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Global Status of the Production of Biobased Packaging Materials
Author(s) -
Bastioli Catia
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
starch ‐ stärke
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.62
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1521-379X
pISSN - 0038-9056
DOI - 10.1002/1521-379x(200108)53:8<351::aid-star351>3.0.co;2-r
Subject(s) - bioplastic , food packaging , biodegradation , renewable energy , business , biochemical engineering , waste management , engineering , mechanical engineering , chemistry , electrical engineering , organic chemistry
Bioplastics from renewable origin are a new generation of plastics able to significantly reduce the environmental impact in terms of energy consumption and green‐house ef‐fect in specific applications. Bioplastics perform as traditional plastics when in use and are completely biodegradable within a composting cycle. Today bioplastics and partic‐ularly starch‐based plastics are used in specific industrial applications where bio‐degradability is required. Examples are composting bags and sacks, fast food service‐ware (cups, cutlery, plates, straws, etc.), packaging (soluble foams for industrial pack‐aging, film wrapping, laminated paper, food containers), agriculture (much films, nur‐sery pots, plant labels), hygiene (diaper back sheet, cotton swabs).Moreover new sec‐tors are growing outside biodegradability, driven by improved technical performances of bioplastics versus traditional materials, as in the case of biofillers for tires. The market of starch‐based bioplastics in 1999 has been estimated at about 20,000 t/a, with a strong incidence of soluble foams for packaging and films. Bioplas‐tics from renewable origin, either biodegradable or non‐biodegradable, still constitute a niche market which requires high efforts in the areas of material and application devel‐opment; the technical and economical breakthroughs achieved in the last three years, however, open new possibilities for such products in the mass markets and specifical‐ly in food packaging. This paper will review the recent industrial achievements of bioplastics in the sector of packaging, taking in consideration their in‐use performances, biodegradation behav‐iour and environmental impact.