The US Patent Office granted on 26 December 2017 patent # US 9,850,340 B2 entitled “Apopinene as a biorenewable monomer for ring-opening metathesis polymerization”. The patent describes the ring-opening metathesis polymerization of apopinene, readily available from biogenic alpha pinene, produced by the large boreal forest ecosystems of the world, and related functionalized monomers and corresponding polymer products. The invention is a key step towards the realization of sustainable plastics that can be prepared from non-fossil hydrocarbon feedstocks. Inventors are Regan Thomson, Benjamin Strick, Franz Geiger, and Massimiliano Delferro.