UK Bioeconomy Leaders Publish Landmark Report Charting Path to £204bn Green Growth Opportunity
Caroline Randall
Marketing Manager
BB-REG-NET, the UK’s first regulatory science network for bio-based and biodegradable materials, today (Wednesday 3rd December 2025) publishes Growing the UK’s Modern Industrial Bioeconomy, a flagship report that sets out a practical, evidence-based framework to scale bio-based and biodegradable chemicals and materials into a £204 billion annual industry.
Currently ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions comes from producing the materials and chemicals used in packaging, clothing, transport and healthcare that are essential to everyday life in the UK. Yet we now stand at the threshold of a profound transition: from fossil to biogenic carbon (carbon derived from biological sources), and from a system causing environmental cost to environmental value.
Launched today at the UK Parliament, the report outlines how a National Bioeconomy Growth Plan could unlock the UK’s full potential in this sector. It reveals that current regulatory and fiscal structures often favour fossil-based materials, undermining the competitiveness of bio-based and biodegradable alternatives and slowing market adoption.
The UK has world-leading research in engineering biology and sustainable materials, but too few university spin-offs scale into domestic manufacturing, instead going abroad to markets with favourable conditions. The report identifies a clear need for long-term policy direction and targeted incentives to reverse this emerging brain drain and ensure that UK science is commercialised at home.
Without coordinated strategy and political leadership, the UK risks losing its competitive advantage. Other nations are moving decisively, a point underlined by the House of Lords in its recent report, Bleeding to death: the science and technology growth emergency.
Only last week, the European Commission released its Strategic Framework for a Competitive and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy – an ambitious roadmap to accelerate biotechnology, expand industrial capacity, priorities biomass for high-value materials and reduce dependence on fossil carbon while strengthening resource security.
The UK must match that ambition. The modern industrial bioeconomy is no longer a niche environmental initiative; it is a cornerstone of the UK’s transition to a circular economy and net zero. It has the potential to generate over £204 billion in annual revenue, create thousands of high-skill manufacturing jobs, boost regional productivity and significantly reduce reliance on fossil carbon.
The report follows the UK Government’s signing of the Biofuture Platform Declaration on Sustainable Chemicals and Materials at COP30, a commitment to help shape an international framework for growing the global bioeconomy. To deliver on this vision, the forthcoming Circular Economy Growth Plan, due in early 2026, must embed bio-based and biodegradable innovation into national efforts to design out waste, keep materials in circulation and regenerate natural systems.
Dr Jen Vanderhoven, CEO of BBIA and Project Lead for BB-REG-NET, said: “The modern industrial bioeconomy is one of the most exciting growth opportunities for the UK. Our report sets out that with coherent policy, fair taxation and science-based standards, the UK can become the world leader in bio-based chemicals and materials innovation and commercialisation. But this will only happen if we act now. We must remove the regulatory and fiscal barriers holding back innovative alternatives to fossil-based incumbents.”
The Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael MP, Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and author of the report’s foreword, said: “The transition to a circular, resource-efficient economy is one of the great industrial and economic opportunities of our generation. The modern industrial bioeconomy offers huge potential for the UK, providing jobs and economic growth across a wide range of market and industry sectors.”
The recommendations distil more than a year of regulatory science, research and consultation led by BB-REG-NET, bringing together hundreds of experts across industry, academia, government, standards bodies and civil society.
The report identifies public procurement, particularly through the NHS, as one of the strongest levers for accelerating the UK’s modern industrial bioeconomy. With its substantial purchasing power, the NHS can create early, reliable markets for bio-based and biodegradable materials that cut emissions, reduce waste and support better public health outcomes. Prioritising such materials in medical supplies, equipment and packaging would help the NHS meet its net zero ambitions while stimulating domestic manufacturing.
The report also highlights widespread confusion around terms such as “bio-based”, “biodegradable” and “compostable,” which hampers market development and policymaking. It calls for a shared, science-based lexicon, consistently applied across government, industry and consumer communications. Clear, standards-aligned definitions would reduce greenwashing, support enforcement and build confidence in genuinely sustainable materials.
As the UK seeks to revitalise its industrial base and lead in clean growth, the modern industrial bioeconomy represents a major opportunity hiding in plain sight. With aligned policy, fair regulation and coordinated national ambition, the UK can turn scientific excellence into industrial strength, create high-value green jobs and accelerate the transition away from fossil-based materials.
About BB-REG-NET:
The Bio-based and Biodegradable materials REGulatory NETwork (BB-REG-NET) is the UK’s first regulatory science network dedicated to bio-based and biodegradable materials. The initiative is led by the Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Association (BBIA) in partnership with the University of Sheffield, Alder BioInsights (formerly NNFCC), Perspective Economics, Higginson Strategy, and Resource Media.
The project team consists of:
- BBIA – Dr Jen Vanderhoven
- Alder BioInsights – Dr Adrian Higson, Dr Gail Shuttleworth and Polly-Ann Hanson
- University of Sheffield – Professor Joanna Gavins, Professor Rachael Rothman, Dr Stuart Walker, Dr Benjamin Lowe and Dr Maryam Hoseini
- Perspective Economics – Jonny Hobson
- Resource Media – Charles Newman
- Higginson Strategy – Alex Davies, Mike Burgoyne and Annagreta Amadio
Advisory Board Members
- Paul Mines (Chair), CEO, Biome Plastics
- Tony Breton, Market Specialist, Novamont
- Professor Paul Freemont, Imperial College London
- Dr Mark Corbett, Director, Biorenewables Development Centre
- Clare Walker, Head of Global Regulations and Product Safety, Holiferm
- Emily Nichols, Technical Director, REA
- William Clark, Forestry Transport and Innovation, Forestry Commission
- Max Ryadnov, Biometrology Research Lead, NPL
- Adam Herriott, Senior Specialist, WRAP
- Alex Smith, Director of Biotechnology, CPI
- Emily Field, Sector Lead, British Standards Institute
The full white paper can be found here
