renewable resources (bio-based)? yes, but from waste, please

As already mentioned, bioplastics are plastics derived from renewable and/or biodegradable sources. But what exactly does the term renewable mean?

According to ISO 14021, renewable means a material composed of biomass from a living source that can be continuously replenished. This definition therefore includes all organic materials of biological origin (excluding, of course, fossil fuels and peat) found above and below ground, such as trees, crops, plants, algae, animals and biological waste (manure).

To date, most bioplastics are obtained from carbohydrate-rich plants such as corn or sugar cane, which are renewable raw materials but are first-generation, as they are food products (first-generation feedstock). The use of these sources for the production of materials creates ethical conflicts: to what extent is it right to use land and resources to produce materials and energy instead of food?

For this reason, more and more industries are trying to produce bioplastics from renewable sources that do not compete with food (second- and third-generation feedstock), such as lignocellulosic agro-industrial waste or seaweed.