What Are Bioplastics?
“Unfortunately, the word ‘bioplastics’ does not have a standardized definition,” Eve Fox, the digital director at Beyond Plastics, said in an email. Fox explained that bioplastic can refer to plastics that use non-oil natural products—corn, sugar beets, wheat—to make the plastic, or to plastics that are biodegradable or compostable.
Importantly, while some plant-based plastics can decompose either totally or partially, not all plastics made from plants and non-petroleum sources will break down. The bioplastics label includes types of plastics that can’t be composted or that aren’t biodegradable, and whose only differentiating quality from plastics made of petrochemicals is their initial feedstock.
The term bioplastics “even includes primarily fossil fuel-based plastics that include a small percentage of bio-based plastics,” Fox said. “It’s a vague term.” (Coca-Cola has been selling bottles made of just 30% plant-based plastic that it’s called “Plant Bottles” for almost a decade.)
