12/10/2026
Bioplastics have grown significantly over the past decade. But our waste systems haven't necessarily grown with them.
Around a decade ago, global bioplastics production capacity was measured at roughly 1.7 million tonnes. Today, reported global biobased plastics capacity is around 2.3 million tonnes — and is forecast to reach 4.7 million tonnes by 2030.
But there is an important misconception hiding behind the word ""bioplastic"":
Bioplastic does not mean compostable.
A bio-based plastic describes where its feedstock comes from. It can still behave just like conventional plastic.
For example, bio-PE and bio-PP are chemically equivalent to their fossil-based counterparts. They are not designed to biodegrade or compost. At end of life, they need to go through the appropriate plastics recycling system.
Other materials may be biodegradable or industrially compostable — but that creates a different challenge.
A compostable pack still needs to be correctly identified, separately collected and accepted by an appropriate organic-waste treatment facility. Being technically compostable does not mean it will compost wherever it ends up.
And this is where I think the market has a problem.
Material innovation has moved quickly. Collection systems, sorting infrastructure, composting capacity and consumer labelling haven't always kept pace.
We now have packaging that may be:
📌 bio-based but recyclable as conventional plastic;
📌 bio-based and industrially compostable;
📌 biodegradable but fossil-based; or
📌 partially bio-based and non-biodegradable.
Yet to a consumer, many of these packs can look almost identical.
The next phase of bioplastics cannot just be about developing new materials.
We need to design the system around them too — from clear disposal labels to collection, sorting, recycling and composting infrastructure.
Otherwise, we risk developing better materials without giving them a realistic end-of-life pathway.
