If we want to move away from petroleum and sustainably combat plastic pollution, it is essential to accelerate innovation in bio-based materials, compostable solutions, and reuse. This innovation-driven approach requires efforts in R&D, new ways of working, and partnerships with material suppliers.
Bioplastics: what are we talking about?
The term “bioplastics” covers two categories of polymers:
- Bio-based polymers, derived (at least partially) from biomass.
- Biodegradable polymers, which “disintegrate into various elements through the action of living organisms.”
A bio-based polymer is not necessarily biodegradable, and vice versa!
WHY bioplastiCs?
Bio-based: to reduce petroleum dependency
Each year, fossil-based polymers consume 44 million tons of oil in Europe. That’s a significant amount, especially considering that the average French citizen uses 70 kg of plastic annually!
The primary goal of bio-based polymers is to reduce the plastic industry’s reliance on petroleum, thereby restoring balance in carbon flows.
Biodegradable: to make “return to nature” a reality
The 3R Decree (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), introduced as part of the Anti-Waste Law for a Circular Economy (AGEC), sets reduction and recycling targets for single-use packaging.
While the second “R,” Reuse, is often overshadowed by Recycling, it is worth noting that the 3R principle draws inspiration from five fundamental principles1 popularized by the book Zero Waste by American author Béa Johnson.
The concept of “Return to the Earth”, meaning composting, is a key component of the circular economy’s virtuous cycle. However, composting has been largely overlooked in the 3R strategy, which tends to favor recycling.
innovation in bioplastics: what are the challenges for industries?
Meeting consumer expectations
One of the key proposals from the 2019 Citizens’ Convention on Climate was the “development of compostable bio-based packaging to facilitate the transition before the end of single-use plastic packaging.”
Compostable and bio-based materials are particularly relevant for applications where recycling is too complex to implement. It is therefore urgent to accelerate innovation in this field to quickly bring forth new solutions that also align with consumer expectations.
Building resilience by diversifying options
From a consumer’s perspective, what matters most is the product inside the packaging and its price.
As long as the product remains unchanged and visible differences are minimal, consumers pay little attention to changes in packaging materials.
For an industrial company looking to transition to bioplastics, investing in multiple packaging solutions is a viable strategy. In fact, it is advisable, given the variability in the bioplastics market in terms of price and availability.
Evolving specifications: a necessity!
The properties of bioplastics are not exactly the same as those of petroleum-based plastics. However, this difference should not be seen as an obstacle, given the significant environmental and health challenges at stake.
To build resilience and restore environmental balance, industries must be willing to adjust their specifications, as some requirements may be unnecessary!
In a sustainability-focused approach, is it truly essential for a pack of pasta to have a best-before date (BBE) of two years, when we know it will likely be consumed within a year?
How to innovate with bioplastics?
Current state of innovation
In a 2019 information report, the SPHÈRE Group, one of the world’s leading producers of bio-based and compostable resins for films and bags, highlighted the dynamism of research on bio-based and biodegradable materials, with over 1,400 scientific publications per year.
The same trend is observed in patent filings. According to the European Patent Office, more than 40,000 patents related to bioplastics were filed between 2010 and 20192, with Europe and the United States leading the way, followed by Japan.
While this innovation momentum remains strong, clear support from authorities3, particularly in Europe, is essential to accelerate the adoption of new solutions.
Collaborating with bioplastic suppliers for faster progress
Industrial players have a strong interest in partnering with bioplastic suppliers to develop sustainable solutions that are tailored to their applications and meet their specifications.
Working hand in hand with suppliers allows for:
- Optimizing the innovation process
- Accelerating the transition from lab-scale to industrial-scale production
Example: Transition to a bio-based confectionery packaging
To successfully transition, manufacturers must ensure that the new packaging maintains satisfactory quality while achieving the same production efficiency, meaning they can produce the same number of packages per minute.
Reaching this goal often requires adjusting process parameters (such as temperature) and selecting new material weights. This R&D phase demands time and resources!
By involving the material manufacturer in R&D trials, companies can streamline development and obtain a tailor-made material. Additionally, the knowledge and experience gained can be leveraged for future innovations, helping to accelerate upcoming developments.
Transforming work methods and processes
Beyond technical innovation, industries must reinvent their ways of working—which is, in itself, a form of innovation!
In an article for Polytechnique Insights4, Patrick Pinenq, biopolymer business manager at Total, emphasizes that the availability of raw materials is the key factor. This is precisely why petroleum remains dominant, supporting the production of 360 million tons of plastic annually.
The article also suggests several areas for improvement:
- Rethinking production unit sizes by integrating biotechnology processes
- Collaborating with stakeholders across the entire production chain
- Implementing an eco-design approach and assessing environmental performance through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
However, in the future, availability will not just be about volume but also accessibility. In an increasingly unstable world, geopolitical tensions—such as Russian gas supply issues or China’s control over rare earth metals—already affect the accessibility of raw materials.
In this context, leveraging local resources will be a key strategy for business resilience.
- https://www.goodplanet.info/actu-fondation/connaissez-vous-la-regle-des-5r/ [↩]
- https://link.epo.org/web/patents_for_tomorrows_plastics_study_key_findings_fr.pdf [↩]
- https://www.european-bioplastics.org/policy/revision-of-the-packaging-and-packaging-waste-directive/ [↩]
- https://www.polytechnique-insights.com/dossiers/industrie/bioplastiques/produire-des-bioplastiques-a-lechelle-industrielle-quel-sont-les-enjeux [↩]