Degradable Bioplastics Market - Forecasts from 2024 to 2029

The global degradable bioplastics market is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% between the period 2024 and 2029.

Degradable bioplastics are a type of biodegradable plastic made from renewable biomass sources such as plants, algae, and bacteria. Unlike typical plastics, which may remain in the environment for hundreds of years, biodegradable bioplastics degrade spontaneously over time by biological processes such as microbial decomposition or composting. Degradable bioplastics include biodegradable and oxy-degradable plastics that can bio-degrade into simpler compounds. Biodegradable bioplastics turn into water and carbon dioxide whereas oxo-degradable bioplastics break down into small plastic pieces.

Degradable bioplastic polymers can be derived from products such as cellulose, starch, collagen, casein, triglycerides, etc. Large-scale use of these would not only help in the conservation of non-renewable sources like Petroleum, natural gas, and coking coal but also would not involve any problem associated with waste disposal. Moreover, bio-degradable plastics dissolve in the presence of light and oxygen naturally.

Further, the mentioned drivers and opportunities are upsurging the market growth:

• Environmental concerns about conventional plastics, including their persistence and negative impacts on ecosystems, stimulate demand for degradable bioplastics. Plastic trash accumulates in landfills, seas, and streams, endangering wildlife and marine life, while microplastics increase environmental deterioration. Besides, conventional plastics have a significant carbon footprint as well as impact climate change. Bacardi, the world’s biggest spirits firm launched the world’s first sustainable liquor bottle in 2023, aiming at how it can fight climate change and cut excessive plastics. The new 100% biodegradable bottle was introduced and replaced 80 million of the existing plastic bottles, which amounted to 3000 tons of plastic produced by the company’s brands per year.

Algenesis Corporation, a novel material science company, and UC San Diego published the paper which is deemed crucial to combat the impending microplastic pollution crisis in 2024. This paper focused on the rapid biodegradation of microplastics generated from bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane and was published in the Scientific Reports from the Nature Group. Furthermore, the bioplastics that are derived from renewable resources and can degrade are known as biodegradable bioplastics and they can be described as an environmentally friendly product that provides the solution to the problem of plastic use and their impact on the environment. This is an imperative step towards satisfying the growing global call for sustainable solutions.

• Regulatory support for degradable bioplastics is perceived in laws aimed at reducing plastic pollution, such as single-use plastic bans and eco-friendly packaging standards. For this, the governments provide incentives like tax incentives or subsidies to the enterprises with the belief that they will embrace sustainable measures, for instance, using environmentally friendly biodegradable bioplastics. Apart from this, the other bodies include the regulatory bodies that provide guidelines and standards concerning the biodegradability and compostability of products branded as biodegradable or compostable. International agreements provide regulatory support by encouraging sustainable production and consumption habits on a global scale.
• Growing consumer demand for eco-friendly alternatives creates possibilities in the degradable bioplastics industry, as people prioritize products and packaging that promote sustainability. This trend encourages enterprises to use degradable bioplastics to match customer desires, gaining a competitive edge and stimulating industry innovation. Polymateria, a well-known scale-up situated at Imperial College London's White City Campus, has made tremendous progress in its aim to reduce global plastic waste. The firm completed a successful £20 million Series B investment round in 2023. This funding will be used to scale up the company's innovative technology that makes polymers biodegradable, solving a significant environmental concern.

GLOBAL DEGRADABLE BIOPLASTICS MARKET DRIVERS:

The growing application of degradable bioplastics in the packaging industry.

Packaging is a rising scientific and engineering subject that contributes successfully to key sectors such as pharmaceuticals, fast food, and electronics. It thus encompasses all forms of products within an economy, now making it the third largest industry in the world, after the food and energy industries.

Bio-based packaging is becoming more popular because of the growing consciousness of the utilization of plastic products and their effects on the environment. These materials are applied to produce bio-degradable kinds of common plastics because of customer concern about environmental issues, especially sustainable packaging. FlexSea, a firm founded at Imperial, invested £3 million initial round in stock and grants. The funding enables the business to commercialize a line of sustainable packaging solutions based on seaweed-derived polymers.

Furthermore, many sustainable characteristics provided by degradable bioplastics comply with the regulations and business sustainability goals including biodegradability conception and minimization of the customers’ appetite towards fossil products. Degradable bioplastics are excellent for a variety of packaging solutions such as food and beverage packaging, and beauty products packaging. To address the issue of the use of plastics, the European Commission coined the concept of biobased plastics and their regulation, labeling, and use of biodegradable and compostable plastics. This is as evidenced by the European Green Deal circular economy action plan as well as the plastics policy.

The rise in utilization of degradable bioplastics in medical and pharmaceutical industries.

Biodegradable bioplastics, such as poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), PLA, and Poly(ε-caprolactone) PCL, are employed in medical applications, including tissue engineering since they are biodegradable by fungus and bacteria in humans' bodies. Bioplastics are employed for biological purposes in human bodies. This often requires the bioplastics to be biodegradable and non-toxic.

With the growth in the medical and pharmaceutical industry, the degradable bioplastics market is also anticipated to grow. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, the overall market size of the Indian pharmaceutical industry is predicted to be US$ 130 billion by 2030 and US$ 450 billion by 2047. Additionally, the domestic pharmaceutical business is expected to reach US$ 57 billion by FY25, with an improvement in operating margins of 100-150 basis points. India has the highest number of USFDA-compliant pharmaceutical plants outside the US, with over 2,000 WHO-GMP-approved facilities serving demand from 150+ countries and 10,500+ manufacturing facilities.

In the medical and pharmaceutical domains, there has been a rising demand for biodegradable polymers due to a combination of regulatory pressure, the pursuit of greener solutions, and technological development. With increasing concerns about the reduction of environmental effects and improvement in the safety of the patients, biodegradable bioplastics present an ideal solution for a range of uses such as in medical apparatuses, drug delivery systems, and packaging industries.

The Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to dominate the degradable bioplastics market during the forecast period.

Based on geography, the degradable bioplastics market is estimated to be dominated by the Asia Pacific region in the given timeframe due to many reasons. Various factors like growth in the pharmaceutical and packaging industry in countries like China, India, and Japan have led to the requirement for durable environmental solutions. Currently, Japan ranks third in the world in terms of pharmaceutical consumption and is one of the major export destinations for American drugs as stated by the International Trade Administration. According to the MHLW, Annual Pharmaceutical Production Statistics Report the Japanese prescription and nonprescription medicines industry was valued at $106 billion in 2021.

In addition to this, as stated by Invest India, packaging is one of the biggest and fastest-growing industries in India and ranks fifth in the world. According to the Packaging Industry Association of India (PIAI), the industry is expanding at a CAGR of 22% to 25%. In the past few years, the packaging industry has been the key contributor to technology and innovation in the manufacturing sectors with value addition to other sectors like agriculture and FMCG.

Furthermore, the region's increased governmental focus on decreasing plastic waste and supporting sustainable behaviors promotes the adoption of biodegradable bioplastics. For instance, the Indian government apprehended the industry's potential and implemented a plethora of measures, including single-use plastic ban legislation, a profit-linked tax incentive for food packaging, and the approval of the National Packaging Initiative, to further encourage innovation in the sector. Owing to this, there has also been an increase in material technology research-based firms developing novel sustainable packaging materials.

Along with this, increasing focus on sustainability has also been a key market driver in the region. For instance, as per FAO, China is embarking on a new journey of rural revitalization during the 14th Five-Year Development Plan, which runs from 2021 to 2025, to pursue innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared development, improving people's livelihoods comprehensively and sustainably, and achieving high-quality development. These factors together position the Asia-Pacific region as a key participant in the worldwide degradable bioplastics market, encouraging growth and innovation.

Global Degradable Bioplastics Market Key Developments:

• In December 2023, the Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG Group) certified its plant-derived compostable polymer BioPBS as a marine biodegradable biomass plastic through the Japan BioPlastics Association (JBPA) identification and labeling system. 

The global degradable bioplastics market is segmented and analyzed as follows:

By Application

• Packaging
• Agriculture
• Food Service
• Medical and Pharmaceutical
• Others

By Geography

• North America
• USA
• Canada
• Mexico
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Rest of South America
• Europe
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• France
• Italy
• Spain
• Rest of Europe
• Middle East and Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• Rest of the Middle East and Africa
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Indonesia
• Rest of Asia-Pacific