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Summary and extracts
1 Market Overview
1.1 Definition and presentation
Bioplastics represent a rapidly expanding sector due to their sustainable and innovative characteristics. These are plastic materials derived in part or entirely from biomass (such as sweet potato, sugar cane, corn starch) or designed to be biodegradable, that is, capable of decomposing up to 90 percent in six months under optimal conditions (presence of microorganisms, oxygen, moisture and heat). Not all bioplastics are biodegradable and vice versa: some are only of biological origin, while others, while biodegradable, may be derived from nonrenewable sources. The bioplastics market can be segmented by product type (biodegradable or non-biodegradable), by application (such as packaging, consumer goods, textiles), and by geographic area.
Globally, the bioplastics market has been valued at about $14 billion in 2023 and is expected to continue to grow at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of more than 15 percent through 2030, driven by increasing demand for sustainable solutions and regulatory pressure to reduce the use of conventional plastics.
Italian companies are spread throughout the production chain, from chemical companies that produce intermediate materials and granules to first and second processors. Domestic production of bioplastics exceeded 120,000 tons in 2022, thanks in part to increased demand for biodegradable and compostable products for wet waste collection, a practice that has seen a significant increase thanks to European legislation and incentives for separate waste collection.
In the product segment, packaging remains the largest area of application, accounting for about 48 percent of the global bioplastics market. Attention to environmental sustainability has fostered demand for compostable and recyclable solutions, ideal for treatment in the organic waste fraction. In Italy, the use of bioplastics for compostable bags is also growing strongly, driven by regulations banning the use of traditional single-use plastics in certain sectors.
Leading Italian producers of bioplastics include Novamont, known for its Mater-Bi biopolymer, mainly used in biodegradable products for packaging and agriculture; Bio-on, which specializes in PHA bioplastics derived from agricultural waste; and Agriplast, which produces biodegradable films for agriculture.
1.2 World market
Global production of bioplastics is expected to grow strongly between **** and ****, from *,*** to *,*** thousand tons, an increase of ***.* percent. This trend reflects a significant increase in global interest in sustainable materials and a likely response to environmental pressures to reduce the use of traditional plastics. The most pronounced growth is expected ...
1.3 The European market
the European bioplastics market is projected to expand strongly from **** to ****, from *.** million tons to *.** million tons, a growth of **.* percent. The annual increase indicates a gradual adoption of bioplastics in Europe, likely fueled by more stringent environmental policies and interest in sustainable materials. Growth is steady, with an acceleration particularly ...
1.4 The Italian Market
the value of the Italian bioplastics market shows a seesaw trend between **** and ****. After an initial decline from *.** billion in **** to *.** billion in ****, the market gradually recovers, returning to * billion in **** and reaching *.* billion in ****. This overall increase of **.* percent from the low point in **** suggests a recovery and expansion of ...
1.5 Import and Export
Analysis of imports and exports of bioplastics is complicated by the lack of specific codes in the Harmonized System (***), one of the most popular bioplastics, and HS ****.**, which includes starch-based bioplastics under the category "Other polymerization products in primary forms." These two codes represent the most accurate classification for bioplastics and ...
1.6 Areas of Application
Plastics made from plant-based raw materials are potentially a solution for solving environmental issues in those applications where existing alternatives do not allow. According to the European definition, bioplastics are those plastics that are derived from plant-based materials and have the properties of being biodegradable and compostable or having both properties ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Need for plastics in Europe and Italy
Plastics have a wide variety of properties that have made them indispensable in multiple applications. Europe consumes **.* percent of all global plastic production, after China, which is the largest consumer of plastics, **.* percent, and the U.S., **.* percent.
Plastic consumption by region World, ****, percent Source: ****
Europe has increased plastic consumption over ...
2.2 Demand in terms of production
the production sold of plastic articles in Italy, according to ATECO code **.*, shows significant growth from **** to ****, with some fluctuations. After an initial value of €*.** billion in ****, the sector declined slightly in **** and ****, then recovered strongly in **** with €*.** billion and peaked at €*.** billion in ****. In ****, production sold drops to *.** billion, although ...
2.3 Online interest in "Bioplastics"
Online interest in "bioplastics" in Italy between **** and **** showed a fluctuating trend, with some significant peaks and several declines. At the beginning of the period, the interest index was around **.*, then dropped to **.* in November ****. From there, interest rose gradually, reaching a first peak in February **** (***). However, in August **** there is ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Active companies in the Bioplastics sector
The graph shows a significant decline in the number of enterprises active in the plastics articles manufacturing sector in Italy, according to ATECO code **.*, between **** and ****. After a gradual decline from ****, when **** enterprises were recorded, to **** enterprises in ****.
Active enterprises in the sector of Manufacture of plastic articles ATECO **.* Italia,**** ...
3.2 The Value Chain
The value chain of bioplastics begins with the production of renewable raw materials, such as corn, sugarcane, potatoes or other biomaterials, which are transformed into monomers through chemical processes or fermentation. These monomers are then polymerized to create biopolymers, which form the basis of bioplastics. Next, the biopolymers are processed by ...
3.3 The main market players
Novamont
A leader in the Italian bioplastics market and among the most important worldwide, Novamont is known for the production of Mater-Bi biopolymer, a biodegradable and compostable bioplastic used mainly in packaging applications, biodegradable shopping bags and agricultural products. The company is at the forefront of developing products with low environmental ...
4 Supply analysis
4.1 Three types of bioplastics
the bioplastic materials are not all the same; based on their origin and end result, they are divided into * categories:
Source: ****
below you can visually see how the materials are divided.
Source: ****
4.2 Prices
The graph shows a slight decrease in industry output prices for the manufacture of plastic articles (***) in Italy, from *** in September **** to *** in October ****. From this point, the value stabilizes and remains constant at *** until September ****, indicating a phase of stagnant prices without change for almost a year.
Monthly industry output ...
4.3 Start up
Startups that create bioplastics from organic waste exist and are growing in order to increase the circular economy and decrease environmental impact.
Agromateriae: Hailing from Emilia Romagna, affiliated with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, the company produces new plastic materials from agro-industrial waste, which it transforms into green raw ...
4.4 The phenomenon of Dumping
The phenomenon of dumping in the bioplastics sector in Italy has had a significant impact on the domestic market. In ****, turnover in the compostable bioplastics supply chain fell to *** million euros, registering a **.* percent decrease from ****, when turnover had reached *.** billion euros . This decline is attributed, in part, to the import ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Standards
EN *****:**** Requirements for packaging recoverable by composting and biodegradation - Test scheme and evaluation criteria for final acceptance of packaging.
this is a harmonized standard of the European Committee for Standardization concerning the characteristics a material must possess in order to qualify as biodegradable or compostable. For a material to be ...
5.2 Developments favorable to bioplastics
Plastic Tax
The European plastic tax is a uniform rate on non-recycled plastic packaging waste produced in each Member State, effective as of January *, **** and amounting to €*.*/kg.** The cost to Italy, net of the flat-rate reduction, is expected to be around €*** million/year. These contributions are allocated to the European ...
6 Positioning of actors
6.1 Segmentation
- Kanèsis
- Agromateriae
- Betalife
- Cereplast
- Novamont
- NaturePlast
List of charts presented in this market study
- World production of bioplastics
- Polymers for bioplastics for use
- European bioplastics market size
- Plastic consumption by region
- Plastic use in Europe
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