The use of renewable feedstock is one of the cornerstones of modern green chemistry. Non-renewable fossil resources supply 86% of our energy and 96% of organic chemicals (Binder and Raines, 2009). But fossil resources are not renewed in a time interval relevant to our resource consumption: according to our actual consumption, the future petroleum production is unlikely to meet our society’s growing needs: by 2025, our energy demands are expected to increase by 50% (Ragauskas et al, 2006). Other drivers are pushing for the substitution of chemicals used daily in consumer products: safety concerns for both humans and the natural environment. Volatile chlorinated compounds used in dry cleaning, sulphonated surfactants, and polybrominated compounds in flame retardants are compounds used in formulations and processes for which replacement molecules would be preferred. Research on the production of cost-effective alternatives derived from renewable resources is an area of primary importance if we want to satisfy the requirement for green and sustainable chemicals and products. Green chemistry now embraces the whole life cycle of a product (see Fig. 1.2), rather than just focusing on the production stage. Upstream and downstream stages of the production, including the raw material employed, its use, end-use and disposal, are included, guaranteeing the true sustainability of a product (Anastas and Lankey, 2000).

Improvements in today’s modern formulating-based industries at the production stage of the life cycle, are restricted (although moving towards renewable energy and zero waste is important and not trivial). The use of renewable feedstocks could offer an important margin for progress,

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especially for companies, such as consumer goods manufacturers, keen to dramatically improve the environmental performance (decrease the CO2 emissions) of their products.