Green Growth: Ceresana Publishes New Report on the World Market for Bioplastics

Films made of potato starch, fibers made of lactic acid, disposable tableware made of sugar cane: revenues of more than USD 2.6 billion were generated with 'green' plastics in 2015. The market research institute Ceresana analyzed the global market for bioplastics already for the fourth time. According to the new study, these materials account for considerably higher growth rates than traditional petrochemical standard plastics. Facing the rising demand and the increasingly growing range of applications for bioplastics, analysts expect the trend to become even more significant in the future.

Biobased or biodegradable?

Different kinds of materials belong to the group of bioplastics: on the one hand, biodegradable plastics, and on the other hand, plastics that are made from renewable resources. Compostable plastics can also be manufactured from fossil raw materials. However, biobased plastics are not always biodegradable. This market is dominated by counterparts of fossil products with similar characteristics, such as bio-PET and bio-polyethylene based on sugar cane. While biodegradable plastics account for the smaller part of total demand for bioplastics with 42%, their demand is characterized by a very dynamic growth of over 11% per year.

Positive Image

The utilization of biobased materials creates a positive image and reduces CO2 emissions and environmental impact at the same time. Protection of the environment and of resources is increasingly often a decisive sales argument for producers. The market report by Ceresana analyzes the development of the application of bioplastics on the several sales market, that is, in the segments packaging, loose fill materials, automotive and electronics, and other applications. The most important sales sector for bioplastics is the packaging industry - from bottles to films up to bags and sacks.

Bans on Competitors

Bioplastics are increasingly often able to keep up with standard plastics because of entirely economic reasons. Especially for fresh products and perishable foodstuffs, alternative packaging is profitable: Fruit and vegetables remain fresh for a longer time due to the higher degree of breathability of biodegradable plastics. This characteristic is also an advantage in the production of hygiene films. Especially in the segment packaging, state regulations support the global demand for bioplastics. For instance, non-biodegradable plastic bags have already been forbidden in Italy, China, France, and a range of other countries.

The Study in Brief:

Chapter 1 provides a description and analysis of the global market for bioplastics - including forecasts up to 2023: Demand and production for each plastic type as well as revenues are given for the regions Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World.
Chapter 2 examines the 7 largest countries of the market in more detail. Data on demand for and revenues generated with bioplastics as well as current and future production capacities are provided. Demand for bioplastics is analyzed in detail, split by the applications packaging and films, bottles, loose fill materials, bags and sacks, automotive and electronics, and other applications. Furthermore, this chapter includes an analysis of demand split by types of plastics.
Chapter 3 analyzes the different types of application areas of bioplastics in detail: This part provides data on development in Europe (Western and Eastern Europe), North America, Asia-Pacific, and the rest of the world.
In chapter 4, demand and production of individual types of bioplastics are analyzed. Products covered include polylactic acid (PLA), starch-based bioplastics, other biodegradable plastics, bio-PE, bio-PET, and other non-biodegradable bioplastics.
Chapter 5 is a useful directory of producers of bioplastics, clearly arranged according to contact details, turnover, profit, product range, production sites, profile summary, product-specific information as well as existing and future capacities at individual production sites. In-depth profiles of 90 producers are given.

Further information: www.ceresana.com/en/market-studies/plastics/bioplastics/

 

About Ceresana
Ceresana is an internationally leading market research and consulting company for the industry. For more than 10 years, Ceresana has been supplying several thousand customers from 60 countries with up-to-date market intelligence. Extensive market knowledge creates new prospects for strategic and operational decisions. Ceresana's clients profit from implementation-oriented consulting services, tailor-made single-client studies and more than 100 independent multi-client market studies. Ceresana's analysts are experts on the following markets: chemicals, plastics, industrial goods, and packaging.
Learn more about Ceresana at www.ceresana.com/en