Cyclic organic carbonates are among the most widely studied targets in the nonreductive conversion of carbon dioxide using oxiranes as the common reaction partners. Apart from using fossil fuel based precursors, recent developments have shown that biomass related feedstock can also serve as coupling partner for CO2 allowing the preparation of more functional and complex types of carbonate architectures. This tutorial review places this latter development in the current context of new and more sustainable material designs, and highlights the main types of biomass that have been examined using primarily homogeneous catalysis approaches.