technology base and market ambition already exist. What's missing is a regulatory framework to stimulate demand, and that gap is what's holding back adoption. The first part maps where lead markets already stand; the second sets out the policy measures needed to close the gap.
You can compare bio-based ingredients directly in the Master Catalog of Adhesives, where regulatory status is tracked alongside technical data.
The four lead markets, by the numbers
According to the study, the potential reaches across the economy:
- Bio-based plastics capacity alone is set to nearly double, to about 4.7 Mt by 2030, and Europe already holds the largest regional share of that market, at 43.1%.
- Europe's chemicals industry is worth around €655 billion a year, yet only about 8% of it is currently bio-based.
- Its fiber-based packaging sector generates €110 billion in revenue and supports some 710,000 jobs.
- Europe leads globally in textile fibers such as flax and hemp, producing 64% of the world's flax and more than half of global hemp fiber.
The green premium blocking bio-based scale-up
As outlined in the EU bioeconomy strategy, the study frames this as a genuine opportunity for Europe to lead globally in bio-based products, with potential reaching across the economy. Bio-based products, like other renewables, often carry a green premium compared with their fossil-based counterparts. Without binding policy measures and incentives to drive demand, the study warns, Europe risks losing its position as a global leader in the bioeconomy.
Lead market measures, the study argues, are what's needed to attract private investment and scale up bio-based solutions in Europe, and rewarding the full value of bio-based products and their environmental benefits is the mechanism proposed to release that investment.
Biotech Act II and procurement rules ahead
To close this gap, the study calls for a package of targeted measures designed to create predictable demand, such as binding bio-based content requirements. It recommends that the EU build these into legislation already in preparation or under revision, including the Biotech Act II and the forthcoming revision of the Public Procurement Directives.
BIC executive director Philippe Mengal framed the stakes directly: "The deployment of the bio-based industries in Europe can be a real competitive advantage, and strengthen our strategic autonomy at the same time. That potential stays untapped, without the market signals to unlock it. The legislation to do this is being written now, and we are ready to work with policymakers to get these measures into it."
If you're tracking bio-based options for an upcoming brief, the Master Catalog of Adhesives gives you one-click access to supplier contacts and sample requests alongside the technical data, and you can sign up for the newsletter to follow how this policy discussion develops.
Image Credits: Bio-based Industries Consortium