The term covers 2 independent concepts: a bio-based plastic, manufactured at least partly from biomass (sugar cane, maize, agricultural residues, wood), and a biodegradable plastic, which decomposes under precise conditions such as industrial composting. The 2 do not necessarily go together: bioPE is 100% bio-based but persistent, PBAT is fossil-derived but biodegradable. The JRC classifies bio-based bioplastics, representing 0.5% of global plastics production in 2025, into 3 families: attributed (mass balance), drop-in (chemically identical to fossil plastics) and dedicated (PLA, PHA, PEF).
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