FACT SHEET

European Bioplastics
Material types, terminology and labels an introduction
What are bioplastics?
Bioplastics a family of materials
Bioplastics are not just one single substance, they comprise of
a whole family of materials with differing properties and appli-
cations. According to European Bioplastics a plastic material
is dened as a bioplastic if it is either biobased, biodegradable,
or features both properties.
- Biobased: The term biobased means that the material or
product is (partly) derived from biomass (plants). Biomass
used for bioplastics stems from e.g. corn, sugarcane, or cel-
lulose.
- Biodegradable: Biodegradation is a chemical process during
which micro-organisms that are available in the environment
convert materials into natural substances such as water, car-
bon dioxide, and compost (articial additives are not need-
ed). The process of biodegradation depends on the sur-
rounding environmental conditions (e.g. location or tem-
perature), on the material and on the application.
The property of biodegradation does not depend on the re-
source basis of a material, but is rather linked to its chemical
structure. In other words, 100 percent biobased plastics may
be non-biodegradable, and 100 percent fossil based plastics
can biodegrade.
Bioplastics are biobased, biodegradable, or both.
Biobased does not equal biodegradable
Benets of bioplastics
In search of new material solutions and keeping an eye on the goal
of sustainable production and consumption, bioplastics have several
(potential) advantages. The use of renewable resources to produce bio-
plastics is the key for:
- increasing resource efciency
the resources can be cultivated on an (at least) annual basis;
the principle of cascade use, as biomass can rst be used for
materials and then for energy generation;
- a reduction of the carbon footprint and GHG emissions of some
materials and products
- saving fossil resources, and for substituting them step by step.
In short, contrary to conventional fossil-based plastics, bio-
plastics are (partly) biobased, biodegradable, or both.
Material types three main groups
The family of bioplastics is roughly divided into three main
groups:
1. Biobased or partly biobased non-biodegradable plastics such
as biobased PE, PP, or PET (so-called drop-ins) and biobased
technical performance polymers such as PTT or TPC-ET
2. Plastics that are both biobased and biodegradable, such
as PLA and PHA or PBS
3. Plastics that are based on fossil resources and are biode-
gradable, such as PBAT.

The graph material coordinate system of bioplastics
depicts typical bioplastics and how they are classied ac-
cording to their biodegradability and biobased content.

Established examples of bioplastic materials
Biobased, non-biodegradable polyolenes and PET
(drop-in solutions)
Commodity plastics like PE, PP and PVC can also be made
from renewable resources often from bioethanol. Bio-PE
is already produced on a large scale (200,000 tonnes p.a.
by Braskem, Brazil; further projects planned by Dow Chemi-
cals). Bio-PP and Bio-PVC are soon to follow. The partially
biobased polyester PET is used both for technical applica-
tions and for packaging (mainly for beverage bottles, e.g. by
Coca-Cola). As the value-added chain only requires adapta-
tion at the outset, and the properties of the products are
identical to their fossil versions, they are also referred to as
drop-in bioplastics. The period from development to com-
mercialisation has thus been considerably shortened.
Biobased, non-biodegradable technical/performance polymers
This large group contains many specic polymers such
as biobased polyamides (PA), polyesters (e.g. PTT, PBT),
polyurethanes (PUR) and polyepoxides. Their use is most
diverse. Some typical technical applications are textile bres
The potential of bioplastics will shape the future of
the plastics industry.
What are bioplastics?
(seat covers, carpets), automotive applications like foams
for seating, casings, cables, hoses, and covers to name but
a few. Usually, their operating life lasts several years. There-
fore, they are referred to as durables, and biodegradability is
not sought-after.
Biobased, biodegradable plastics
They include starch blends made of thermo-plastically modi-
ed starch and other biodegradable polymers as well as poly-
esters such as polylactic acid (PLA) or polyhydroxyalkanoate
(PHA). Unlike cellulose materials (regenerate-cellulose or
cellulose-acetate), they have been available on an industrial
scale only for the past few years. So far, they have primar-
ily been used for short-lived products such as packaging
1
,
yet this large innovative area of the plastics industry contin-
ues to grow by the introduction of new biobased monomers
such as succinic acid, butanediol, propane diol or fatty acid
derivatives.
Several materials in this group, such as PLA, are currently
pointing towards new ways away from biodegradation and
towards end-of-life solutions such as recycling. The renew-
able basis of these materials is now at the focus of attention
and technical development. Pilot projects aim to establish
recycling processes and streams. This dynamic develop-
ment proves, that bioplastics have the potential to shape
the plastics industry, and to produce new future-bound and
competitive materials.
Biodegradable, fossil-based plastics
They are a comparatively small group and are mainly used
in combination with starch or other bioplastics because they
improve the application-specic performance of the latter by
their biodegradability and mechanical properties. These bio-
degradable plastics are currently still made in petrochemical
production processes. However, partially biobased versions
of these materials will surely be produced in the near future.
Standards, certication and labels
How can one measure the biobased part of bioplastics?
Which standard, methodology, terms and labels should be
applied? There is still a lot of confusion in the international
market, because around the globe standardisation process-
es have proceeded at a differing pace.
Below, the status quo in Europe will be outlined, and rele-
vant independent third party labels for bioplastics are listed.
However, the list does not reect any specic recommenda-
tion of European Bioplastics.
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European Bioplastics Fact Sheet Packaging, Download: www.european-bioplastics.org/multimedia
Quelle: European Bioplastics/Zabel
FACT SHEET | European Bioplastics
January 2014
Biobased
Companies with biobased bioplastics can either indicate the
biobased carbon content or the biobased mass content
of their products. As these units of measurement differ, the
typical numeric percentage value will differ, too, and must be
taken into account, especially when drawing comparisons.
A well-established methodology to measure the biobased
carbon content in materials or products is the 14C-method
(EU standard: CEN/TS 16137, corresponding US-standard:
ASTM 6866). Certication schemes and derived product la-
bels based on the European and the U.S. standard are in
place for example by the Belgian certier Vinotte or the
German DIN CERTCO.
A material or product can also be specied as biobased by
indicating its biobased mass content (i.e. the percentage of
biobased mass proportional to the total mass). This method
is complementary to the 14C-method, and takes chemical
elements other than the biobased carbon into account, such
as oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen. The French Association
Chimie du Vgtal (ACDV) has introduced a corresponding
certication scheme.
Phone: +49 .30 28 48 23 50
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
European Bioplastics
Marienstrae 19-20
10117 Berlin
For more information please visit:
www.european-bioplastics.org
twitter.com/EUBioplastics
The term biodegradability is only unambiguous, if
environment and time are specied.
Biodegradable

It is misleading to merely claim biodegradability without
any standard specication. If a material or product is ad-
vertised to be biodegradable, further information about the
timeframe, the level of biodegradation, and the surrounding
conditions should be added.
Wherever possible, European Bioplastics recommends to
focus on the more specic claim of compostability
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, and
to back it up with corresponding standard references (ISO
17088, EN 13432 / 14995 or ASTM 6400 or 6868), a certica-
tion and labelling (seedling label via Vinotte or DIN CERT-
CO, OK compost label via Vinotte).










If a product is specied to be compostable, the claim is
not only unambiguous, but there is another big benet: It
differentiates itself from products marketed to be oxo-bi-
odegradable or similar claims. Products marketed as oxo-
biodegradable do not full the requirements of EN 13432 on
industrial compostability, and are therefore not allowed to
carry the seedling label.
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Compostability in this context refers to industrial compostability according to the European Norm EN 13432. The norm denes clear requirements and conditions for industrial composting, e.g.
the timeframe. After successful certication products adhering to this standard may be distinguished by the seedling.
FACT SHEET | European Bioplastics