All three natural polymers of biomass and the monomer platforms derived from them present multiple avenues to develop products from specialty to bulk markets, which could serve as entry points into the industry for bio-based sustainable materials. However, several roadblocks still exist in the pathway of technology development of these materials due to challenges related to cost-competitiveness, scalability, performance and sustainability. This review outlines these major technical challenges as four key checkpoints (cost-competitive, scalability, sustainability, performance) to be addressed for successful market entry of a new sustainable material.