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Environmental impact of bioplastic use: A review

Summary

Bioplastics are plastic-like materials made from renewable sources like corn, seaweed, and mushroom mycelium instead of petroleum. While they’re often promoted as environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional plastics, they have their own problems including methane emissions and using farmland needed for food production. However, research shows that despite these drawbacks, bioplastics generally cause less environmental harm than traditional petroleum-based plastics.

Background

Petroleum-based plastics cause significant environmental problems including greenhouse gas emissions, persistence in ecosystems, and marine pollution. Bioplastics have emerged as alternatives, but they also present environmental concerns such as greenhouse gas emissions and unfavorable land use changes, necessitating comprehensive evaluation of their true environmental impact.

Objective

To comprehensively address the environmental impact of bioplastics by: (1) identifying different types of bioplastics in commercial use or development; (2) evaluating whether bioplastics are truly beneficial for the environment; and (3) determining how to better resolve the controversial impacts of bioplastics on the environment through life cycle assessment.

Results

The review identified multiple bioplastic types including thermoplastic starch, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), polylactic acid (PLA), seaweed-based, mycelium-based, and chitin-based bioplastics. While bioplastics have drawbacks such as methane production during composting and land use concerns, studies show their harms are less severe than conventional plastics, with PLA reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50-70% compared to petroleum-based alternatives.

Conclusion

Although bioplastics present environmental challenges, evidence indicates they cause less environmental harm than conventional petroleum-based plastics. Future development of new-generation bioplastics should include thorough life cycle assessment and land use change analyses to confirm eco-friendliness and inform policymakers about their true environmental benefits.
  • Published in:Heliyon,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07918, PMC8424513, 34522811
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