Explore bioplastics.

Bioplastics are plastics or polymers and are considered to be an alternative to “regular” plastics. Bioplastics are different to “regular” plastics when it comes to “sourcing” and / or “end-of-life options”.

• Carbon sourcing : You need carbon (C) atoms to make plastics. Historically, “regular” plastics have been made with carbon from “fossil” origin (crude oil, gas). When bioplastics are an alternative to this type of “fossil carbon” plastics, they are referred to as bio-based, bio-sourced, bio-equivalent or bio-similar plastics. These alternative carbon sources are from vegetal, biologic and animal origins. For instance, slaughterhouses residues can be used to make bioplastics.

• End-of-life option: What happens to the plastics after it has fulfilled its use? In other words: what happens to the plastic waste? The most preferred or traditional end-of-life option for plastics is “recycling” (recyclable plastics). When bioplastics are an alternative to this type of “recyclable” plastics, they are referred to as biodegradable, compostable and bio-recyclable plastics.