Bio-based plastic alternatives

Plastic consumption is growing worldwide, and so is the amount of non-degradable waste. New market solutions are being found to replace plastics, including bio-based alternatives. However, the growing demand for these products is accompanied by a decline in biodiversity resulting from the production of bio-based materials.

Nº 52


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Bio-based plastic alternatives

Plastic consumption is growing worldwide, and so is the amount of non-degradable waste. New market solutions are being found to replace plastics, including bio-based alternatives. However, the growing demand for these products is accompanied by a decline in biodiversity resulting from the production of bio-based materials.

Bioplastics are bio-based plastic polymers produced from biomass or by living organisms and may or may not be biodegradable. To reduce the negative impacts of plastics, such as pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, one of the strategies implemented by EU Member States and other countries is to replace fossil-based products with bioplastics. This substitution is technically possible for almost any conventional plastic material. However, the production cost of bioplastics remains high and their production requires a large area of land, which limits substitution. 

A study comparing the environmental impact of different biomaterials found that sugarcane bagasse has the lowest land footprint and is the most efficient crop, making it a competitive source for bioplastics production (compared to rice straw and corn stover). However, the production of bioplastics from sugarcane has led to deforestation to expand sugarcane plantations in Brazil, the world’s largest producer. In the period 1996-2006, land conversion for sugarcane resulted in increased greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation. In addition, large-scale sugarcane cultivation has recently been found to alter the physical properties of the soil, with soil loss through erosion being one of the most common risks associated with sugarcane cultivation in Brazil.

Brizga, J., Hubacek, K., & Feng, K. (2020). The unintended side effects of bioplastics: Carbon, land, and water footprints. One Earth, 3(1), 45-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.06.016

Cavalcanti, R. Q., Rolim, M. M., De lima, R. P., Tavares, U. E., Pedrosa, E. M.r., & Cherubin, M. R. (2020). Soil physical changes induced by sugarcane cultivation in the atlantic forest biome, northeastern brazil. Geoderma, 370, 114353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2020.114353

Khoo, H. H., Wong, L. L., Tan, J., Isoni, V., & Sharratt, P. (2015). Synthesis of 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran from various lignocellulosic feedstocks: Sustainability assessment via LCA. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 95, 174-182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2014.12.013

Eyvindson, K., Repo, A., & Mönkkönen, M. (2018). Mitigating forest biodiversity and ecosystem service losses in the era of bio-based economy. Forest Policy and Economics, 92, 119-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2018.04.009