“Bio-based plastics: technology readiness and high cost key barriers to wide use”

Produced from renewable biomass sources, bio-based plastics are included in many strategies to curb associated climate change and environmental impacts. Against a growing global demand for plastics, bio-plastics and bio-degradable plastics are projected to hardly reach a share of 1% of the global production capacity by 2030. 

However, the European rubber and bio-based plastic sector brought EUR 3.2 billion added value and 57 000 jobs on average every year; relying on domestic feedstock, the EU could harness the apparent socio-economic advantages of a stronger bio-based industry.

Still, scaling up the use of bio-based plastics is hampered by feedstock sustainability, competitiveness, technological maturity and cost: currently, producing bio-plastic is generally 1.5 to 2 times more onerous than fossil fuels-based plastics. 

The analysis is published in the JRC policy brief Bio-based plastics in a sustainable and circular bioeconomy.

Different types, different characteristics

Bio-based plastics cover a wide range of types and features. For instance, bio-based does not automatically mean biodegradable. Some fossil-based plastics can biodegrade, while some bio-based plastics cannot. 

The brief classifies them in three main categories, depending on the stage of  production process at which fossil feedstocks are replaced by biomass:

• Attributed (or certified) bio-based plastics, produced by co-feeding biomass into existing fossil-based processes.
• Drop-in bio-based plastics, chemically identical to fossil plastics and compatible with existing recycling systems.
• Dedicated bio-based plastics, efficiently sourced from biomass and often offering new properties such as biodegradability. 

Climate benefits with environmental trade-offs

The environmental performance of bio-based plastics heavily depends on feedstock type, production route and end-of-life management. Replacing fossil feedstocks generally reduces greenhouse gas emissions across the life cycle, while trade-offs may occur when considering other environmental categories like land use and eutrophication. 

At present, most bio-based plastics derive from agricultural raw materials, such as sugars, starch and vegetable oils; also waste streams like organic municipal waste and used vegetable oil can prove to be valid sources of bio-based plastics. However, these streams are still scarcely available and spread thin across energy and production uses.

Scaling up production requires careful management of biomass sourcing. Sustainable feedstock selection, cascading use of biomass, certification schemes and due diligence are essential to avoid unintended impacts on biodiversity and food systems.

Challenges of a slowly growing market share

As of 2025, global plastics production exceeds 431 million tonnes per year. Bio-based and biodegradable plastics currently account for around 0.5% of this volume, with an estimated production capacity of 2.3 million tonnes. This capacity could reach 4.7 million tonnes by 2030.

The EU policy framework, including the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan and the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, recognises the role of bio-based plastics in reducing fossil dependency and promoting sustainable materials.

Yet despite increasing policy attention, the transition to circular and bio-based plastics remains slow. Due to established production and processing routes as well as cheap feedstock, virgin fossil-based plastics offer competitive prices, while recycled and bio-based alternatives often face significant production costs, that is about 1.5–2 times higher than fossil alternatives.

Looking ahead

Scaling up production of bio-based plastics faces challenges related to feedstock sustainability, competitiveness, technological maturity and consumer acceptance. Furthermore, important knowledge gaps remain to be addressed, including better data on environmental impacts and clearer insights into market and value chain dynamics.

Possible enabling measures range from setting mandatory shares of bio-based plastics into fossil-based products, to bio-based content and recycled content targets, to bans or restrictions for fossil-based plastics in certain sectors and specific labelling to inform consumers, who could drive the demand of products with a clear sustainability added value. Together with targeted funding, such measures could create a virtuous playing field for the industry.

Source: JRC