Bioplastics manufacturing to reach million tonnes

The bioplastic market is to jump from its current production levels of 700,000-800,000 tonnes per annum to "hit the million tonne market" within a few years, Michael Carus, managing director of the Nova-Institute, told delegates at a bioplastics conference in the Netherlands last week.
Providers of plastic fabrications expert services are increasingly looking to make their products even more sustainable, hence the growth of bio materials.
Mr Carus said bio-based plastics reduce CO2 (current emission reductions are on average 20-30 per cent) and also save fossil resources, European Plastics News reported.
He was speaking at the Bio-Based Materials Symposium, held in Wageningen, on June 21st.
Bioplastics are a polymer made from renewable sources, such as vegetable fats and oils and corn starch.
They are used in a range of industries, including packaging, agriculture, gastronomy, consumer electronics and automation.
Mr Carus said although bioplastics account for a small percentage of the overall polymers market, their share is 7.7 per cent – a higher projection than normal estimates.
"When we talk about bioplastics and bioproducts, we could also think about elastomers, man-made fibres, even some sustainable rubber products," he was quoted as saying.
"These can all help with sustainability."
Mr Carus cited analysis of lifecycle assessments by the Nova-Institute for Proganic which found the biggest greenhouse gas emission savings can be seen when comparing bio-based polymers to polycarbonate (PC).
In 2010, bio PE accounted for the largest share of the biopolymers market (28 per cent of total production capacity), followed by starch blends (16 per cent), PLA (15 per cent), PHA (12 per cent) and bio polyesters (eight per cent).
He said one of the fastest-growing materials is wood plastic composite. The European market has been growing at an average annual rate of 35 per cent since 2005, it was claimed.