Historically, bioplastics developed from the 1990s onwards were initially conceived for their biodegradability properties. The issue of managing the end-of-life of plastic waste was gaining in importance, while that of the eventual disappearance of fossil fuels was still in its infancy. The first materials to come onto the market (mainlystarch-based compounds and PLA) were mainly intended for single-use applications, for which it made sense to use biodegradable and compostable polymers. That’s why they initially entered the flexible (films, bags, etc.) and rigid (trays, bottles, cups, etc.) packaging markets.
Over the years, bioplastics applications have diversified with the arrival of new materials that have gradually been integrated into all plastics markets, aided by R&D advances that have improved their properties.
Today, the bioplastics market is dominated by packaging, fibers and consumer goods, mainly driven by PLA, biobased PE and other biobased polyesters.
The various applications for bioplastics are segmented to a considerable extent, with biodegradable and compostable polymers in the majority in sectors where this property can be a technical advantage for their use or end-of-life, such as agriculture, horticulture and flexible packaging (biodegradable bags). Conversely, they are virtually absent from the transport and construction markets.