There is an increasing world‐wide interest in converting fossil‐based economies into sustainable bioeconomies. Renewable and biodegradable materials derived from natural resources play an import part in this process. The 16th International Symposium on Biopolymer (ISBP2018) held in Beijing (China) and hosted by a world‐leading biopolymer expert Professor George Guo‐Qiang Chen (Tsinghua University) attracted renowned biopolymer scientists from across the world. This special issue follows up on exciting biopolymer research and development advances presented at ISPB2018. Biotechnological production of biopolymers and precursors for in vitro synthesis of polymers have been successfully commercialized by industry. Renewable biodegradable biopolymers are relevant not only toward gradually replacing oil‐based commodity products but are also considered as biocompatible biomaterials for high‐value medical applications. Extensive research and development efforts over the last few decades provided critical insight into the underlying molecular mechanisms of biosynthesis of biopolymers and key monomers that can be used in polymerization reactions. Knowledge about these molecular processes was utilized in metabolic engineering of microorganisms leading to the production of custom‐made biopolymers and development of strongly improved microbial production strains for industrial biotechnology.