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Bioplastics

According to European Bioplastics bioplastics are biobased, biodegradable or both. The term
biobased describes the part of a material or product that stems from biomass. When making a
biobased claim, the unit (biobased carbon content or biobased mass content), a percentage,
and the method of measurement should be clearly stated.

Growing demand for more sustainable solutions is reflected in growing production capacities of
bioplastics: in 2012 production capacities amounted to approximately 1.4 million tonnes. Market
data of European Bioplastics forecasts production capacities will multiply by 2017 to more than 6
million tonnes.

Plastic products are omnipresent in our society and will remain indispensable in the future.
They make our life safer and more pleasant. The chemical and plastics industries are
permanently adapting the profile of their crude oil based products to up to date and future
utilisation criteria. Many positive initiatives supporting sustainability are also evident, such as
extending shelf life and reducing material consumption.
Bioplastics volumes in the market are growing
The total polymer consumption of Western Europe is about 50 million tonnes per year.
According to the University of Utrecht, bioplastics could technically substitute approximately
42 million tonnes of this consumption. Technically, biobased plastics could potentially be a
substitute for around 85 percent of polymers
1
. Nevertheless, there simply is not yet enough
volume produced to make this a short or medium term possibility. The production of
bioplastics is projected to increase from around 1.5 million tonnes (2012) currently to over 6
million tonnes in 2017.
However, growing volumes of biobased, non-biodegradable plastics, so called drop-in
solutions (e.g. PE, PET or soon PVC and PP), as well as new polymers that are biodegradable
(e.g. starch-based materials) already provide ample opportunities for converters,
brandowners, retail and consumers.
Bioplastics are rightly regarded as a family of materials that offers multiple perspectives to
both industry and society.
Benefits of bioplastics
Biobased plastics reduce the dependency on limited fossil resources and substitute them with
(annually) re-growing feedstock such as corn or sugar cane.
The use of renewable resources helps to reduce GHG emissions and at the end of a products
life cycle, renewable energy can be recovered when recycling is no longer an option.
Taking all this into account, one of the major benefits of biobased plastics is to close the
loop. Use cascades would firstly use biomass for material creation and then for creating
energy. Ideally a product is biobased, recycled, and then the energy is recovered at the end of
the product life cycle. This means using resources as efficiently as (currently) possible.
Political support for a reliable framework
It is essential for the further development of the market that products are marketed profitably
even at this early stage. A secure investment framework and support from policy-makers
would foster the framework needed to nurture this pillar of a future sustainable society.

New bioplastic materials, compounds and master batches are being created daily and an
increasing number of production facilities are coming on-stream.
The factors driving market development are both internal and external. External factors
make bioplastics the attractive choice. This is reflected in the high rate of consumer
acceptance. Moreover, the extensively publicised effects of climate change, price increases of
fossil materials, and the increasing dependence on fossil resources also contribute to
bioplastics being viewed favourably.
From an internal perspective, bioplastics are efficient and technologically mature materials.
They are able to improve the balance between the environmental benefits and the
environmental impact of plastics. Life cycle analyses demonstrate that bioplastics can
significantly reduce CO
2
emissions compared to conventional plastics (depending on the
material and application). What is more, the increasing utilisation of biomass in bioplastic
applications has two clear advantages: renewability and availability.

1
EuBP market data: Documentation of survey methodology & more bioplastic statistics
here.

Production capacity
The global production capacity for bioplastics amounted to over 1.5 million tonnes in 2012.
Following the technical trial facilities at the beginning of the 1990s and the subsequent
upscaling phase, industrial-scale capacity has now been achieved. As more facilities go on-
stream, production of bioplastics is projected to increase to over 6 million tonnes by the year
2017.
By far the strongest growth will be in the biobased, non-biodegradable bioplastics group.
Especially the so-called drop-in solutions, i.e. biobased versions of bulk plastics like PE and
PET, that merely differ from their conventional counterparts in terms of their renewable raw
material base, are building up large capacities. Leading the field is partially biobased PET,
which was accounting for approximately 40 percent of the global bioplastics production
capacity in 2012. This bioplastic will continue to extend its lead to approximately 6.2 million
tonnes by 2012. That would then correspond to 60 percent of the total bioplastics production
capacity.
But also biodegradable plastics are demonstrating impressive growth rates. Their production
capacity will increase by two-thirds by 2017. Leading contributors to this growth will be PLA
and PHA.


Land use
In 2012, the global production capacities of bioplastics amounted to over 1.4 million tonnes.
This translates to approximately 400,000 hectares of land.
Consequently, the surface required to grow sufficient feedstock for todays bioplastic
production is less than 0.01 percent of the global agricultural area of 5 billion hectares
1
.
Metaphorically speaking, this ratio correlates to the size of an average cherry tomato next to
the Eiffel Tower.
Assuming continued high and maybe even politically supported growth in the bioplastics
market based on the current stage of technological development, a market of up to more than
6 million tonnes could be achieved by the year 2017, accounting for about 1.2 million
hectares, or around 0.02 percent of the global agricultural area.
It is not yet clear to what extent an increased share of food residues, non-food crops or
cellulosic biomass will lead to a smaller land use demand for bioplastics than the predicted
amount mentioned above.


Bioplastics provide new and forward-looking solutions for the plastics industry as they can
potentially be applied in all market segments where plastics are used. Some bioplastic materials
even offer new end of life options such as biodegradability that can benefit certain products.

http://en.european-bioplastics.org/press/faq-bioplastics/#define cited on 5/09/2014, 11.00pm


PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate) Market Forecasts to 2018
June 18, 2014
RnRMarketResearch.com adds report PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate) Market, By Application
(Packaging, Food Services, Bio-medical, Agriculture) & Raw Material Global Tends &
Forecasts to 2018 to its store.
PHA market consumption will grow from an estimated 10,000 MT in 2013 to 34,000 MT by
2018, with a CAGR of 27.7% from 2013 to 2018.
Companies mentioned in this report PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate) Market, By Application
(Packaging, Food Services, Bio-medical, Agriculture) & Raw Material Global Tends &
Forecasts to 2018:-
Biomatera
Biomer
Bio-On SRL
Kaneka Corporation
Meredian Inc.
Metabolix Inc.
Newlight Technologies, LLC
PHB Industrial S.A.
Polyferm Canada Inc.
Shenzhen Ecomann Biotechnology Co. Ltd
Tianan Biologic Materials Co. Ltd
Tianjin Greenbio Materials Co. Ltd
Complete report available @ .
Rising demand of biodegradable materials, positive attitude of governments towards green
procurement policies, and rising oil prices are attracting companies to invest in PHA
(Polyhydroxyalkanoate) market. Many large companies such as Meredian (U.S.), Ecomann
(China), and Bio-on (Italy) are focusing on increasing production capacities.
Large number of companies, particularly small and middle-sized ones, initiated the
experimental and industrialized manufacturing of all types of PHAs. PHA can be produced
using various renewable raw materials. Currently, majority of PHA is produced using plant
sugar, which can be easily obtained from sugarcane, corn sugar, and sugar beet, making it an
ideal raw material for PHA. Considerable amount of PHA is also produced using plant or
vegetable oils such as soybean oil, palm oil, and corn oil. Waste lipids and milk whey are the
other raw materials at experimental stage and can be commercialized soon.
Although the existing PHA plant capacities are underutilized at present, the companies are
still planning for further capacity expansions. Analyzing the wide range of possible
applications and upcoming trends of biodegradable plastics, companies are expecting
significant growth in PHA demand in the near future. Currently, high prices and performance
issues are the two major restraints for PHA market. Generally, the cost of production of
biodegradable plastics such as PHA is 20% to 80% higher than the conventional plastics.
This is primarily due to the high polymerization cost of biodegradable plastics as most of the
processes are still in the developmental stage. PHA is at its initial stage of technology cycle
and not yet achieved economies of scale. The market is at a stage where there is high capacity
but low consumption. Most of the players are into research and development for increasing
the performance of their produced PHA.
Inquire Before Buying @ .
In future, with increase in production, the prices will come down. Companies trying to
produce PHA in near future are opting for increasing the performance of their products
through investments in R&D. This is to ensure that the new products developed are more
distinguished and revolutionary in terms of features than the ones already available. Lower
prices and improved performance of PHA will boost its demand in future.
The report studies PHA market in all major regions namely North America, Europe, Asia-
Pacific, and Rest of the World (Latin America and Middle East & Africa). PHA applications
such as packaging, food services, bio-medical, agriculture, and others have been identified
and analyzed. The report segments the global as well as all regional markets by applications.
The report also details and estimates the shares of various sources of production of PHA.
This report analyzes various marketing trends and establishes the most effective growth
strategy in the market. It identifies market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, opportunities,
burning issues, and winning imperatives. Major companies such as Metabolix Inc. (U.S.),
Meredian Inc. (U.S.), Biomer (Germany), Tianjin GreenBio Materials Co. Ltd (China),
Shenzhen Ecomann Technology Co. Ltd (China), etc. have also been profiled in this report.
For this report, various secondary sources such as bioplastics and chemical magazines,
encyclopedia, directories, technical handbooks, company annual reports, industry association
publications, articles, trade websites, and databases have been referred to identify and collect
information useful for this extensive commercial study. The primary sources experts from
related industries and suppliers -; have been interviewed to obtain and verify critical
information as well as to assess the future prospects and market estimations.
https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140618112458-322175670-pha-
polyhydroxyalkanoate-market-forecasts-to-2018

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