Most plastics that are commercially used today are petroleum based, and can take more than a century to degrade.

Under combustion, plastics release cancer causing carcinogenic chemicals that are equally harmful to people and the environment. In this regard, development of “environmental friendly” materials has attracted extensive interest due to increasing environmental and health consciousness. One of the most innovative environmental friendly materials developed recently are ‘Bioplastics’.

They are formed from renewable biomass composed of biopolymers, starch, cellulose, and a variety of other sources such as sugarcane, wood, waste paper, vegetable oils and fats, bacteria, algae, etc. Its major advantages include lower carbon footprint, energy efficiency, and eco-safety. Bioplastics has various uses in the fields of Packaging, Consumer Goods, Electronics, Automotive & Transportation, Textiles, Agriculture & Horticulture, Biomedical applications etc.

Many countries around the world have already begun integrating these materials into their technologies. The global bioplastics market will be growing about 20% -25% per year with a market size valued at USD 10.2 billion in 2021 and is expected to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.1% from 2022 to 2030.

When it comes to bioplastics, there are two main forms on the market today: Poly Lactic Acids (PLA) and Poly Hydroxy Alkanoates (PHA).

PLA plastics are made from plants like corn, sugarcane, potatoes, maize, tapioca and vegetable oils by extracting the sugars and refining them. PHA plastics are made from the digestion process of microbes.

PLA plastics are most commonly used for food packaging, compost bags, disposable tableware, loose fill packaging, a fibre or nonwoven fabric, upholstery, disposable clothing, feminine hygiene products and nappies. PHA plastics are most commonly used for medical devices. Findings suggest that PHAs are suitable to develop devices such as hernia repair devices, nerve repair devices, repair patches, cardiovascular patches, adhesion barriers, guided tissue repair and regeneration devices, nerve guides, orthopaedic pins, tendon repair devices, bone-marrow scaffolds, tissue engineered cardiovascular devices, other implantable medical devices, such as sutures, meshes, cochlear implants, dental implants, and wound dressings. These materials are biocompatible and can degrade after being implanted.

PHA is a substitute for Polypropylene (PP) & Polyethylene (PE) while PLA is a substitute for Low-density and high-density Polyethylene (LDPE and HDPE), Polystyrene (PS), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Polypropylene (PP)