Despite growing awareness of the environmental problems caused by plastics, global plastics production is still increasing, with the world forecast to produce over 600 million tonnes of plastic by 2030. Bioplastics, a class of polymers manufactured from biomass, could be a solution. Many are biodegradable and, because they are made from renewable resources, they could help ease the world's dependency on fossil-based resources. Despite these advantages, bioplastics have not yet seen widespread application due to barriers such as cost and scale. The fall in oil prices in 2014 exacerbated the situation, with bioplastics companies struggling to compete with extremely cheap petrochemically derived plastics.

 

However, the situation is beginning to change. Thanks in part to innovations in synthetic biology, these polymers are becoming more affordable to manufacture. Increasing customer awareness of the climate impact of petrochemically derived polymers as well as a global shift in demand away from plastics with a lifespan of several hundreds of years has resulted in renewed focus on this previously inaccessible area.

 

 

 

There are currently many different types of bioplastics. These range from direct substitutes for non-biodegradable fossil-based plastics, such as Coca-Cola's PlantBottle produced from partially biosourced polyethylene terephthalate (PET), to completely biodegradable plastics made through innovative production methods, such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) produced through bacterial fermentation. This report takes an in-depth look at the diverse array of bioplastics and biobased polymers, from established to nascent, providing detailed case studies of companies developing cutting edge technologies for producing bioplastics. An overview of the latest tools utilised in the field of synthetic biology is provided, with focus on CRISPR, protein and organism engineering and commercial scale fermentation. Furthermore, this report cuts through the marketing hype to offer a detailed insight into some of the foremost biobased polymer companies leading global innovation and bringing potentially disruptive products to market.

 

This report provides an overview of the technological advancements in biobased polymers to date, a comprehensive insight into the drivers and restraints affecting synthesis and production at scale for all key application areas discussed and provides case studies and SWOT analyses for the most prolific disrupters developing biobased polymers.

 

• What are bioplastics and how can they be used?

• Which bioplastics are gaining the most interest throughout the industry?

• Who are the key players developing bioplastics?

• What are the key drivers and restraints of market growth?

• How are traditional plastics being disrupted by bioplastics?

• How will bioplastic production capacity increase from 2020 to 2025?

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