Biobased

Biobased packaging materials are made from renewable raw materials that have a direct or indirect natural origin. Examples include paper made from wood fibres and various types of plastic such as bio-PE, which is made from sugar cane. The term “Biobased” therefore covers various materials. The term “renewable” is often used as a synonym for biobased materials. Raw materials are called renewable when they are gained from sources that are replenished in a natural manner on a human time scale (within an average human lifetime), e.g. agricultural crops and trees.

Biodegradability is a different property of packaging materials. It is not the same as biobased. Biobased refers to the origin of the material. Biodegradable refers to the possible waste phase of the material. Some biobased materials can be biodegradable. In the figure, various types of plastic are divided according to their (non-) biobased and compostable properties.

Considerations when using biobased packaging materials

Advantages

• Biobased materials can be used as alternatives for materials made from fossil raw materials;
• Some biobased materials can be recycled in the existing waste processing systems of certain countries.
• Some materials have unique properties that make them suitable for use as a packaging material.

Drawbacks

• There are no countries whose regular waste phase is set up to handle the majority of the relatively new biobased packaging materials.
• Biobased materials can lead to confusion among consumers with regard to the correct disposal method and the perception of sustainability;
• Biobased materials are generally more expensive that conventional packaging materials.
   

Raw materials

Biobased materials can be many different types of materials. For example, paper and cardboard are biobased because they are largely made from wood. However, there are also plastics made from biobased raw materials, such as PLA and bio-PE made from corn, sugar cane or sugar beets. Furthermore, banana leaves and bamboo can be used as raw materials for the production of packaging materials.

List of biobased materials

Biobased plastics

• PLA (PolyLacticAcid)
• Bio-PE
• Bio-PET (max 30% biobased)
• PBA
• Cellophane
• Starch based
• PEF (not yet commercially available)
• Natural rubber

Natural fibres

• Paper/cardboard
• Bamboo
• Banana leaves
• Coconut fibres
• Elephant grass
• Residual streams from the agri- and horticultural sectors (tomato stems)
   

Applications

Biobased packaging materials are becoming increasingly popular as alternatives to conventional materials. They may possess different properties than conventional packaging materials. Whether or not a biobased packaging material is a better alternative depends on the product being packaged.

Biobased plastics
For example, the biobased plastic PLA (PolyLacticAcid) has a lower melting temperature (approximately 60°C) than the commonly used plastic polypropylene (approximately 160°C), while PEF (Polyethylene Furanoate) has a higher gas barrier than PET. Because of its lower melting temperature, PLA is not suitable for the warm filling of products (e.g. ketchup), but with its low oxygen barrier, it is a suitable material with which to package respiring products such as vegetables and fruit. With its higher barriers, PEF can extend the shelf life of food products, thereby reducing the risk of product loss.
However, there are also biobased plastics that possess the same functional properties as conventional materials. For example, bio-PE and bio-PET can be used for the same purposes as PE and PET (which are made from oil) because they are molecularly identical, despite being made from different raw materials. These biobased plastics are known as “drop-ins.”

Natural fibres (paper, cardboard and wood)
Wood was one of the first biobased packaging materials to be used. These days, wood is mostly used for pallets and crates in the logistical sector. Paper and cardboard are biobased materials because they are made from wood fibres. Normally, paper and cardboard are produced from the coniferous or deciduous wood fibres of the Norway spruce (spruce wood), Scots pine (pine wood), birch, poplar, beech and eucalyptus. Additionally, the use of alternative biobased resources is now being explored. Examples include the fast-growing elephant grass or waste from the agricultural sector such as tomato stems. The challenge lies in the fact that these fibres have different lengths and shapes, which sometimes makes it impossible to combine them with regular paper fibres.

Other
Other biobased packaging materials include bamboo, banana leaves and coconut fibres. Bamboo can be used for the production of crates. Banana leaves can be combined with a binding agent to shape them into trays. When combined with certain additives, coconut fibres can be used to produce pallets. Furthermore, a growing number of residual streams from the agri- and horticultural sectors are used for the production of paper, cardboard and other packaging materials. 

Points of discussion

Food vs. packaging material
The production of biobased packaging materials requires biobased resources. These, in turn, require farmland, water, fertilisers, etcetera. There is an ongoing discussion concerning the competitive role that the production of these biobased resources can have on the environment and food production. Furthermore, the question remains whether the production of biobased resources is truly more sustainable than using raw materials such as oil.

Perceived sustainability and greenwashing
In some cases, biobased materials are used where they offer no added value and may actually have a higher environmental impact. One example is using a biobased plastic in the packaging for a product that requires a high oxygen barrier. By using a biobased material such as PLA, the risk of product loss increases because the product is not as well protected.
Another example is replacing an easily recyclable plastic packaging material with a biobased material to which barrier materials are added in order to retain similar functionality. As a result, more packaging material is used per product and the recyclability of the material deteriorates. Although the packaging may appear to be more sustainable in the eyes of consumers because it is biobased, that is not necessarily true. An LCA can be conducted to learn more about the actual environmental impact.