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What is the deal with bioplastics?
“Yes, corn-based packaging is better than petroleum-based packaging for absolutely necessary plastics that aren’t already successfully recycled, and for packaging that cannot be made of paper,” he says. “But it’s not as good as asking, ‘Why are we using so many containers?’ My worry is that PLA legitimizes single-serving, over-packaged products.” –Martin Bourque, executive director of the Berkeley Ecology Center (smithsonianmag.com)
Bioplastic packing material, photo by Christian Gahle, nova-Institut GmbH (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
Bioplastics are substances and products that mimic petroleum-based plastic, but are made from plant sources or biomass, such as cornstarch or vegetable oil. Some are biodegradable while others are not. But are bioplastics a good alternative to traditional plastics? What advantages do they have over fossil fuel-based goods like ordinary plastic containers and cutlery? After hearing both good and bad things concerning bioplastic as well as ‘biodegradable plastic’ I decided to look more deeply into the budding bioplastics industry to find out.
First of all, bioplastics and biodegradable plastics are not always the same thing. Some bioplastics – plastics from plant sources – are biodegradable while others are not. Likewise some biodegradable plastics are made from plant sources while others are petroleum-based, but contain additives or bioactive compounds, which allow them to be broken down. Confusing?
What’s more confusing is that all plastics – both bio and petro – are biodegradable in the strictest sense of the word. Yet most conventional plastics are considered non-biodegradable because it takes so long for them to break down: hundreds, in some cases thousands, of years. On the other hand, PLA is a bioplastic made from sugar cane or cornstarch and is considered biodegradable, yet it is not known if PLA will in fact break down any quicker than those ubiquitous PET bottles that litter the landscape. A 2006 article from Smithsonian Magazine states that PLA in landfills could take from 100 to 1000 years to biodegrade. The difference is that the biodegradable bioplastics – as opposed to ‘durable plastics’ – can biodegrade in industrial composting units in around 90 days. So in reality, most biodegradable bioplastics are only biodegradable if you have access to one of these composting units. Even then, large amounts of bioplastic are more problematic to compost when compared to conventional organic waste. To further complicate matters, if bioplastics are thrown in with recyclables, they do not mix and can cause problems for recycling plants.
Two examples of non-biodegradable bioplastics: Polymide 11 (PA 11) is a natural oil derived plastic, but isn’t biodegradable, nor is bio-derived polyethylene, which can be recycled and produces considerably less emissions than traditional polyethylene. Bio-derived polyethylene is made in much the same way as ethanol from sugar cane or corn.
PLA shopping bag, photo by F. Kesselring, FKuR Willich (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
Some of the advantages of bioplastic over common petro-plastic are quite cut and dry:
- Independence – Bioplastic is made from renewable resources: corn, sugarcane, switchgrass, soy and other plant sources as opposed to common plastics, which are made from petroleum.
- Energy efficiency – Production uses less energy (65% less according to one source) than conventional plastics.
- Safety – According to the same source, bioplastic also generates 68% fewer greenhouse gasses and contains no toxins.
But the disadvantages lessen the green glow around any possible bioplastic revolution:
Difficult to compost – Only a few bioplastics can be composted at home, while most need industrial composting machines, which are relatively few and far between.
Contributes to deforestation – Depending on how it is sourced, bioplastic may have a pretty large carbon footprint.
Methane emissions – Bioplastic in landfills – where most of it ends up – releases methane, a harmful greenhouse gas.
CO2 – Current production methods of bioplastics use considerable amounts of petroleum, though they may result in fewer emissions than the making of normal plastic. This depends on how and where they are produced. See this article about biofuels.
Bioplastic packaging, photo by Christian Gahle, nova-Institut GmbH (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
It melts – PLA cannot go above 114 degrees Fahrenheit or 45 degrees Celsius.
Drives up food prices – Some bioplastics use food sources and may contribute to food crises – see food vs. fuel problem. They are also produces via monocrop farming practices and sometimes sourced from genetically modified crops.
These ‘disadvantages’ do not pit bioplastics against conventional plastics. Bioplastics are indeed potentially less harmful than their petroleum-based counterparts, but the above points do demonstrate the problems of simply switching to bioplastic. It ignores the real problem.
It’s a problem of lifestyle!
A huge, glaring ‘elephant in the room’ is that so many of these plans to be more environmentally friendly – like replacing plastic with bioplastic – attempt to solve problems while asking as little as possible of the ordinary consumer and requiring practically no change or sacrifice. God forbid that we should alter our ultra wasteful, convenience-based lives to save the planet – or rather, ourselves. And, honestly, using less plastic packaging (a lot less) wouldn’t be that big of a deal. We lived perfectly well without billions of disposable plastic bags and containers before, so why can’t we again? They haven’t even been around for that long and it wasn’t us that asked for them in the first place; they were basically forced on the market for whatever reason. And so they should be similarly taken away. After all, our lives are changing all the time and at a faster rate than ever before. We don’t need to replace plastic bags and sushi containers with bioplastics or biodegradable plastics that need CO2-releasing high-temperature industrial composting machines just to break them down. Just get rid of wasteful packaging altogether.
By Graham Land
Additional resources:
Corn Plastic to the Rescue – smithsonianmag.com
‘Sustainable’ bio-plastic can damage the environment
Bioplastic wiki
Biodegradable plastic wiki
Advantages and Disadvantages of Bioplastics
Metabolix grows bioplastics in switchgrass
Tags: biodegradable, biodegradable plastic, bioplastic, compost, composting, petroleum, plastic
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I have been thinking about this for so long, like for example, instead of styrofoam, I hope they could create this wafer like plates that could last for at least 5 hours without dissolving when wet…I have this business venture with a family member but we’re arguing about the packaging, I don’t want to use plastic nor foil but we can’t find other option that’s why, they hate me for delaying it… Some will feel that such principles that I stand firm is just so futile and impractical coz they say everybody’s doing it so why can’t I? This % *$#@& mind set is what making this world so chaotic…
Greenfudge.org » What is the deal with bioplastics?…
“Yes, corn-based packaging is better than petroleum-based packaging for absolutely necessary plastics that aren’t already successfully recycled, and for packaging that cannot be made of paper,” he says. “But it’s not as go…
As a foodservice packaging professional I think it is interesting to proclaim the negative environmental aspects of sustainable and compostable foodservice packaging. Green waste municipall composting has been widespread all over America for many years. The reason the post consumer foodservice waste stream has been funneled into land fill is due to the non degradable elements in the waste stream. At the point that we achieve a capturable and compostable waste stream efficiencies in disposal will lead to the inclusion of post consumer foodservice waste with green waste composting systems. The Compostable Waste stream would also qualify as a Green Energy Source by incineration or gassification. This is only the beginning of the new compostable waste stream.
The next generation of Biopolymers and pulps will be fed by varied agricultural waste materials. Technology is moving quickly to utilizing any biomass material for both fuel and packaging. Regional production used to service local needs and then processed in the most efficient manner will realize a truly sustainable model while providing products that our consumer culture will value.
Capitalism is based on the principle of self interest.
With a sustainable model self interest is wide spread.
The mistake we make when we demonize consumer actions is to claim my lifestyle is better than yours. I guess the truly pure environmental life would be spent in a cave shivering or in the sun baking. It is fine with me if you don’t want to buy what I am selling but don’t make me wrong because i want wood heat instead of shivering. We all partake of the luxurious lifestyle that is totally relative and subjective.
Freedom to make your life what you want trumps most bogus environmental alarms.
Plastic recycling is a failure.
We recycle less than 5% of the plastic we generate.
Plastic in the ocean is a catastrophe.
We need to change and biopolymers are part of that change.