Bioplastics

What are compostable bioplastics?

Bioplastic

Compostable bioplastic is a low-impact, high-performance sustainable alternative designed with food packaging in mind.

What is bioplastic? Although it has similar characteristics to traditional plastic, both in its lightness and strength, compostable bioplastic is a sustainable, low-impact, high-performance alternative for use and service, because it enables more sustainable product life cycles as part of a circular economy.

The main characteristic of bioplastic is compostability, or the capacity to be organically recycled together with food waste, to become compost in a process of biological decomposition of organic matter that takes place under controlled conditions.

The advantages of bioplastics

  • Lower environmental impact

    They have a lower environmental impact: bio-based compostable bioplastics reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to the production process, and when disposed of correctly they are more environmentally friendly.

  • Circular economy system

    They enable a circular economy system: when properly processed, compostable bioplastics are transformed into compost, a rich humus which is used as a natural fertiliser. Waste is not merely something to be disposed of, but becomes a raw material which gives rise to new production cycles.

  • Recycling materials

    They can be used to make countless everyday objects. Examples of bioplastics include: fruit and vegetable bags provided in supermarkets and carrier bags for transporting shopping, but also plates, cups and food trays. And also extensible films, tubs, net bags, sacks and capsules for beverages and coffee.

  • Good for environment

    Producing compost improves the chemical and physical characteristics of the soil and enables the gradual accumulation of carbon in the land, which thus acts as a carbon sink, helping reduce the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere.

  • Recycling

    It is simple to recycle objects made from compostable bioplastic, because they can easily be collected together with household food waste.

Types of bioplastic

Some are bio-based, meaning they are produced from plant and animal substances (biomass), such as corn, grain, tapioca, potatoes, sugarcane, vegetable oils, algae and cellulose.

Others are biodegradable even though they are made from fossil fuels (petroleum): these include polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), polycaprolactone (PCL) and polybutylene succinate (PBS).

Finally, the most virtuous products are bio-based and biodegradable, such as polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA and PHB) and starch-based substances such as MATER-BI.

Biodegradable polymers

Compostable bioplastics are structured using polymers that can be biodegraded by microorganisms, regardless of which raw material was used to produce them. They can be made from renewable natural resources (biomass) or fossil fuels, but their biodegradability, and therefore their compostability, is determined by their chemical structure.

 

Here are some of the main biopolymers used in the production of compostable bioplastics.

POLYMERS FROM BIO-BASED SOURCES

  • Polysaccharides

    Polysaccharides are the most characteristic family of natural biodegradable and recyclable polymers, or biopolymers. The most common types are starch and cellulose.

    Main applications

    Food packaging.

  • PHAs

    The best-known polymers obtained by synthesis through fermentation within genetically modified microorganisms, starting from sugars or lipids.

    Main applications

    Glasses, cups and other paper and cardboard containers.

  • PLA (polylactic acid)

    Thermoplastic polyester that can be obtained by polymerising lactic acid, which in turn is produced through bacterial fermentation of starches. In fact, bioplastic is obtained from milk through a process of fermentation.

    Main applications

    Plates and cutlery.

  • PEF (polyethylene furanoate)

    Aromatic polyester, chemical analogue of polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene terephthalate.

    Main applications

    Bottles, films and fibre.

FOSSIL POLYMERS

PBAT (polybutylene adipate terephthalate)

Aliphatic-aromatic copolyester obtained by polycondensation between butanediol (BDO), adipic acid (AA) and terephthalic acid (PTA).

Main applications

Organic waste collection bags, transparent films, fruit and vegetable bags and agricultural films.

PBS (polybutylene succinate)

Semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymers from the aliphatic polyester family.

Main applications

Films, bags or containers for food and cosmetic packaging.

PVA (polyvinyl alcohol)

A water-soluble synthetic macromolecule polymer obtained by the polymerisation of vinyl acetate.

Main applications

Paper, textiles and coatings. 

What is biodegradation?

Biodegradability is the capacity of a material to be broken down into simpler substances through the enzymatic activity of microorganisms. At the end of the biodegradation process, the initial organic substances are entirely converted into simple inorganic molecules: water, carbon dioxide and methane.

What is composting?

A material’s compostability is its capacity to be biodegraded by a microorganism over a certain period of time and under controlled conditions. The parameters according to which a material may be considered compostable are defined by European standard EN 13432.

 

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