Shared Research Centre Biorizon will celebrate its 10th anniversary on 29 and 30 November with the 10th Annual Event in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. It will definitely not be the last event. "We have a lot of critical mass, so we will continue regardless," says Joop Groen, director of Biorizon, who in 2013 stood at the very beginning of the initiative on developing and commercialising new bio-aromatics.

The US, India and China are diving fully into the opportunities that biomanufacturing offers for producing sustainable biobased chemicals and materials. The EU, so far the leader in this field, is at risk of losing its lead. This is why, in its tenth year of existence, the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) has issued its first Trend Report, calling for acknowledgement of the contribution of the European biobased industry to decarbonisation as well as to Europe's economic competitiveness. To enable further upscaling and expansion of the biobased economy in Europe, a level playing field for biobased versus fossil feedstock is necessary, including appropriate laws and regulations.

Terms like 'circular economy' and 'biobased products' have nowadays become buzz words, but how far are we truly in the transition to a biobased economy? Though the chemical and packaging industry were initially reluctant to this change due to the technical challenges given by biobased ingredients, a change in public perception has pushed many industries to take action and develop fossil fuel free solutions. To achieve this, many companies have joined forces with experts and scientist from research institutes.