This paper proposes a framework with six dimensions that can be useful for evaluating the potential and the current stage of a bio-based platform chemical. The framework considers the technological and strategic challenges to be fulfilled by a company that intends to lead a platform based on a bio-based chemical. A platform chemical should be an intermediate molecule, with a structure able to generate a number of derivatives, that is produced at a competitive cost, capable of allowing exploitation of the scale and scope economies, and inserted within a complete innovation ecosystem that is able to create value with governance mechanisms that are capable of allowing coordination of the innovation process and facilitation of the value capture by the focal company leading the platform, in our case the producer of the platform molecule. Based on these six dimensions, three potential platform chemicals – succinic acid, butanol and farnesene – are compared and discussed. It is possible to identify important differences concerning the technological dimensions and the strategic dimensions as well. Two of the molecules – farnesene and succinic acid – adhere to most of the conditions required to structure a platform chemical. However, the innovation ecosystem is not complete and the governance mechanisms are still under development, so it is not clear if they will be capable of allowing a favorable position for value capture by the platform leader. Butanol structuring for a platform does not seem promising. The potential of the molecule is apparently not high and the strategic initiatives are in general not focused on innovation ecosystem structuring.

Environmental and social impacts caused by petrochemical plastics are generating significant concerns on a global scale. Bioplastics can contribute to the transition to more sustainable materials, but they did not expand at the expected rates in the early 2000s. With recent predictions indicating that the bioplastic capacities will almost triple in the next five years, what are the conditions that may now be combined to justify and enable such an expansion? This paper uses the case of PLA and general insights into other bioplastics (stylized facts) to detail these conditions. The results show that many bioplastics remained unused during the 20th Century, with interest increasing when plastic pollution became flagrant in the 1980s. For PLA, many efforts have been made to solve the technical and market issues, including through intense cooperation among stakeholders. While environmental concerns have propelled bioplastics, the general absence of structured end-of-life alternatives (e.g., recycling and composting infrastructures) hinders their diffusion. Conversely, the expanding regulations related to plastic pollution are now the primary driver of the growth of bioplastics. Therefore, for bioplastics, and especially PLA, the conditions seem to be emerging for them to diffuse at the predicted rates, but structural limitations in the bioplastics value chain still compromise the large-scale substitution of petrochemicals. This trend indicates that establishing end-of-life alternatives for bioplastics could help to remove the bottleneck in their diffusion process.

O artigo mostra como o processo de estruturação do Sistema de Produção e Inovação Sucroalcooleiro – SPIS, no período anterior a 1975, pode ter sido importante para o sucesso do Programa Nacional do Álcool – Proálcool. Implementado em novembro de 1975, o Proálcool é considerado um programa de referência na substituição dos combustíveis líquidos fósseis por fontes renováveis de energia. A análise da estruturação do SPIS tomou como base o mapeamento das funções que influenciaram esse sistema, entre 1875 e 1975. O artigo identifica seis motores que transformaram o SPIS, no período anterior a 1975, e que podem explicar as diferenças entre os modelos produtivos do Nordeste do Brasil e do Estado de São Paulo, a mudança no paradigma de desenvolvimento e seleção de variedades de cana, a formação do mercado de álcool combustível no Brasil, a expansão produtiva da agroindústria sucroalcooleira de São Paulo e sua interação com a indústria de equipamentos.

This paper studies the biobased industry evolution as an innovation process, as this approach allows us to widen the current perspective of most literature in this field, by offering insights into the current mechanism as well as the future possibilities of this industry. This new industry, which is still in its infancy, conceals a number of interrelated alternatives in four key dimensions: raw materials, conversion technologies, products, and business models. Considering an emerging industry, the selection environment is complex and the competitive patterns are not yet established. Product and process innovations occur intensely without the existence of dominant designs or enabling technologies. Entry and exit barriers are low, with coexisting innovators from different knowledge backgrounds proposing several concepts and building diverse technological trajectories. In this context, Brazil seems to possess some comparative advantages due to its experience in first-generation ethanol production and related agricultural developments, as well as the successful experience with green polyethylene. Nonetheless, this country faces important challenges concerning the four key dimensions explored in this paper. As the biobased industry develops, government support and private initiatives need to align in order to move the country to a prominent position.

This paper presents a technology roadmap applied to renewable raw materials as a basis for public policy and strategies in Brazil. The roadmap, developed by Braskem professionals and academic experts, intends to be a basis of discussion and common language creation regarding the possible utilization of renewable raw materials for biofuel and chemical production in Brazil. Following this perspective, the roadmap is presented to public debate and contribution from the stakeholders. The paper describes the roadmap construction and presents the main implications for policy and strategy goals. An analysis of the innovation dynamics in renewable raw materials is developed as an outcome of the roadmap

Entre os instrumentos de política pública disponíveis, encontra-se o apoio direto com recursos públicos a projetos de pesquisa e desenvolvimento executados no âmbito das empresas. Tais instrumentos, denominados comumente por grants ou subvenção econômica, exigem capacidade do poder público para especificar o foco temático de apoio, bem como para selecionar os projetos de interesse e acompanhá-los. A efetividade de programas públicos desta natureza depende do modo como as instituições públicas responsáveis pela administração dos recursos realizam suas escolhas, o que é reflexo dos processos instaurados internamente nestas organizações. Este artigo propõe um quadro analítico para comparação dos programas públicos de apoio, com foco nos processos de formulação, seleção e acompanhamento de projetos. Para tanto, são caracterizados três casos recentes de apoio desta natureza: o Biomass Program, nos EUA; o Paiss, no Brasil; e o NER300, na Comunidade Europeia. Verifica-se que o efeito de disparo de corridas tecnológicas está relacionado com maior empenho de conteúdo tecnológico e de engenharia aos processos, por parte da administração pública.