Bioplastics may be renewable, biodegradable and sometimes both. But despite their eco-appeal, they currently represent only 1% of global plastics revenues. Yet as dozens of start-ups are entering the market along with large chemical companies such as Dow Chemical, Bayer, and BASF and even agricultural players like Cargill, we expect today’s $1 billion biopolymer market to see double-digit growth in the coming years.
Even so, before they see widespread adoption, biopolymers must be both as effective and economical as conventional plastics.
In our recent report, “Growing Tomorrow’s Green Materials,” (client registration required) we assessed emerging green materials, and scored them on three dimensions: their performance characteristics, economic competitiveness and ecological profile. Taken from that report, this week’s graphic shows biopolymers under-perform their conventional counterparts on every dimension except the ecological.
Granted, performance and cost may be secondary considerations in some applications, such as toothbrush handles, packaging and printer cartridges where traditionally used plastics materials are arguably over-engineered for the job. But in order to compete on a scale with conventional materials, biopolymers will first need to deliver comparatively higher – or at least unique performance attributes and lower costs than their conventional counterparts.
