JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #71 - March 2012 - 28

bioplastics

Global bioplastics demand forecasts
The Freedonia Group recently released a study entitled “World Bioplastics - Industry Study with Forecasts for 2015 & 2020”. According to this study, the world demand should more than triple by 2015. Gains will be fuelled by consumer preferences for environmentallysustainable materials, improved performance of bioplastic resins, and the introduction of biobased commodity plastics.
Starch-based resins, PLA to pace biodegradables

he global demand for biodegradable and biobased plastics will more than triple to over one million metric tons in 2015, valued at $2.9 billion.

Rising demand
Gains will be fuelled by a number of factors, including consumer preferences for environmentally-sustainable materials, improved performance of bioplastic resins relative to traditional plastics, and the introduction of commodity plastics produced from bio-based sources. Ultimately, however, price considerations will be the primary determinant of bioplastic market success, and it is expected that rising petroleum costs will allow some bioplastic resins to match conventional plastics in price by the end of the decade.

Biodegradable plastics accounted for 90% of the world bioplastics market in 2010. Excellent growth is forecast for the two leading biodegradable plastics, starch-based resins and polylactic acid (PLA), both of which will more than double in demand through 2015. More rapid growth is expected for PLA, which will benefit from advancements in polymer compounding technology, as well as its relatively low cost compared to other bioplastics. The fastest gains for biodegradable plastics, however, will be seen for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) resins, which are just entering the commercial market.

2015 and beyond. Gains will be fuelled by the availability of commercial quantities of bio-based polyethylene from Braskem’s 200,000-metric-tonper-year plant in Brazil, which opened in late 2010. Two other bio-based polyethylene plants – as well as a bio-based polypropylene facility – are also in the planning stages and are expected to open around 2015. Additionally, industrial production of fully bio-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is forecast to become a reality by the end of the decade. As a result, demand for nonbiodegradable bioplastics will rise from 30,000 metric tons in 2010 to 1.3 million metric tons in 2020.

in 2010. However, more rapid advances through 2015 will be seen for the Asia/Pacific region, driven by robust growth in Japan and China. Bioplastics demand in other world regions will rise at a tremendous pace from a relatively small 2010 base, led by Central and South Ame-based polyethylene (see Figure 1).

Application markets
Bioplastics markets can be loosely placed into two categories: packaging and nonpackaging applications. Packaging markets for bioplastics include packaging film, containers, loose-fill materials, and other moulded packaging products such as caps, lids and trays. Nonpackaging uses for bioplastics include bags, foodservice disposables, automotive parts, electronics, agricultural films and others. Nonpackaging

Asia/Pacific region to see fastest growth in demand
Western Europe was the leading consumer of bioplastics

Non-biodegradable bio-based resins to lead gains
Despite the strong advances for biodegradables, non-biodegradable bio-based resins will be the primary driver of bioplastics demand through

Fig.1: World bioplastics demand, 2015 (1.03 million metric tons)

28 jec composites magazine / No71 March 2012

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #71 - March 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #71 - March 2012