Bio-based plastics will grow rapidly

Recently, Francois de Bie, president of the European Bioplastics Association, said that after withstanding the challenges brought by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the global bioplastics industry is expected to grow by 36% in the next 5 years.

　　 The global production capacity of bioplastics will increase from approximately 2.1 million tons this year to 2.8 million tons in 2025. Innovative biopolymers, such as bio-based polypropylene, especially polyhydroxy fatty acid esters (PHAs) continue to drive this growth. Since PHAs entered the market, market share has continued to grow. In the next 5 years, PHAs production capacity will increase nearly 7 times. The production of polylactic acid (PLA) will also continue to grow, and China, the United States and Europe are investing in new PLA production capacity. Currently, biodegradable plastics account for nearly 60% of global bioplastic production capacity.

Bio-based non-degradable plastics, including bio-based polyethylene (PE), bio-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and bio-based polyamide (PA), currently account for 40% of the global bioplastic production capacity (about 800,000 tons/year).

　　 Packaging is still the largest application field of bioplastics, accounting for about 47% (about 990,000 tons) of the entire bioplastics market. The data shows that bioplastic materials have been used in many fields, and applications continue to diversify, and their relative shares in consumer goods, agricultural and horticultural products and other market segments have increased.

　　As far as the development of bio-based plastics production capacity in various regions of the world is concerned, Asia is still the main production center. Currently, more than 46% of bioplastics are produced in Asia, and a quarter of the production capacity is located in Europe. However, by 2025, Europe’s share is expected to rise to 28%.

Hasso von Pogrell, general manager of the European Bioplastics Association, said: "Recently, we announced a major investment. Europe will become the main production center for bioplastics. This material will play an important role in achieving a circular economy. Localized production will accelerate bioplastics. Application in the European market."