Bioplastics Packaging Capacity, Production, Demand, Pricing, Market & Forecast Analysis Report Until 2032

Bioplastics Packaging

Bioplastics are produced from renewable sources such as plants, trees, corn oil, sugar beet, sugar cane, grass, animals or food waste. Bioplastics are used to reduce the dependence on petroleum-based plastics and they reduce the emission of greenhouse gases thereby boosting sustainability. Bioplastics could be either compostable or recyclable or both. Various types of bioplastics are used in packaging such as bio-polyethylene, bio-polyethylene terephthalate, bio-polypropylene, bio-polyamide, poly lactic acid, polyhydroxyalkanoates, polybutylene succinate, starch-based plastics etc.

Bioplastic packaging has the largest share in the European Bioplastic Market. Bioplastics are used for packaging in various end use industries such as food & beverages, consumer goods, medical and pharmaceutical, industrial goods etc. The market of bioplastics was dominated by Bio-PLA, Bio-PHA and Starch based plastics in 2021 on the back of increasing use in food and beverages application. Both PLA and PHA are the major biopolymers and majority of the bio-PLA produced is used in packaging applications.

Bioplastics Packaging Market Overview:

Globally, the Food & Beverages segment is projected to have a significant share in the bioplastics packaging market in 2023-2032. Bioplastic packaging is used in coffee cup leads, disposable cutlery, plates, soft drinks bottles, food containers etc. The shift of brands, retailers and other supply chain stakeholders from petroleum-based packaging material to sustainable packaging in order to reduce the carbon-footprint of the packaging industry will drive the market of bioplastics packaging in food and beverages industries. In addition to this, fighting food waste is another driver for rising use of bioplastics in food and beverages industry. Use of compostable packaging such as paper coatings, bin liners, tea bags, coffee capsules leads to easy composition of food scrapes into valuable nutrients rather than the production of methane as the food degrades in landfills.

Bioplastics Packaging Market Forecast:

America and Europe both dominated the market of bioplastics in 2023 due to the presence of major bioplastic manufacturers such as Novomont, NatureWorks, BASF, Total Corbion and Braskem.  Europe is the major leader in developing and commercialising biopolymers. Brands such PepsiCo, Donne, Nestle Waters, Marks and Spencer are some of the major brands which have taken initiatives regarding bioplastics packaging in reducing carbon footprint of their respective industries. Pepsi co has aim to use 100% either recyclable or compostable packaging material by 2025. Nestle plans to use 100% of recyclable plastic by 2025. Currently, around 87% of their plastic is reusable or recyclable.

European Union has contributed towards bioeconomy and circular economy in Europe through certain policies and regulatory framework such as EU green deal of 2019, EU bioeconomy strategy of 2018, Waste Framework directive of 2023 etc. There are many relevant policy initiatives taken by EU such as Policy Framework for biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics in 2023, the sustainable carbon cycle in 2021, EU rules on recycled plastics for food-contract material taken in 2023, etc.

Recent Developments In Bioplastics Packaging

• In November 2023, NatureWorks (a leading producer of PLA) and CJ Biomaterials (a leading producer of PHA in South Korea) have collaborated to develop, a sustainable, high-performance biopolymer for compostable food packaging, food service ware, personal care, films and other end use products. The newly developed biopolymer is based on CJ Biomaterials’ PHACT biodegradable polymers and NatureWorks’ Ingeo technology.
• Novamont will launch a first compostable bio-based stick pack in the trade fair for plastics and rubber occurring from 19 to 26 October 2023 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Novamont’s compostable and recyclable Master-Bi bioplastic film is made up of food waste is used to make first stick pack for multimineral supplement and powdered multivitamin.