The utilization of plant oil renewable resources as raw materials for monomers and polymers is discussed and reviewed. In an age of increasing oil prices, global warming and other environmental problems (e.g. waste) the change from fossil feedstock to renewable resources can considerably contribute to a sustainable development in the future. Especially plant derived fats and oils bear a large potential for the substitution of currently used petrochemicals, since monomers, fine chemicals and polymers can be derived from these resources in a straightforward fashion. The synthesis of monomers as well as polymers from plant fats and oils has already found some industrial application and recent developments in this field offer promising new opportunities, as is shown within this contribution. (138 references.)

Already for a long time, plant oils and their derivatives have been used by polymer chemists due to their renewable nature, world wide availability, relatively low price, and their rich application possibilities. Although many different synthetic approaches have been used, more recent examples are pointing in the direction of catalytic transformations and other efficient reactions to achieve a more sustainable production of polymers from these renewable resources. In this context, olefin metathesis, thiol–ene additions, and other processes can contribute not only to a more efficient synthesis of plant oil based polymers, but also to broaden the application possibilities of plant oils. This feature article provides an overview of the present situation with special attention to the use of olefin metathesis and thiol–ene chemistry as synthetic methods and as polymerization techniques

Environmentally friendly products and procedures are being developed both in industry and academia, mainly due to the depletion of fossil resources and the growing global awareness of the need to protect the environment. Thus, since polyurethanes represent a highly demanded class of polymers, straightforward, isocyanate and phosgene-free methods are required for the synthesis of their precursors (monomers) in order to achieve a sustainable production. To foster the discussion with the final goal to meet such a sustainable production, this review provides an overview of classic as well as modern and more sustainable routes towards polyurethanes and their precursors.