The annual production capacity in the bioplastics market is expected to increase from about 1.4 million tonnes in 2012 to almost 6.2 million tonnes in 2017, finds a study conducted by European Bioplastics, in collaboration with the Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hannover in Germany.
However, the actual land for sourcing renewable feedstock for bioplastics will be about 0.02% of the global agricultural area.
Biobased, non-biodegradable bioplastics segment is expected to record the strongest gain with about 60% rise in production capacity by 2017. This gain will be observed especially in biobased versions of bulk plastics like PE and PET1 category and biodegradable plastics.
The packaging market will remain the leading sector for bioplastics applications with the bioplastics industry providing a multitude of effective applications such as new solutions which lessen dependency on fossil feedstock, minimise carbon footprint of packaging, and offer additional recovery and recycling options.
Apart from packaging, consumer electronics, automotive, and the fibre market too are gaining strength.
The study also finds Europe and North America to be important sales market and interesting locations for carrying out research and development although establishment of new production capacities is favoured in South America and Asia.
In this regard, Chairman of the Board of European Bioplastics Franois de Bie comments, "In order to stay competitive along the complete bioplastics value chain, Europe needs to step up its game. We call upon the European Commission to establish a level-playing field for the biobased industries in Europe and a clear cut policy framework for promising markets such as bioplastics Bi".
