abiosus e.V. was founded on March 16, 2006, in Oldenburg, Germany, with a clear mission: to promote the sustainable use of renewable raw materials in chemistry. Inspired by the goals of Agenda 21, the founding members – scientists from universities and research institutes – joined forces to turn this mission into reality:

For a Bio-Based and Sustainable Chemical Industry.

A major early initiative was the launch of a junior research group at the University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer, supported by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Led by Dr. Michael Meier and advised by Prof. Jürgen O. Metzger, the group focused on developing new platform chemicals from fats and oils – long before »green chemistry« became a buzzword. abiosus e.V. played a key role in initiating and accompanying this project.

To foster scientific exchange, the association co-organized its first advanced training event in 2006, followed by the inaugural international workshop Fats and Oils as Renewable Feedstock for the Chemical Industry in 2007 in Emden. What started as a small expert meeting grew into a leading conference series, now held biennially in Dortmund. From the beginning, student participation was actively supported through travel grants, and key results were published in special issues of the European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology.