The overarching goal of the research project is to develop strategies and instruments for sustainable material use of biomass in order to contribute to the German federal government’s climate protection and resource conservation objectives. Political debate about biomass in recent years has focussed primarily on energy use. Clear development objectives were set for the use of bioenergy and a number of instruments introduced to promote it. There are, however, no binding objectives and few supporting measures for the material use of biomass. Yet for some time now sustainable material use of renewable resources has become a growing preoccupation for both politicians and the industry. In the future, fossil resources are to be increasingly replaced by biogenic raw materials, i.e. renewable carbon sources. Industry is still largely dependent on fossil resources.