Over the first decade of the new century, the consumption of plastics has increased by almost 50% and amounted to more than 130 million tons. In 2015, it will reach, according to the forecast, 175 million tons, and in 2020 – will exceed 200 million tons.
Currently, less than 3% of the world's plastic waste is recycled. As a result, technologies for the production of more environmentally friendly materials have appeared – biodegradable plastics or biopolymers. The terms of their decomposition range from a month to 1.5-2 years.
The production of bioplastics in the world is at a low level compared to traditional polymers, but it is developing at an extremely fast pace – in the second half of the past decade, the average annual growth was at the level of 29%.
South America is currently the leading producer (27.6% of global capacity in 2010). In 2015, according to forecasts, the first place in the production of bioplastics will be occupied by North America (about 33%), the second – Southeast Asia (more than 28%).
Learn more about research on the bioplastics and bioplastics market.
