BIOPLASTICS | MATERIALS
As demand for bio-based plastics continues to grow, producers are planning to bring new production facilities online – and introduce new grades – as converters develop more sustainable applications
Pushing the envelope of bio-based plastics
From small beginnings, bioplastics – which are derived from sustainable resources rather than petrochemicals – continue to capture the market. European Bioplastics (EUBP) – which represents
resin producers – says that production continues to rise. The organisation estimates that global bioplastics production capacity will increase from around 2.5 million tonnes in 2024 to more than 5.7 million tonnes in 2029. “This growth should be seen against the
backdrop of increasing consumer awareness of the environmental impact of plastics consumption,” said Hasso von Pogrell, managing director of European Bioplastics. EUBP says that bioplastic alternatives exist for many conventional plastics – such as biomass- derived PE and PP – while materials such as PLA and PHA can be used to replace conventional polymers. Packaging remains the largest market segment for bioplastics with 45% (1.12 million tonnes) of the total market in 2024.
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In its 2024 annual report, EUBP said that the bioplastics industry is producing at almost 60% capacity. Though this can vary from one polymer to another – ranging from 35% to 100% – the average utilisation rate in 2024 was 58% (1.44 million tonnes produced, from 2.47 million tonnes of production capacity).
PLA in UAE One unlikely location for this growth is the petrochemicals-rich Middle East – where Emirates Biotech has begun work on what it says will be the world’s largest PLA production facility. The plant, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will be built in two phases – each with a capacity of 80,000 tonnes/year. Construction will begin this year and the plant is expected to be operational by early 2028, using lactic acid as its feedstock – resulting in a total production capacity of 160,000 tonnes/year. Emirates Biotech will use Sulzer’s licensed PLA technology to manage all production steps from a
Main image: Production of bioplastics, made from renewable resources, will more than double by 2029
January/February 2025 | FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION 15
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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