Safe and circular biobased products

Safe and Circular Biobased Products

Climate change, depletion of fossil feedstocks, accumulation of (micro)plastics and persistent hazardous chemicals that pose a threat to human health, biodiversity and our environment: They all are huge challenges urging society to develop a more sustainable, safe and circular economy. Wageningen Food & Biobased Research helps industry with safe and circular biobased solutions.

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Biobased chemicals for a circular economy

Society should gradually phase out the current fossil feedstock based chemicals and materials, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change. Also hazardous and persistent chemicals are a current threat to our environment and human health. These chemicals like PFAS, BPA and others need to be replaced by safe biobased alternatives. It is our ambition to contribute to this by developing biobased chemicals that can replace fossil-based feedstock in products like laundry and personal care products, paints and coatings.

We are supporting industry in developing renewable products that are non-hazardous and mechanically or chemically recyclable to the highest content possible. In case of single use products that (un)intentionally end up in the environment; such products should be inherently biodegradable. In our vision by 2050 more than 80% of all materials should qualify these criteria.

Technology and integrated solutions

We focus on developing technology and integrated solutions for:

  • Those products that are currently used in very difficult to recycle complex product;
  • Formulations such as coatings, paints, adhesives and thermosetting composite materials;
  • Products that cannot be recycled as such, like home and personal care products;
  • Products that contain or dissipate substances of very high concern into the environment;
  • Improving safety and circularity aspects of (food) packaging materials.

Working on solutions

Wageningen Food & Biobased Research is working on various solutions within this research programme: