Abstract

Biobased chemicals continue to polarize the attention of various stakeholders along the whole chemical value chain starting from innovative small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) all the way to multinational companies working at the interface with consumer markets. The 3rd Biobased Chemicals Summit organized by Green Power™ in Rotterdam (March 13-14, 2012) highlighted the importance of considering end market drivers and strategic partnerships as integral part of the biobased chemicals development cycle. Companies developing drop-in products face higher technology risk while companies developing substitute products are confronted with increased market risk. Several strategies to mitigate these risks are discussed below.

INTRODUCTION

Green Power ™ conferences on biobased chemicals are increasingly becoming the dominant exchange platform for discussing emerging trends and drivers for the fledgling biobased economy in Europe and beyond. The annual Biobased Chemicals Summit, now at its 3rd Annual Edition, is organized together with the World Biofuels Markets Congress. This makes the annual event the only place where all stakeholders in the green economy have the opportunity to learn about the complex interactions between policy makers, operating companies and non- governmental organizations worldwide.
The Biobased Chemicals Summit focused on the higher value added biobased products providing a 360 degrees perspective on the best practices in the field. Large multinationals such as AkzoNobel, Evonik, BASF and Unilever provided useful insights in their strategic adoption of biobased products. Smaller operating companies, backed up by some of the top tier venture capital firms espoused their approach to meeting these needs. At last but certainly not at least industry associations and governmental representatives offered clarifications on industry macrotrends. While s ...