The term bioplastic refers to polymers, especially thermoplastics, which can be either biobased, biodegradable or both.
The relationship between polymer origin and end-of-life properties is by no means automatic.
There are, for example
- polymers derived from biomass and biodegradable under different conditions (PLA, PHA, PBS, etc.);
- polymers derived from biomass but not biodegradable (PE, PET, PA, biobased PP, etc.);
- polymers derived from fossil resources but still biodegradable (PBAT, PCL, etc.).
As the term bioplastic lacks precision, care must be taken when using it and always indicate to which properties it refers.