The term 'bioplastics' refers to a category of plastics that are derived from renewable biological feedstocks, and that can be biodegradable, non-biodegradable, or partially biobased. These characteristics are independent of one another, as the name stems from the biological origins of their feedstock, not necessarily their end-of-life behavior. IDTechEx's report, "Bioplastics 2025-2035: Technology, Market, Players, and Forecasts" covers the drivers for their uptake, along with the chemical processes employed to produce them.
Plastic pollution and regulation
With plastic production having grown to 502 million tonnes in 2024, while being expected to continue to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 2.6%, the need for a sustainable intervention is evident. As the main drivers for plastic production globally include technological and structural change, alongside population growth, demand is not expected to decrease anytime soon.
Circularity is one of the main focuses of IDTechEx's report, which is the concept of recycling plastics back into feedstock in order to repeat the production cycle. However, even at a 100% recycling rate of current plastics, virgin plastics would still be necessary to meet growing demand. This is where biobased feedstocks could ideally replace fossil-based feedstocks to create a biological recycling cycle, and carbon neutral bioplastics. Regulation here is imperative as a result, to enforce increased company efforts to recycle, and to push for the use of compostable and biodegradable plastics.
Europe has exempted compostable plastics from its minimum recycled content targets in the EU's PPWR, and requirements for packaging to include bio-based contents have been introduced. Compostable and biodegradable plastic bags will also not be subject to the same scrutiny as regular plastic carrier bags but will still be counted within the EU's Single-Use Plastic Directive (SUPD).
Within the US, a goal to replace over 90% of plastics with recyclable plastics made from biobased feedstock was introduced in the 2023 Bold Goals for U.S. Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing. In California, it is already a requirement for all packaging to be recyclable or compostable, paving the way for change in other states with strict regulation.
Plastic pollution and biobased plastic types
Plastic pollution is a longstanding issue that comes largely from unsuitable management and a lack of resources to deal with the sheer volume of waste. While bioplastics create an opportunity for renewability within the plastic cycle, this still requires plastics to be captured and managed appropriately upon being discarded.
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a bioplastic derived primarily from renewable feedstocks such as corn starch or sugarcane. It is known for its ability to biodegrade under industrial composting conditions—typically within 30 to 60 days—provided the right temperature, humidity, and microbial activity are maintained. PLA is generally less expensive than other bioplastics such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), and it offers high feedstock-to-product conversion efficiency. However, it is not suitable for home composting and does not readily degrade in the natural environment. As a result, IDTechEx notes that PLA is best suited for applications where proper disposal infrastructure is available and the risk of environmental littering is low, since it requires industrial composting or specialized recycling facilities for effective end-of-life management.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a durable, non-biodegradable plastic widely used in applications such as beverage bottles, food packaging, and performance textiles. It is also one of the most commonly recycled plastics worldwide, supported by established collection and processing infrastructure.
Biobased PET has been developed using bio-derived monoethylene glycol (MEG), typically produced from bioethanol. However, the other monomer required for PET synthesis—terephthalic acid (TPA)—remains largely petrochemical in origin, as scalable and cost-effective biobased production routes for TPA are still under development. As a result, commercially available PET is typically only partially biobased and cannot yet be considered fully renewable. IDTechEx's report goes into further detail on the many types of biobased plastics being discovered, and how they are disrupting the use of incumbent materials.
For more information on types of bioplastics, methods of production, regulations, and the circular economy, visit "Bioplastics 2025-2035: Technology, Market, Players, and Forecasts" and the wider portfolio of Sustainability Research Reports and Subscriptions.
