Bioplastic. It’s a word that’s becoming much more common in our vernacular in recent years. The single-use plastics industry is constantly looking for new ways to be more sustainable, and integrating bioplastics into the industry is one of those ways. We started with recycled-content materials, but those materials will still end up in landfills at some point. We then moved on tobio-based materials, which are made completely or mostly out of renewable or biological materials. While a great step forward, bio-based materials aren’t necessarily biodegradable or compostable, and most likely will still end up sitting in landfills. Finally, we’ve reachedbioplastics, which by definition arebiodegradable, meaning they will break down to innocuous elements or materials. As bioplastics become more common in the single-use consumer products industry, it’s important for businesses to understand exactly what bioplastics are, and why they’re important.
The writtendefinition of bioplastic is a type of biodegradable plastic derived from biological substances rather than petroleum. The key word here is biodegradable. Other materials that are labeled as bio-based or other phrases are not guaranteed to be biodegradable; they only indicate that a large portion of the materials used to make the product are biologically-based. It states nothing of the product’s end-of-life. Many bioplastics also qualify ascompostable, meaning that the elements or compounds they break down into also contribute to and create a great nutrient-rich fertilizer with no ecotoxic effects and supports plant growth. This is a key difference between bioplastic products and bio-based products. This difference makes bioplastics the more planet-healthy option.
There are two bioplastics that currently dominate the industry: polylactic acids (PLAs) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). The main differentiators between these two materials are their feedstocks and their compostabilities. PLAs are made from acorn starch or sugar cane base while PHAs are from acanola oil base. On the back end, PLAs must be composted in industrial or commercial facilities under specialized conditions, while PHAs can compost just aboutanywhere on Earth (including being able to biodegrade in both the oceans and landfills in many cases). The complexity of the compost conditions for PLAs is one of the largest limiting factors for the material, as it can be difficult to find facilities that will be able to compost them. PLAs also becomebrittle over long periods of time, giving them a shorter shelf life than products made from other materials. For PHAs, thenovelty of the material is it’s greatest barrier. There is still much research to be done to scale up the industrial production of PHAs cost effectively.
Humans like convenience. We like not having to worry about our drink spilling from a sippy lid because we didn’t want a straw. Bioplastics allow us to have the convenience of astraw and lid without any of the environmental guilt associated with petroleum-based plastic products. As usage of single-use products and packaging continues to rise, we need to find ways to lessen the impact of these products on the planet. Making them from bioplastics is a start. Especially PHAs, which will break down nearly anywhere on Earth in a fairly short period of time. The single-use problem has truly been solved. The question is, are we ready and able to make the changes that we need to? Or will we let our planet and the wildlife that calls it home continue to suffer? It’s time for a change. It’s time to do the right thing. It’s time for the bioplastic future.
It’s no secret: Plastics are a major threat to our environment. The United States alone generates over 30 million tons of plastic waste each year, with only 10% of that figure being recycled. The rest is piled into landfills or left to scatter across the globe, where it can take more than 500 years to break down. Every piece of plastic made within the last century is still present somewhere on Earth—and that’s a big problem.
UrthPact produces compostable plastic rings for single-use coffee pods.
The development of biobased plastics, or bioplastics, has provided humanity with a more eco-friendly alternative for the production of packaging and single-use items. The industry is steadily growing; market experts predict global bioplastic production capacity will increase from about 2.05 million tons globally in 2017 to approximately 2.44 million tons in 2022. In theory, bioplastics could replace any disposable item made from plastic, such as cutlery, packaging, and straws.
There is currently a wide range of bioplastic types with specific end-of-life options for each variety. Some biobased plastics can be composted, while others must be recycled. Some are “biodegradable” while others break down almost as slowly as traditional plastics. Understanding which biobased material is best for your product can be confusing. So we’ve put together this guide to help you learn the basics of bioplastics.
What Are Bioplastics?
By definition, the term bioplastic can be applied to any plastic material that is primarily derived from renewable organic materials, such as corn starch. Other biomass sources include milk, tapioca, and vegetable fats. Unlike conventional plastics—which are made through the distillation and polymerization of non-renewable petroleum reserves—bioplastics present us with ecological advantages that can help reduce pollution of natural ecosystems and shrink our energy footprint.
Types of Bioplastics
When we refer to bioplastics, we’re addressing a large category of biobased polymers with a variety of unique attributes and applications. The list is always expanding as new materials are discovered. The most common bio-based plastics include:
Starch-Based Bioplastics: Simple bioplastic derived from corn starch. They are often mixed with biodegradable polyesters.
Cellulose-Based Bioplastics: Produced using cellulose esters and cellulose derivatives.
Protein-Based Bioplastics: Produced using protein sources such as wheat gluten, casein, and milk.
Aliphatic Polyesters: A collection of biobased polyesters including PHB (poly-3-hydroxybutyrate), PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates), PHV (polyhydroxyvalerate), polyhydroxyhexanoate PHH, PLA (polylactic acid), polyamide 11 (PA11). They are all more or less sensitive to hydrolytic degradation and can be mixed with other compounds.
Organic Polyethylene: Polyethylene that has been produced from the fermentation of raw agricultural materials like sugar cane and corn, rather than fossil fuels.
Are All Bioplastics Compostable?
It seems like the answer to this question should be a resounding “Yes!” After all, it would be easy to assume that anything “biobased” is inherently compostable. However, this is simply not the case.
The term biodegrade refers to the process by which microbes break down a material under suitable conditions. Technically speaking, all materials are degradable but we typically only refer to those that degrade within a relatively short period of time (less than a year) as “biodegradable”. Because of this, not all bioplastics are considered biodegradable. In fact, bioplastics fall within a few different categories based on their applicable end-of-life solution.
Degradable: All plastics, including traditional petroleum-based plastics, are technically degradable. Given the right amount of time and environmental conditions, they will break down into tiny fragments. However, the materials used to make traditional plastics will never fully return to a “natural” state and will continue to pollute the environment with chemical compounds.
Biodegradable: Unfortunately, the term biodegradable has proven to be problematic because it often lacks clear information about the process requirements and timeframe required for biodegradation. In fact, to prevent consumers from being misled, California actually banned the use of the word biodegradable for any plastics sold within the state. Bioplastics that are considered “biodegradable” can be broken down by microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae into water, carbon dioxide, methane, biomass, and inorganic compounds. For practical purposes, bioplastics that can be completely broken down within a few months are considered biodegradable. Bioplastics that biodegrade more slowly (requiring up to a few years to be broken down) are referred to as “durable.”
Compostable: Compostable bioplastics can be broken down by microorganisms into nutrient-rich biomass in as little as three months and leave behind no toxins or residue. Some compostable bioplastics require high temperatures to decompose and must be returned to commercial composting facilities, while others can be composted in home gardens. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a compostable, injection-molded bioplastic that is quickly replacing petroleum-based polymers for the production of food packaging and single-use items because it can be easily composted. PLA also produces 70% fewer greenhouse gases when it degrades in landfills. To be considered compostable, bioplastics must meet the ASTM D6400 standard for compostability.
Where Are Bioplastics Currently Being Used?
Bioplastics might sound like a new-age concept, but in fact they have existed for one hundred years, at least. The Ford Model T, for example, was produced using parts made from corn oil and soybean oil. As the problems surrounding petroleum-based plastics have become more apparent, bioplastics are more frequently used to make food containers, grocery bags, disposable cutlery, packaging, and more. PLA in particular has been used for a wide array of applications, including plastic films, bottles, medical devices, and shrink wrap. It has also been used for specialized applications in 3D printing. Many major companies—including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo., Heinz, Ford, Mercedes, and Toyota—have adopted bioplastics in their packaging materials.
How Can I Make My Products More Eco-Friendly?
At UrthPact, our goal is to help our customers produce eco-friendly products that won’t contribute to the global plastic problem. We specialize in injection-molded bioplastics, made in the USA, that can be easily composted by consumers. It is our mission to create positive contributions to an upward trend in environmentally friendly product use and waste management.
According to the EPA, the amount of waste diverted from landfills through proper composting methods has quadrupled since 1990. Producing single-use products from compostable bioplastics will bring that number even higher. For example, industrial food composting sites have to diligently screen food debris for petroleum-based plastic cutlery. Compostable cutlery would eliminate this problem. In addition, the production of compostable bioplastics requires one-third of the energy required to make petroleum-based plastics.
Compostable bioplastics have the potential to help solve the environmental issues surrounding our love of single-use plastic products. To find out more about how UrthPact can help you make the change to eco-friendly bioplastics, contact us today.
Bioplastic manufacturing is the next-generation solution for manufacturing inexpensive, durable, attractive plastic products that are more earth-friendly and environmentally-safe than traditional petrochemical-based plastics.
Bioplastic manufacturing uses renewable biomass sources such as plant-based feedstocks including corn, rice, palm fiber, potatoes, wood cellulose and other plants. Unlike bioplastic manufacturing, traditional manufacturing of conventional plastic products utilizes non-renewable petroleum and natural gas resources. Their manufacturing processes are wasteful and not very environmentally-friendly. And while most plastics can be recycled, very few are. In fact, plastic is one of the fastest growing components of the general waste stream and one of the most expensive discarded materials for municipalities to manage.
Bioplastic Manufacturing at Urthpact
Traditional injection molding processes do not work very well for bioplastic manufacturing and making compostable, plant-based bioplastics. In order to develop an efficient, cost-effective means of bioplastic manufacturing , we had to rethink everything – from raw stock processing to mold-making to finishing.
We have spent a lot of time and effort closely examining various ways to develop processes for bioplastic manufacturing and utilize plastics made from plants, not petroleum. We discovered that bioplastics such as those produced here at UrthPact share many of the same properties of traditional plastics, just none of the environmentally-unfriendly ones. Bioplastic manufacturing can provide products with the same look, feel, and functionality of conventional petroleum-based plastics, but utilizing attractive, durable bioplastic that can be composted and safely converted into soil components within as little as three months.
Here at UrthPact, we’re committed to developing next-gen bioplastic technology and materials for bioplastic manufacturing to help consumer products companies produce better plastic products in a renewable, ecological way that doesn’t harm the environment.
To find out more about how UrthPact can help you make the change to eco-friendly bioplastics, contact us today.
In honor of International Compost Awareness Week this week we’re going to focus on compostable plastic – what it is, what it can be used for, and how it can benefit the environment.
Because being “green” and “organic” are seen as positive attributes for a long list of products and services, these terms have been adopted by marketers and muddied to such an extent that it can be difficult to truly understand what really is earth-friendly. The term “compostable” falls into this category, so we’re going to help clarify things in this post.
Compostable plastic has been defined by ASTM International standards D6400 and D6868. These global standards require that for plastics to be labeled “compostable” they must biodegrade within a certain period of time and leave no toxic residue in the soil. Plastic that is compostable is a bioproduct manufactured from renewable resources such as plant-based materials.
Specifically, ASTM Standard D6400 covers plastics and products made from plastics that are designed to be composted in municipal and industrial aerobic composting facilities. This specification is intended to establish the requirements for labeling of materials and products, including packaging made from plastics, as “compostable in municipal and industrial composting facilities.”
What is Bioplastic Manufacturing?
In honor of International Compost Awareness Week this week we’re going to focus on compostable plastic – what it is, what it can be used for, and how it can benefit the environment.