Driven by the need for eco-friendly alternatives to fossil-fuel-based products, there has been a growing interest regarding sustainable materials and green chemistry. This shift is particularly evident in the polymer sector, which has been transitioning away from traditional sources over the last several decades. Currently, most industrial epoxy resins rely on Bisphenol A (BPA), a petroleum-based chemical known for its reproductive toxicity. This work explores the development of sustainable thermosetting resins and their subsequent use in Plating on Plastics (PoP) technology. By utilizing sugar-derived precursors such as itaconic acid and isosorbide, epoxy and epoxy-acrylate resins were successfully synthesized. The study optimized reaction parameters and utilized characterization methods—including NMR, FTIR, and EEW titration—to confirm the chemical structure and the successful incorporation of epoxy and acrylate functional groups. Thermal and mechanical assessments (via DSC, TGA, and DMA) revealed that the performance of these bio-derived resins is comparable with standard BPA-based systems when cured under similar conditions. Furthermore, these resins were developed into composite coatings by incorporating nickel salts and applied to ABS surfaces. This approach seeks to replace hazardous traditional PoP steps, specifically eliminating the use of toxic hexavalent chromium in the etching phase and expensive palladium catalysts during activation. The successful loading of nickel salts into the bio-polymeric matrix highlights the potential of these materials for functional coatings. Ultimately, this study validates that bio-based thermosets are viable substitutes for conventional epoxies, offering a path toward more sustainable and less hazardous plastic metallization processes.

Acknowledgements: This research has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101058699 (Project FreeMe).