Bioplastics are plastic materials produced from renewable biomass sources such as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch, straw, woodchips, sawdust, and recycled food waste. They can be obtained by processing natural biopolymers including polysaccharides (e.g., starch, cellulose, chitosan, and alginate) and proteins (e.g., soy protein, gluten, and gelatin), while others are chemically synthesized from sugar derivatives (e.g., lactic acid) and lipids (oils and fats) from either plants or animals, or biologically generated by fermentation of sugars or lipids. Bioplastics are biodegradable materials that come from renewable sources and can be used to reduce the problem of plastic waste that is suffocating the planet and contaminating the environment.
Some advantages of bioplastics include their independence from fossil fuel as a raw material, which is a finite and globally unevenly distributed resource linked to petroleum politics and environmental impacts. Life cycle analysis studies show that some bioplastics can be made with a lower carbon footprint than their fossil counterparts, for example when biomass is used as raw material and also for energy production. Bioplastics are also less toxic and do not contain bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone disrupter that is often found in traditional plastics.
However, bioplastics are not yet the silver bullet to our plastic problem. While they are generally considered to be more eco-friendly than traditional plastics, a 2010 study from the University of Pittsburgh found that wasn’t necessarily true when the materials’ life cycles were taken into account. Additionally, some bioplastics processes are less efficient and result in a higher carbon footprint than fossil plastics.
In summary, bioplastics are plastic materials produced from renewable biomass sources that can be used to reduce the problem of plastic waste. They have some advantages over traditional plastics, such as their independence from fossil fuels and lower toxicity, but they are not a perfect solution to our plastic problem.
