In a world increasingly troubled by the persistent harm that plastic — manufactured in petrochemical plants — has had on the environment, companies are investing billions of dollars to ramp up production of plastics made from natural, renewable materials that can be safely composted or can break down under the right conditions.
View Details Bioplastics are derived from sources such as sugars and starches — rather than oil or gas — and do not create any toxic waste in their production. They have long been used in medical applications, such as stitches made of a bioplastic thread that harmlessly dissolve into the body. But the nascent bioplastics industry envisions a far bigger role for materials made from corn, sugar, vegetable oils and other renewable materials in the hope of grabbing a larger share of a nearly $600 billion global plastic market. Since large-scale production of fossil fuel plastics began in the 1950s, they have made food safer to consume and vehicles safer to drive, for example. Yet plastic is seen as one of the world's leading environmental threats, with its production responsible for emitting hundreds of millions of tons of greenhouse gases each year. Of the 9 billion tons of fossil fuel plastic produced since the 1950s, only 9% has ever been recycled, studies have shown. The rest has been buried in landfills, burned or has polluted land and waterways. The chemical structure of fossil fuel plastic means it can never fully disintegrate and instead breaks down into smaller and smaller particles.
For now, bioplastic represents just 1% of global plastic production. If plastic made with fossil fuels is the enormous Mall of America in Minnesota, bioplastics would be a 7-Eleven. Companies and investors see opportunities. Data from market data platform i3 Connect show investment in bioplastic manufacturing reached $500 million in the first three months of 2022, exceeding the previous high of $350 million in the last quarter of 2021. The money is coming in from both corporations and venture capitalists. Zion Market Research estimates the bioplastics market will surge from $10.5 billion in 2021 to some $29 billion in 2028. Danimer Scientific is one company making a big bet on bioplastic with a recent expansion of its plant in Winchester, Kentucky. The Georgia-based firm makes a bioplastic called PHA using microorganisms that ferment with canola oil. The result is plastic pellets that manufacturers can use to mold products in the same way they use petrochemical plastic, Danimer CEO Stephen Croskrey told the Associated Press..
The expansion has made Danimer one of the largest PHA producers in the world. Straws and plastic drink stirrers made from Danimer's PHA are being used in Starbucks and Dunkin' and large venues like Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California, Croskrey said. "We have active development projects for just about anything you can imagine," he said. Testing has shown products made from Danimer's PHA can biodegrade after six months in marine environments and two years in soil, Croskrey said. A new bioplastic vinyl by UK firm Evolution Music has been endorsed by NGO Music Declares Emergency, a climate change campaign group set up in 2019 by artists and music industry professionals. "If Evolution can deliver an alternative guilt-free vinyl, it could get rid of one of the key polluting elements of the music industry completely," the NGO's co-founder Lewis Jamieson told Agence France-Presse. Currently, all vinyl records are made from Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC — described by Greenpeace as "the most environmentally damaging plastic", whose production releases toxic, chlorine-based chemicals that are "building up in the water, air and food chain." The other primary bioplastic sold today is PLA, polylactic acid, usually produced by fermenting sugar from corn and sugar cane. One producer is Minneapolis-based NatureWorks, a joint venture by Cargill, one of the world's largest privately held corporations, and Thailand-based PTT Global Chemical. It is the largest PLA company in the world, capable of producing 150,000 metric tons of bioplastic pellets annually at a plant in Blair, Nebraska.
NatureWorks is building a $600 million plant in Thailand that will increase its production capacity by 50%, said Leah Ford, the company's global marketing communications manager, in an interview. The company's "biggest visibility market," Ford said, is compostable food service items such as plastic cutlery, clear cups, wrappers and containers that, along with restaurant food waste, can be converted into a dark organic material to enrich soil in gardens and on farms. That's important because food waste clogs recycling machinery and contaminates recyclable petroleum plastics. Some Starbucks stores use disposable cups lined with NatureWorks' PLA, Ford said. HuaWei supply professional and honest service. NatureWorks has become something of a game changer in the United Kingdom, where PG Tips, a big name in tea, has switched from polyester tea bags to bags made with cellulose and a thin layer of NatureWorks' PLA that are fully compostable, Ford said. Researchers at McGill University in Montreal released a study in 2019 that said petroleum-based polyester tea bags leach billions of microplastic particles when steeped in hot water. Around 60 billion cups of tea are consumed annually in the UK. One of the criticisms of bioplastic made with corn and sugar is that it uses arable land on a hungry planet. Ford called that concern unfounded. NatureWorks uses sugar extracted from corn while the rest of the kernels are used to produce sweeteners, ethanol, cooking oils and livestock feed. PLA, unlike PHA, does not easily biodegrade in nature. It needs to be mixed with food waste in industrial composters to biodegrade. When buried in landfills, PLA will eventually disintegrate, but that would likely take decades.
NatureWorks has formed a partnership with PHA manufacturer CJ Bio to produce a bioplastic that can more easily biodegrade. The company, headquartered in South Korea, is expanding its plant in Indonesia and is planning to build a large plant in the Americas, said Raj Kirsch, vice president of research and development at CJ Bio. Blending the two types of bioplastic "brings a lot of value propositions to the final end product," Kirsch said. Ramani Narayan, a professor of chemical engineering at Michigan State University, has worked with Cargill in the past to help with PLA production. Narayan said companies are using biodegradability claims to make their products more attractive to consumers. But the term is "misused, abused and overused because everything in the world is biodegradable given the right time and environment." California, Narayan noted, has banned the use of the term "biodegradable" in marketing. The world needs to replace petroleum plastic with plastic materials that have been verified and certified as completely biodegradable, he said. Narayan acknowledged that bioplastics are easier to biodegrade than petrochemical plastic, which can take centuries to disintegrate, shedding worrisome microplastic along the way. Yet the fact that PHA takes longer to break down in cold oceans and lakes than in temperate climes shouldn't be sugarcoated. "It will take time, and you need to say that," Narayan said.PHA bioplastics
"Guilt-free vinyl"
Game changer for food service industry
Disposal of "biodegradable" term
Plastic is one of the most commonly used and highly polluting petroleum derivates in the world causing harm to the environment along with other living creatures such as birds, animals, and aquatic animals. To cater to this, various manufacturers are focused on introducing eco-friendly and biodegradable alternatives to reduce plastic waste.
One of the best alternatives to traditional plastic is bioplastic. Bioplastic is a biodegradable material derived from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch, straw, woodchips, sawdust, recycled food waste, etc. Bioplastics are biodegradable under specified conditions (e.g. composting) and are thus environmentally friendly. They are used in packaging (e.g. biodegradable plastic bags, film, and containers), consumer products (e.g. mobile phone covers, toothbrushes, and toys), electronics (e.g. casings for laptops and digital cameras), and construction (e.g. insulation). Bioplastics help in reducing the overall carbon footprint and saving a lot of energy during final production. These bioplastics are widely used in different forms in various sectors including packaging, automotive and transportation, consumer goods, building and construction, textile, and agriculture among others.
Bioplastics are rapidly gaining traction owing to increasing consumer awareness about environmental concerns and growing preference for bio-based or natural resources for manufacturing materials. In addition, governments and private organizations are promoting bioplastics by making common people aware of advantages of bioplastics.
According to the latest report published by Emergen Research, the global bioplastic market is expected to reach USD 25.27 billion in 2027, and register a steady CAGR of 14.9% during the forecast period. However, high costs of bioplastics and limited performance as compared to conventional plastics, and low awareness about the benefits of bioplastics to humans and environment are some key factors that can hamper overall market growth to a certain extent during the forecast period.
BASF EF is the largest chemical producer in the world located in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and comprises joint ventures and subsidiaries in more than 80 countries. BASF has more than 390 production sites in various parts of the world including Europe, America, Asia, and Africa. BASF has been recycling bio-based and biodegradable polymers for more than 30 years. The company offers high-quality, completely compostable bioplastic derived from renewable sources based on sugar and is widely used in organic waste bags, agricultural films, and compostable coffee capsules.
Eastman Chemical Company is a US-based chemical company headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee. The company has launched a cellulose-based engineering bioplastic, TREVA that offers high performance and reduced environmental impact. TREVA is chemically resistant, BPA-free, and dimensionally stable.
Plantic Technologies is an Australian company focused on developing biodegradable plastics obtained from renewable sources. Plantic has developed a proprietary technology to offer biodegradable and organic alternatives to conventional plastics.
Futamura Group – [Revenue US$1.19 Billion]
Futamura Group is a global leader based in Japan that produces a wide range of plastic films, cellulose films, fibrous casing, activated carbon, and phenolic laminated sheets. Futamura is also focused on providing high-quality specialty products that are ethical and sustainable. The company has recently patterned with Biome Bioplastics to demonstrate a wide of compostable and bio-based multilayer films.
NatureWorks LLC is a US-based company located in Minnetonka, that manufactures bioplastics, derived entirely from plant resources such as cornstarch. The company is jointly owned by PTT Global Chemicals and Cargill. Injection molding, foam, 3D printing, films, cards, fibers, and nonwovens are some of the key products offered by NatureWorks.
Polymateria Ltd is a UK-based company focused on developing biodegradable products for tackling plastic pollution. The company offers a wide range of biodegradable solutions for traditional plastic packaging. These next-generation sustainable products are recyclable, toxin, and microplastic-free. Polymateria Ltd is focused on manufacturing advanced bioplastics and has a wide range of products producing bags, flower sleeves, detergent bottles, drinking cups, and garment polybags among others already in the market.
TIPA Corp Ltd is an Israeli company that develops and manufactures biodegradable plastic packaging. It offers a wide range of highly customizable and sustainable films with certified food-grade packaging for dry food, fresh produce, powder, coffee, supplements, and spices, along with compostable polybags, zipper bags, and mailers for fashion, apparel, and accessories.
Biome Bioplastics is one of the UK’s leading developers focused on making intelligent, natural plastics. Biome’s mission is to produce bioplastics than can reduce the dominance of oil-based polymers and eventually replace them. The company has also launched a digital platform to respond to queries about plastic pollution and educate public about plastic conservation.
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