The goal is to increase the use of tall oil rosin as a bio-based alternative in the polymer and plastics industry, which would enhance the value and interest of this raw material within the bio-based value pyramid of the forest industry.

In Sweden, almost 60% of the country’s land area – equivalent to 23.5 million hectares – is considered productive forest land. The forest consists of approximately 40%, or 9.5 million hectares, primarily pine forests, making it the most common forest type. From pine, it is possible to extract various wood-based raw materials: both macromolecular substances (such as lignin, hemicelluloses, and cellulose) and low-molecular-weight substances (such as phenolic compounds, terpenoids, acids, and alcohols).

The forest industry can significantly increase its value by using biorefining techniques to extract and diversify products beyond traditional timber, utilising biomass side streams to generate bio-based chemicals, materials, and energy from pine forests. This approach also enables the conversion of what would typically be considered waste into valuable products, improving resource efficiency.

The social science aspects lay the foundation for the long-term improvement of the conditions for efficient, state-of-the-art, ethical, and sustainable research, innovation, and implementation of bio-based plastics through exploratory and participatory analyses of the digital, cross-sectoral, and regulatory aspects of the innovation infrastructure at local, national, and global levels.