Skip to content

Biosynthetics or Bioplastics

Overview

Biosynthetics are plastic (usually PLA or PHA) made of renewable materials (not petroleum based). They are often considered a more sustainable option than virgin polyester, but it can get complicated. Sustainability issues with biopolymers can arise: 

  • If the raw material used is not farmed in a sustainable manner. (For example, if it is made out of sugarcane, the environmental impact of growing that sugarcane). Biosynthetics can be more chemically intensive and polluting based on the fertilizers and pesticides used to grow crops and the processing needed to turn them into plastic.  
  • If the raw material is a GM (genetically modified) crop. 
  • If the biosynthetic material is not properly disposed of. Biosynthetics incorrectly disposed of in landfills or recycling facilities can cause environmental harm.  

This blog post from Earth Institute at Columbia University does an excellent job of summarizing the issues and shares previous research on the topic.  

Aboutbiosynthetics.org, an initiative by Textile Exchange, an international non-profit organization committed to the responsible expansion of textile sustainability across the global textile value chain, is also a great resource.  

 

Sustainability Considerations

In the words of The Textile Echange: 

A biosynthetic fiber consists of polymers made from renewable resources, either wholly or partly.

Biopolymers, commercially available today, have come from renewable sugars, starches and lipids (1st generation feedstocks such as corn, sugar cane, beets, plant oils) and include polymers that are 100% biobased as well as partially biobased.

Various technologies are under development to produce biosynthetics from a broader range of raw materials including biomass (resources from agriculture and forestry known as 2nd generation), and algae, fungi and bacteria (3rd generation). While many of these have been piloted at concept level, they are not currently commercially available.

Why are Biosynthetics important?

Global demand for textiles is expected to more than double by 2050. There is space and opportunity within our current raw material portfolio to diversify while improving performance.

Biosynthetics are an emerging preferred fiber, gaining traction with clothing, footwear, and household brands and retailers due to their use of renewable resources and their potential to mitigate climate change compared to their petroleum-based counterparts.

In line with a broader vision, biosynthetic textiles are part of the transition towards a biobased economy.

50 years of oil remaining 

  • Based on BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy 2016, there are about 115 years of coal production, and roughly 50 years of both oil and natural gas remaining.
  • Whilst many worry about the possibility of fossil fuels running out, the CICERO predict that we will have to leave between 65 to 80% of current known reserves untouched if we are to stand a chance of keeping average global temperature rise below the 2 degrees global target.
  • [Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford]

Keeping global warming under 2℃, striving for 1.5℃ 

  • At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in 2015 (COP21), 195 countries adopted the first ever universal and legally binding global climate deal.
  • Over 100 companies from more than 20 countries have made a notable commitment to implement actions on responsible policy engagement in their company.
  • [Paris COP21]

Biobased products represent €57billion in revenue 

  • An assessment carried out by the European Commission indicated that biobased products and biofuels represent approximately €57 billion in annual revenue and involve 300,000 jobs.
  • According to forecasts, the biobased share of all chemical sales will rise to 22% by 2020, with a compounded annual growth rate of close to 20%.
  • [European Commission]

45 countries have developed national policy strategies 

  • A 2015 study commissioned by the German Bioeconomy Council identified that, in total, 45 countries have developed national policy strategies with significant impact on bioeconomy development.
  • [German Bioeconomy Council]

 

More Sustainable Options

Choose biosynthetics that: 

  • Come from sustainably harvested, non GMO feedstock.  
  • Break down easily in a home compost bin.  

Examples

Biosynthetics include:  

 

Standards & Certifications  

There are standards and certification for bioplastics, mostly related to compost ability.  

Read “Certification of bioplastics” from the Central Europe Program and the European Regional Development Fund (though it is Europe-focused).  

USDA Cerified BioPreferred® Products | As consumers consider purchasing options with sustainable attributes, USDA wants to make it easy for consumers to identify biobased products. The USDA Certified Biobased Product label, displayed on a product certified by USDA, is designed to provide useful information to consumers about the biobased content of the product. A business with a biobased product that meets USDA criteria may apply for certification, allowing them to display the USDA Certified Biobased Product label on the product. This label assures a consumer that the product contains a verified amount of renewable biological ingredients (referred to as biobased content). Consumers can trust the label to mean what it says because manufacturer’s claims concerning the biobased content are third-party certified and strictly monitored by USDA. 

Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) | BPI was formed as a nonprofit in 1999 with the mission to promote the production, use and appropriate end of lives for materials and products that are designed to fully biodegrade in specific biologically active environments, such as industrial composting. Their goal is to create scalable diversion of organic waste to composting, by verifying that products and packaging will successfully break down in professionally managed composting facilities, without harming the quality of that compost. 

Cedar Grove Composting Logo | Cedar Grove and members of the Compost Manufacturing Alliance (CMA) work to support these programs while maintaining a high standard of compost quality across 20 composting facilities throughout the U.S. To accomplish higher food waste diversion and minimize contamination in urban feed stocks, CMA and its affiliated partners provide a program of technical review and field testing of compostable products to determine their true feasibility as food related feed stock when shipped to fully permitted industrial composting facilities. 

Items submitted for CMA field testing include bags, utensils, plates, bowls, clamshells, wraps and more. As new products are developed to meet growing market demands, CMA provides the expertise to determine how well the products will break down in modern, large scale compost manufacturing technologies.

 

Organizations & Working Groups

Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance (BFA) | The BFA seeks to help guide the responsible selection of feedstocks for biobased plastics in order to encourage a more sustainable flow of materials, helping to create lasting value for present and future generations. 

 

Suggested Reading 

Articles & Blogs  

“The Truth About Bioplastics” By Renee Cho, Dec. 13, 2017, State of the Planet Blog, Colombia University 

“The problem with bioplastics” By Katherine Martinko, November 27, 2017, Tree Hugger 

“Biodegradable plastic ‘false solution’ for ocean waste problem: UN’s top environmental scientist warns bottles and bags do not break down easily and sink, as report highlights the ubiquity of plastic debris in oceans” By Adam Vaughan, May 23 2016, The Guardian 

“Bioplastics and biodegradable plastics” By Chris Woodford, June 2018, Explain That Stuff! 

 

Reports & Studies 

“Biodegradable Plastics and Marine Litter: Misconceptions, concerns and impacts on marine environments” By United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 2015 

“Greenhouse gas mitigation for U.S. plastics production: energy first, feedstocks later” By Daniel Posen, Paulina Jaramillo, Amy E Landis and W Michael Griffin, 16 March 2017, Environmental Research Letters, IOP Publishing Ltd 

“Land use mediated GHG emissions and spillovers from increased consumption of bioplastics” By Neus Escobar, Salwa Haddad, Jan Börner, and Wolfgang Britz1 

“Sustainability Metrics: Life Cycle Assessment and Green Design in Polymers” By Michaelangelo D. Tabone, James J. Cregg, Eric J. Beckman, and Amy E. Landis, 2010, Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation, Department of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261 

“Benefits and challenges of bio- and oxy-degradable plastics. A comparative literature study.” By Deconinck, S. and De Wilde, B., 2013, Study DSL-1, on behalf of Plastics Europe AISBL

More Examples 

“Far Eastern New Century (FENC) Corp. Announced The World’s First 100% Bio-Polyester Shirts” 

Subscribe

Keep up-to-date with all the latest news from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.