Supply is well ensured to meet the growing demand in the short and medium term. However, it is difficult to make long-term forecasts due to the dynamic and innovative nature of the bioplastic market. A reliable legislative framework in the EU would be beneficial to further attracting investment and ensuring supply in the long run.
In recent years numerous joint ventures have been established. Planned investments in bioplastic production capacities have been made. Initial facilities producing various types of bioplastics are operating in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Additional facilities are currently being set up in different regions from Thailand to Italy to produce more bioplastics, including starch compounds, PLA, biobased PBS, PE or bio-PET. These investments and scaleups are reflected in European Bioplastics’ market data, which show growth in capacity from 1.7 million tons in 2014 to roughly 7.8 million tons in 2019.
