Bio-based industries aim to convert biological inputs, residue and wastes into greener everyday products. The industry is small compared to more traditional ones and it is a nascent industry undergoing rapid developments. Developing bio-based products demand technological innovations and market development. The fifteen success stories of specific bio-based products in this brochure span over nine EU Member States, and they cover a wide range of products and applications. The brochure is available for download.

This brochure describes this journey for fifteen specific bio-based products, most of which have been on the market for a relatively short time. The fifteen success stories deliver on at least one of three success criteria: profitability, market entry or mobilisation of critical external finance. The success stories demonstrate the broadness of the sector, and provide concrete examples of 'bio-based concepts' that have succeeded in progressing from the early ideas to a final product placed on the market. Thus, the success stories serve to illustrate the potential commercial success for bio-based products. They serve to provide illustrative, concrete examples of such successes, including: their development path, factors that enabled this success and risks companies were confronted with, and how did they overcome challenges.

Two fifth of the products were developed by large companies, an equal amount by SMEs and one fifth by micro-enterprises. In two-thirds of the companies, bio-based activities are at the core of their business.

This study was performed for the European Commission's DG for Research & Innovation under the framework of the BIOSPRI tender "Study on support to R&I policy in the area of bio-based products (BBPs) and services".