Plastics : Bioplastics, their advantages and drawbacks

Bioplastics are plastics made from plant-based or biological sources instead of petroleum.
Bioplastics come from corn, sugarcane, potatoes, ...
They look and feel exactly like regular plastic but their origin is completely different.

Types of bioplastics:

There are two main categories:

Biodegradable bioplastics:

• Break down naturally in the environment over time
• Return to the soil without leaving harmful residues

Biobased but non-biodegradable plastics:

• They are made from plants but behave exactly like regular plastic
• They don't break down very fast
• Not all bioplastics are biodegradable

Where bioplastics are useful:

• Food packaging,
• Agricultural films which are plastic sheets used to cover soil or crops to control temperature, moisture, and pests
• Medical devices
• Single-use items where biodegradability matters

Example : 

Countries like Italy have already mandated bioplastics for produce bags in supermarkets.

Major drawbacks:

• The cost remains significantly higher than petroleum plastics
• Manufacturing infrastructure is still limited compared to conventional plastic production.
• They often require specific industrial composting conditions to break down

Conclusion:

• Bioplastics currently represent roughly 1-2% of global plastic production. 
• The land required to grow enough crops for mass-scale replacement raises some issues
• Dedicating land for food versus packaging becomes a real problem