Batteries are the main component of many electrical systems, and due to the elevated consumption of electric vehicles and portable electronic devices, they are the dominant and most rapidly growing energy storage technology. Consequently, they are set to play a crucial role in meeting the goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to achieve more sustainable societies. In this critical report, a rational basic-to-advanced compilation study of the effectiveness, techno-feasibility, and sustainability aspects of innovative greener manufacturing technologies and processes that deliver each battery component (anodes, cathodes, electrolytes, and separators) is accomplished, aiming to improve battery safety and the circularity of end-products. Special attention is given to biomass-derived anode materials and bio-based separators utilization that indicates excellent prospects considering green chemistry, greener binders, and energy storage applications. To fully reach this potential, one of the most promising ways to achieve sustainable batteries involves biomass-based electrodes and non-flammable and non-toxic electrolytes used in lithium-ion batteries and other chemistries, where the potential of a greener approach is highly beneficial, and challenges are addressed. The crucial obstacles related to the successful fabrication of greener batteries and potential future research directions are highlighted. Bridging the gap between fundamental and experimental research will provide critical insights and explore the potential of greener batteries as one of the frontrunners in the uptake of sustainability and value-added products in the battery markets of the future. 

Generation of renewable polymers is a long-standing goal toward reaching a more sustainable society . Herein we show how conceptually simple oxidative transformations can be used to unlock the inherent reactivity of terpene synthons in generating polyesters by two different mechanisms starting from the same α-pinene substrate. In the first pathway, α-pinene was oxidized into the bicyclic verbanone based lactone (VaL) and subsequently polymerized into star-shaped polymers via ring-opening polymerization, resulting in a biobased semicrystalline polyester with tunable glass transition and melting temperatures In a second pathway, polyesters were synthesized via polycondensation, utilizing the diol (1-(1'-hydroxyethyl)-3-(2'-hydroxyethyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclobutane (HHDC)) synthesized by oxidative cleavage of the double bond of α-pinene, together with unsaturated biobased diesters such as di-Me maleate (DMM) and di-Me itaconate (DMI), resp. The resulting families of terpene-based polyesters were thereafter successfully crosslinked by either transetherification, utilizing the terminal hydroxyl groups of the synthesized verbanone-based materials, or by UV-irradiation, utilizing the unsaturation provided by the DMM or DMI moieties within the HHDC-based copolymers. This work highlights the potential to apply an oxidative toolbox to valorize inert terpene metabolites enabling generation of bio sourced polyesters and coatings thereof by complementary mechanisms.