Green Opportunities: Current Ceresana Study on the Global Market for Bioplastics

KONSTANZ, Germany - Oct. 9, 2025 - PRLog -- Will there soon be more plastics than stones? The triumph of polymers is unstoppable: The world's plastic consumption doubles approximately every 20 years; in the emerging markets of Africa and Asia, it is even expected to triple. Bioplastics are benefiting from this boom: There are "green" alternatives to plastics made from crude oil or natural gas for an increasing number of applications. To reduce the ecological footprint, even petrochemical products are increasingly being mixed with biomass. The latest edition of Ceresana's bioplastics market report anticipates further growth: The global bio-based and biodegradable plastic market size will reach around USD 12 billion by 2034.

Compost Soil Instead of Waste Crisis

The environmental impact of this ubiquitous wonder material is a challenge. Even in comparatively environmentally conscious Europe, the majority of the around 42.5 million tonnes of plastic waste generated there each year is still incinerated or landfilled – only around 20% is recycled. According to a new report by the EU's Joint Research Centre (JRC), around 3.7 million tons of plastic waste are "lost in the environment" in Europe every year, mainly due to littering, mismanagement, and textile washing: Almost 6% of all European plastic consumption ends up in the ground or water. The researchers recommend more recycling – but also more bioplastics. The new EU packaging regulation (PPWR) now stipulates that all packaging must soon be reusable or recyclable, and in certain cases also compostable. The EU Commission is working on quotas for the use of bio-based raw materials. To date, however, most biopolymer materials are produced in Asia-Pacific. This region of the world, which has sugar cane and other low-cost biomass raw materials, is expected to see the highest growth in the coming years.

Innovations for Sustainable Applications

The packaging industry is the largest consumer of bioplastics: Polylactic acids (PLA) and starch polymers (especially TPS) offer higher permeability, biodegradability, and a good "green" image. For the starch-based bioplastics and polylactic acid market, Ceresana expects further growth of 7.7% per year. For bio-based but non-biodegradable plastics, such as bio-polyethylene, bio-PET, or bio-PA, growth is expected to be lower at 5.3% per year. The various polymers made from biogenic raw materials each have areas of application for which they are particularly well suited. Biocompatibility, for example, is an advantage for medical implants. Compostability is required for agricultural films and flower pots. In 3D printing, bio-filaments are valued not least because they do not smell of burnt plastic.

Further Information on the new market study: https://ceresana.com/en/produkt/market-study-bioplastics