SPI Bioplastics Report

The culmination of the first #BioplasticsWeek that SPI, the US plastics industry trade association based in Washington D.C., launched this year led to its release of its Bioplastics Report under its Plastics Market Watch Series, which focuses on key end markets for the plastics industry.

Members of SPI’s Bioplastics division came together in 2007 with education and outreach as the primary goals of their activities.  Despite the fact that bioplastics have been around and widely used since the 1950s, there is still confusion and misunderstanding about bioplastics: from their origins and feedstocks to end-of-life disposal, biodegradability and product performance.

According to SPI’s national poll conducted in May 2016:

• Only 27 percent were somewhat or very familiar with bioplastics—34 percent were
  not familiar at all with bioplastics.

• After learning about bioplastics, 50 percent of those surveyed indicated they would
  consider purchasing a product if it “was a little bit more expensive” because it was
  made with bioplastics.

• 86 percent had not seen or were unsure if they had seen the USDA Certified
  Biobased Product seal.

• More than half, 57 percent, indicated they would probably or definitely be more likely
  to consider purchasing a plastic product with the USDA seal.

The blog reposted SPI’s another report on bioplastics early this year on this link.

This new report below is more analysis of the bioplastics industry, looking at various feedstock uses, hurdles and success stories, policy landscapes and case studies of several bioplastic products.

If you want the itty, bitty, gritty details of the markets for various biopolymers and their intermediates, you might want to pre-order the incoming “Bio-based Building Blocks and Polymers in the World” report from Nova Institut, which will be published in January 2017.