Global market for bioplastics to grow by 20 percent

The land used to grow the renewable feedstock for the production of bioplastics amounted to approximately 0.82 million hectares in 2017, which accounted for less than 0.02 percent of the global agricultural area of 5 billion hectares, 97 percent of which were used for pasture, feed and food. Despite the market growth predicted in the next five years, the land use share for bioplastics will remain around 0.02 percent. This clearly shows that there is no competition between the renewable feedstock for food, feed, and the production of bioplastics.

“Over the past ten years, the bioplastics industry has flourished and developed into a fast-growing innovative sector,” says de Bie. “We are witnessing a growing number of major brands switching from fossil-based to bio-based materials or to offer biodegradable solutions for their products in response to the increased consumer demand for more sustainable products and an overall change in awareness about the impacts of consumption choices on the environment. The bioplastics industry is able to meet the increased demand as a result of substantial investments in research and development by the many innovative small and large companies that concentrate their strengths on the development of bio-based products designed with a circular economy in mind.”

The market data update 2017 has been compiled in cooperation with the research institute nova-Institute (Hürth, Germany). The data for the global production capacities of bioplastics is based on the market study “Bio-based Building Blocks and Polymers” by nova-Institute (2018).

Source: European Bioplastics e.V.