🌱 Are bioplastics as “sustainable,” “bio,” and “green” as their marketing suggests?

🤔 And what are bioplastics exactly? Bioplastics are either made of renewable feedstock sources such as corn (“bio-based”) OR are biodegraded through the action of microorganisms (“biodegradable”) OR they can be both bio-based and biodegradable. 

🌏 Bio-based plastics can reduce fossil carbon usage, and biodegradable plastics can reduce visible plastic pollution. But, bioplastics are often still chemically complex materials that can impact environmental and human health. For instance, they can include hazardous, unknown, or untested chemicals that can migrate into food or the environment.

☝️ Research shows that bioplastics are not a silver bullet solution to the plastic pollution crisis. Their application requires weighing their limitations and benefits.

Our free resources help introduce this important topic and navigate the body of scientific evidence available.