Bioplastics: An Increasingly Durable & Sustainable Solution
The first man-made plastic—created in 1862 as a substitute for the ivory used to make billiard balls—was a bioplastic. Over the last 156 years, the plastics industry has continued to innovate with bioplastics, expanding their properties and the feedstocks from which they come. With these innovations, applications for bioplastics have extended far beyond the pool hall and as they become more common—and break into new industries—it’s important for every company making material decisions to keep bioplastics on their radar.
Simply put, bioplastics are defined by the Plastics Industry Association’s (PLASTICS) Bioplastics Division as a type of plastic made from biobased materials like sugar cane or cornstarch, or a type of plastic that is capable of biodegrading through a process such as composting.