As environmental awareness grows and the need for sustainable materials becomes more apparent, bioplastics have come to play a central role in the debate on the future of plastics. But what exactly are bioplastics? What misconceptions exist, and what regulations govern production and use today and in the future?
This article reviews the topic of bioplastics, its definitions, and the current and upcoming regulations affecting plastics manufacturers.
Bioplastics is an umbrella term for plastics that are either bio-based, biodegradable or both. A bio-based plastic is made entirely or partly from renewable resources, such as biomass. However, it is important to note that bio-based plastics are not necessarily biodegradable. Biodegradable plastics, on the other hand, can be broken down by microorganisms into natural end products such as water, carbon dioxide and biomass under specific conditions.
Bioplastics can be divided into three main categories:
A common misconception is that all bioplastics are biodegradable. This is not true; a plastic can be bio-based without being biodegradable and vice versa. For example, bio-based polyethylene is chemically identical to fossil-based polyethylene and does not biodegrade.
It is also important to distinguish between biodegradable plastics and oxo-degradable plastics. Oxo-degradable plastics contain additives that accelerate degradation when exposed to oxygen and UV light, but they do not fully degrade into natural end products and can instead fragment into microplastics. European Bioplastics warns against confusion between these materials and emphasizes that oxo-degradable plastics do not meet the biodegradability criteria.
A Good Choice offers various bioplastic materials with up to 85% lower CO2 emissions suitable for use in both injection molding and extrusion.
Different materials suit different production lines and factories. Therefore, we adjust our formulations to achieve a perfect match.
Read more about our different bioplastics here.