Biotechnology as a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary field of science and engineering is regarded to be a key technology for the future, able to essentially contribute to sustainable development. In the first part of this paper, a critical analysis of the status quo in biotechnologies is given in the area of pharmaceutical, agricultural, environmental, and industrial biotechnology as well as food biotechnology. Here the general potential becomes clear, but also a series of disadvantages which are partly the result of the existing paradigm in science and technology and partly in direct connection to bioprocessing itself. Nevertheless, these biotechnologies will contribute to sustainable development, but mainly in a shallow sense of survival and livelihood. In the second part of this paper, another new dimension in bioprocessing is elucidated, which is in agreement with the new ecological, holistic world view. Here the so-called ''eco-principles'' are derived from a systems analysis of the ecosphere and represent the intelligence of nature as the result of evolution. The eco-principles will serve as guidelines for the general eco-restructuring of technology, being a drastic change within the next 2 - 5 decades. For the applying of eco-principles, a quantitative measure for sustainability in technology was developed (''sustainable process index''), which will enable us to design the new technology paradigm called ''Eco Tech''. Ecological security and social equity, together with economic efficiency will define sustainable technology development in a deeper sense. Following this route, a completely new dimension of biotechnology will be reached, where the technosphere is fully embedded into the natural cycles of the ecosphere on a local basis.
