A Sustainable Approach to Plastics; Bioplastics, RECENT Journal

Abstract

This article aims to analyze bioplastics at the global level and provide information about alternative bioplastics instead of traditional plastics. By examining the literature studies, the relationship of bioplastics with plastics, their environmental effects, advantages, and disadvantages are compared. Plastic wastes cause toxic effects on soils due to chemical degradation and turn into microplastics that easily enter the environment through primary and secondary sources. Accordingly, biobased and biodegradable bioplastics emerge as potential solutions. There are norms and standards with different parameters to measure biodegradability. The leading standardization organizations are ISO (International Organization for Standardization), CEN (European Committee for Standardization), and ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials). The literature indicates high degradation rates (>90%) for bioplastics in compost, soil, and seawater environments. The studies suggest that bioplastics are more advantageous than conventional plastics because of greenhouse gas emissions. On the contrary, they strongly impact the environment by acidification of soil and eutrophication. This article discusses plastic and bioplastic properties, the environmental impacts of plastics, biodegradability and compostability standards, and life cycle analysis.