Polymers from renewable resources are receiving tremendous attention due to the increasing concerns on the depletion of fossil oils and deteriorated environments. Cardanol, as an abundant and renewable chemical raw material, has been widely used for the production of renewable polymer materials via converting into various of chemical monomers with active functional groups. This comprehensive review deals with various aspects of cardanol as a starting material the preparing various polymer and polymer composites such as benzoxazine resins, phenolic resin, polyurethanes, epoxy resin, vinyl ester polymers, polyamide and cyanate ester resins. The assessment of the future prospects for the use of cardanol to synthesise novel and valuable renewable materials is presented.