Growth Rate of Bioplastics Higher than Overall Plastics Market Growth
nova-Institute reports that the for the first time, the growth rate of biobased polymers exceeds that of the overall plastics market growth.
A new market and trend report from German-based researcher nova-Institute characterizes the year 2020 as very promising for biobased polymers. Sold-out PLA in 2019 led to the installation of increased capacities, PE and PP made from biobased naphtha are breaking ground, and future expansion for biobased polyamides/nylons as well as for PBAT, PHAs and casein polymers is on the horizon. A lower production was only observed for biobased PET.
“Bio-based Building Blocks and Polymers – Global Capacities, Production and Trends 2020–2025” from the international nova biopolymer expert group shows capacities and production data for all biobased polymers in the year 2020 and a forecast for 2025.
Several global brands are already expanding their feedstock portfolio to include, next to fossil-based, sources of renewable carbon, CO2, recycling and especially biomass, increasing the demand for biobased as well as biodegradable polymers. Nevertheless, at the same time, there is a lack of support from politics, which still only promotes biofuels and bioenergy.
In 2020, the total production volume of biobased polymers was 4.2 million tonnes, which is 1 % of the total production volume of fossil-based polymers. For the first time in many years, the CAGR of 8% is significantly higher than the 3-4% of the overall growth of polymers, and this is expected to continue until 2025.
Overall, the global land requirement for bio-based polymers is only 0.006 % of the global agricultural land. The major biomass feedstock used for bio-based polymer production is glycerol as a biogenic by-product (37 %).
In the annually updated market report for the year 2020, a total of 17 biobased building blocks and 17 polymers are described, in addition to comprehensive information on the capacity development from 2020 to 2025 and production data for 2020 per bio-based polymer. Furthermore, the issue includes analyses of market developments and producers per building block and polymer, so that readers can quickly gain a comprehensive overview of current developments that goes far beyond capacity and production figures. As an additional bonus the report provides a detailed, comprehensive expert view on biobased naphtha. Finally, the deep insight into manufacturing companies introduced in 2018 has been comprehensively updated and now shows 174 detailed company profiles – from startups to multinational corporations.
It is interesting to note that the increase in production capacity from 2019 to 2020 is mainly based on the expansion of PLA and PBAT production in Asia and the worldwide epoxy resin production. Also, increased and new production capacities for polybutylene succinate and copolymers (PBS(X)) and biobased PE and polyurethanes were reported in 2020. Especially polyamides/nylons and PP will continue to grow significantly (about 36 %) until 2025. While capacities for PHA will grow in Asia and North America, casein polymers in Europe will increase by 32 % until 2025, followed by increases in PE in South America and Europe, PLA mainly in Europe and PBAT in Asia with about 8%.
The data published annually by European Bioplastics (http://www.european-bioplastics.org/market) are taken from the market report written by biopolymer expert group of the nova-Institute, but with a smaller selection of biobased polymers. The corresponding authors are from Asia, Europe and North America.
Related Content
100% Cellulose Film Resin Adopted by Restaurant Chain for Take-Out Packaging
Woodly and film converter Amerplast have applied the novel material to commercialization of heat-sealed sandwich bags.
Read MoreHow to Optimize Your Molds and Hot Runners for Processing Bioresins
Demand for bioresins is growing in molded goods, particularly as a sustainability play to replace fossil-fuel based materials, but these materials are not a drop-in replacement for traditional materials. Molds and hot runners need to be optimized for these materials.
Read MoreWhy (and What) You Need to Dry
Other than polyolefins, almost every other polymer exhibits some level of polarity and therefore can absorb a certain amount of moisture from the atmosphere. Here’s a look at some of these materials, and what needs to be done to dry them.
Read MoreResins & Additives for Sustainability in Vehicles, Electronics, Packaging & Medical
Material suppliers have been stepping up with resins and additives for the ‘circular economy,’ ranging from mechanically or chemically recycled to biobased content.
Read MoreRead Next
People 4.0 – How to Get Buy-In from Your Staff for Industry 4.0 Systems
Implementing a production monitoring system as the foundation of a ‘smart factory’ is about integrating people with new technology as much as it is about integrating machines and computers. Here are tips from a company that has gone through the process.
Read MoreProcessor Turns to AI to Help Keep Machines Humming
At captive processor McConkey, a new generation of artificial intelligence models, highlighted by ChatGPT, is helping it wade through the shortage of skilled labor and keep its production lines churning out good parts.
Read MoreLead the Conversation, Change the Conversation
Coverage of single-use plastics can be both misleading and demoralizing. Here are 10 tips for changing the perception of the plastics industry at your company and in your community.
Read More