The increase in world population and greater environmental awareness are putting ever-increasing pressures on available land resources, both in terms of food production and a ‘bio-based economy’. Literally, there are more mouths to feed. The current world population of about 6.7 billion is anticipated to rise to around 9 billion by 2050 (Figure 1). In addition to requiring increasing amounts of better quality food, many of these individuals will also demand consumer products whose origins can ultimately be traced back to oil. While modifying the consumer’s behaviour is one way to
reduce the consumption of oil, another route is to replace oil with materials and products originating from biomass. This concept is at the centre of the ‘bio-based economy’.