The use of biomass in the production of plastics can contribute to the depletion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and secondarily to partially fulfill the growing demand for plastics expected in the near future. The aim of this study is to assess the production of ethylene, one of the most important commodities in the petrochemical industry, via the dehydration of bioethanol and the conversion of bio-dimethyl ether (bio-DME) into olefins. Four case studies have been developed taking into account the different origins of bioethanol, and one for the conversion of bio-DME. The assessment includes current and promising processes for the production of bioethanol, i.e., 1st generation and 2nd generation bioethanol. The latter comprises biochemical processing (enzymatic hydrolysis), thermochemical processing (both direct and indirect syntheses from syngas) and hybrid processing (fermentation of syngas) of biomass. The results show that two of the considered case studies (Brazilian ethanol and ethanol via indirect synthesis from syngas) enable the cost-competitive production of ethylene at current market prices. If BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage) is taken into account for the case studies, the results would be substantially enhanced and all cases, except for the case of bioethanol from biochemical processing, would be profitable. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.