Using carbon above the ground as feedstock to produce our future polymers

This contribution will analyze the main factors that will contribute to lowering the carbon footprint of polymer materials in the next decades, carefully selected from a personal perspective. Specifically, the following aspects will be critically discussed: (i) feedstock and associated atom efficiencies (ii) negative footprints required for getting to net zero, (iii) end-of-life options: reuse, (closed-loop) recycling and biodegradability. Some of the developments that will address these three main factors will be discussed, focusing on glucose and CO₂ as feedstock for the production of our future polymers.