108
sustainable route. The biodegradable bioplastics decompose into carbon dioxide
and water in the environment after their disposal. While the biobased bioplastics are
composed of renewable raw material, they do not necessarily decompose after their
disposal. The biodegradable biobased bioplastics can be derived from starch-based,
cellulose-based, or polyester sources. Polylactic acid is one of the most widely used
types of biodegradable biobased bioplastics. Bio-polyethylene, bio-propylene, and
polybutylene succinate are all potential replacements for petroleum-based plastics
(Chee et al. 2010). The biodegradable petroleum-based plastics include polycaprolactone and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate). However, they are not common (Bugnicourt et al. 2014; Kourmentza et al. 2017).
Currently, only 1% of all polymers in use are biopolymers, although the industry
is slowly but continuously developing (Dietrich et al. 2017). About 2.05 million
tons of bioplastics were produced in 2017. This number is expected to increase to
2.44 million tons by 2022 (European Bioplastics 2017). Additionally, the increasing
negative impact on human health from petrochemical plastics is leading more people and companies to become more environmentally aware (Rodriguez-Perez et al.
2018). A number of governments are beginning to ban single-time-use plastics and
encouraging circular economies instead. For instance, Italy banned petroleumbased plastic bags back in 2011 and is now ranked as the largest global consumer of
bioplastics. France has recently banned plastic cutlery and cups, which should be in
full effect by 2020 (Vandi et al. 2018). Many multinational companies are following
the recycling and bioplastic trends. Examples include Starbucks, who have recently
banned straws from their US stores (Starbucks Coffee Company 2018), LEGO
which has invested millions of dollars into research to produce LEGO bricks from
bioplastics (LEGO 2018), and IKEA who expects to be using recycled plastics and
bioplastics only by 2020 (Neste Corporation 2018). Others include The Body Shop
Fig. 5.1 Types of bioplastics and classification based on their material source and
biodegradability
S. Sali and H. R. Mackey
sustainable route. The biodegradable bioplastics decompose into carbon dioxide
and water in the environment after their disposal. While the biobased bioplastics are
composed of renewable raw material, they do not necessarily decompose after their
disposal. The biodegradable biobased bioplastics can be derived from starch-based,
cellulose-based, or polyester sources. Polylactic acid is one of the most widely used
types of biodegradable biobased bioplastics. Bio-polyethylene, bio-propylene, and
polybutylene succinate are all potential replacements for petroleum-based plastics
(Chee et al. 2010). The biodegradable petroleum-based plastics include polycaprolactone and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate). However, they are not common (Bugnicourt et al. 2014; Kourmentza et al. 2017).
Currently, only 1% of all polymers in use are biopolymers, although the industry
is slowly but continuously developing (Dietrich et al. 2017). About 2.05 million
tons of bioplastics were produced in 2017. This number is expected to increase to
2.44 million tons by 2022 (European Bioplastics 2017). Additionally, the increasing
negative impact on human health from petrochemical plastics is leading more people and companies to become more environmentally aware (Rodriguez-Perez et al.
2018). A number of governments are beginning to ban single-time-use plastics and
encouraging circular economies instead. For instance, Italy banned petroleumbased plastic bags back in 2011 and is now ranked as the largest global consumer of
bioplastics. France has recently banned plastic cutlery and cups, which should be in
full effect by 2020 (Vandi et al. 2018). Many multinational companies are following
the recycling and bioplastic trends. Examples include Starbucks, who have recently
banned straws from their US stores (Starbucks Coffee Company 2018), LEGO
which has invested millions of dollars into research to produce LEGO bricks from
bioplastics (LEGO 2018), and IKEA who expects to be using recycled plastics and
bioplastics only by 2020 (Neste Corporation 2018). Others include The Body Shop
Fig. 5.1 Types of bioplastics and classification based on their material source and
biodegradability
S. Sali and H. R. Mackey