Efficient waste management is key to the European Commission’s flagship policy goal of a resource-efficient Europe and its circular economy vision. The EU Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC, WFD) defines a five-step waste hierarchy ranking the treatments of waste based on their ability to conserve resources.
Bioplastics can be biobased, like biobased PE (polyethylene) and biobased PUR (polyurethanes), biodegradable, for example PBAT (polybutylene adipate terephthalate), or both, such as PLA (polylactic acid) and starch blends. The properties of these various types of bioplastics make them suitable for a wide range of applications for which they increase resource efficiency, ameliorate performance, and support the most efficient waste treatment option – implementing the guiding principle of the waste hierarchy, a circular economy.