Global Markets and Technologies for Bioplastics

Report Highlights

The global use of bioplastics was 0.64 million metric tons in 2010 and 0.85 million metric tons in 2011. BCC expects that the use of bioplastics will increase up to 3.7 million metric tons by 2016, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34.3%.

SCOPE AND FORMAT

The focus of this report is on plastics made from renewable resources such as biomass or food crops.  There is even some potential development of bioplastics from animal resources.  Plastics that may be potentially made from waste carbon dioxide are reviewed because of their potential impact on bioplastics, but their data is not included in the forecasts presented here.  Bioplastics are further defined here as polymer materials that are produced by synthesizing—chemically or biologically—materials that contain renewable organic materials.  Natural organic materials that are not chemically modified (e.g., wood composites) are excluded.  The report includes the use of renewable resources to create monomers that replace petroleum-based monomers, such as feedstocks made from sugarcane that are used to manufacture polyester and polyethylene.  Ethanol, a major product in Brazil, is one small chemical step from ethylene.

The focal point is on the following resin chemistries:

• Polylactic acid.
• Thermoplastic starch.
• Bio-polyamides (nylons).
• Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA).
• Bio-polyols and polyurethane.
• Cellulosics.
• Bio-polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT).
• Bio-polyethylene.
• Bio-polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Biodegradable and photodegradable polymers made from petrochemical feedstocks are not included.  Other renewable resin chemistries are also covered but in less detail, as their roles are not as well-developed.  These include collagen and chitosan.

AUTHOR’S CREDENTIALS

Douglas A. Smock was the Chief Editor of Plastics World Magazine from 1986 to 1994 at the Cahners Publishing Co.  He also served as a Senior Editor of Modern Plastics at the McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., Associate Publisher and Editorial Director of Modern Mold and Tooling at the McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. and Chief Editor of Purchasing Magazine at Reed Business Information (RBI) from 2000 to 2004.  At RBI, Smock also served as Co-chairman of the Corporate Editorial Board.  He is the coauthor of Straight to the Bottom Line and On-Demand Supply Management, two leading books in the field of supply management.  He is the former editor of BCC Research’s newsletter High Tech Ceramic News.  Smock received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Oh.