World Bioplastics

As Quoted In European Plastics News

Gains will be driven by consumer preferences for sustainable materials, the increased adoption of bioplastics by plastic processors and compounders, and by new product developments.

World demand to skyrocket 19% annually through 2017

Global demand for biobased and biodegradable plastics will rise 19 percent per year to 960,000 metric tons in 2017. The bioplastics industry, while still in the emerging growth phase, has established itself as a fixture in a number of commercial markets and applications. Robust growth in demand is expected in virtually all geographic markets, driven by consumer preferences for sustainable materials, the increased adoption of bioplastics by plastic processors and compounders, and new product developments that expand the range of applications for bioplastics. However, despite the rapid rise in demand, bioplastics are still expected to account for less than one percent of the overall plastic resin market in 2022.

Biobased commodity resins to be fastest growing types

Starch-based resins and polylactic acid (PLA) will remain the leading bioplastic products through 2017, combining to account for over 60 percent of demand. For starch-based resins, advances will be bolstered by increased regulation of conventional plastic products, particularly plastic bags, as governments around the world continue to promote sustainability. PLA demand will benefit from the development of resins and compounds with enhanced performance attributes, suitable for more durable applications such as fibers, automotive parts, and electronic components.

The most rapid gains in demand, however, are expected for biobased commodity resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, which are just beginning to enter the commercial market. The rapid adoption of these bioplastics will be fueled by their ability to be used as a “drop-in” for existing applications, as well as by an increased focus on biobased content rather than biodegradability as a desired attribute. By 2022, biobased polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is also expected to become available in commercial quantities and will begin to penetrate the beverage container market.

Western Europe to remain dominant regional market

Western Europe was the largest regional consumer of bioplastics in 2012, accounting for over half of global demand. The region will see strong gains through 2017 as well, bolstered by added regulations and incentives that favor bioplastics over conventional resins. North America will also register strong advances, with demand in the region expected to more than double, driven by rising consumption of PLA and biobased commodity resins. Advances in the Asia/Pacific region will be fueled by robust growth in China, which has become a major consumer of bioplastic resins used to manufacture goods for export.

Study coverage

This study analyzes the 408,000 metric ton world bioplastic industry. It presents historical demand data for 2002, 2007 and 2012, and forecasts for 2017 and 2022 by product (e.g., starch-based resins, polylactic acid, biobased polyethylene, polyester bioplastics, biobased polyamides), market (e.g., containers, packaging film, loose-fill packaging, nonpackaging bags, foodservice disposables, automotive and electronics, agriculture), world region, and for 17 countries.

The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 35 industry players, including NatureWorks, Arkema and Novamont.

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  1. World Bioplastics

    $6,300.00

    1. 1 INTRODUCTION

      $225.00

    2. 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

      $141.00

      1. Table | WORLD BIOPLASTICS DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

    3. 3 MARKET ENVIRONMENT

      $2,025.00

      1. 3.1 General

        $82.00

      2. 3.2 World Economic Overview

        $313.00

        1. 3.2.1 Recent Historical Trends

          $120.00

        2. 3.2.2 World Economic Outlook

          $167.00

          1. Table | WORLD GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT BY REGION (billion 2011 dollars)

      3. 3.3 World Population Outlook

        $95.00

        1. Table | WORLD POPULATION BY REGION (million persons)

      4. 3.4 World Manufacturing Outlook

        $126.00

        1. Table | WORLD MANUFACTURING VALUE ADDED BY REGION (billion 2011 dollars)

      5. 3.5 World Agricultural Outlook

        $326.00

        1. Table | WORLD AGRICULTURAL VALUE ADDED BY REGION (billion 2011 dollars)

        2. 3.5.1 Maize

          $84.00

          1. Table | WORLD MAIZE PRODUCTION BY REGION, 2012 (875 million metric tons)

        3. 3.5.2 Sugar Crops

          $82.00

          1. Table | WORLD SUGAR CROP PRODUCTION BY REGION, 2012 (2.0 billion metric tons)

        4. 3.5.3 Cassava

          $82.00

      6. 3.6 World Plastics Overview

        $424.00

        1. 3.6.1 Plastic Resin Demand

          $145.00

          1. Table | WORLD PLASTIC RESIN DEMAND BY REGION (thousand metric tons)

          2. Table | WORLD PLASTIC RESIN DEMAND BY REGION, 2012 (259 million metric tons)

        2. 3.6.2 Plastic Resin Production

          $96.00

          1. Table | WORLD PLASTIC RESIN PRODUCTION BY REGION (thousand metric tons)

        3. 3.6.3 Pricing Trends

          $162.00

          1. Table | PLASTIC RESIN PRICING (dollars per kilogram)

          2. Table | PLASTIC RESIN PRICING PATTERNS, 2002-2022 (dollars per kilogram)

      7. 3.7 World Packaging Overview

        $136.00

        1. Table | WORLD PACKAGING DEMAND BY REGION (billion dollars)

      8. 3.8 Regulatory & Environmental Considerations

        $563.00

        1. 3.8.1 Standards & Certification

          $222.00

        2. 3.8.2 Composting & Recycling

          $145.00

        3. 3.8.3 Legislation

          $170.00

    4. 4 OVERVIEW

      $2,934.00

      1. 4.1 General

        $82.00

      2. 4.2 Product Overview

        $1,690.00

        1. Table | WORLD BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        2. Table | WORLD BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT, 2002-2022 (percent of total)

        3. 4.2.1 Starch-Based Resins

          $249.00

          1. Table | WORLD STARCH-BASED RESIN DEMAND BY REGION & MARKET (thousand metric tons)

        4. 4.2.2 Polylactic Acid

          $269.00

          1. Table | WORLD POLYLACTIC ACID DEMAND BY REGION & MARKET (thousand metric tons)

        5. 4.2.3 Biobased Polyethylene

          $184.00

          1. Table | WORLD BIOBASED POLYETHYLENE DEMAND BY REGION & MARKET (thousand metric tons)

        6. 4.2.4 Polyester Bioplastics

          $182.00

          1. Table | WORLD POLYESTER BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY REGION & MARKET (thousand metric tons)

        7. 4.2.5 Biobased Polyamides

          $142.00

          1. Table | WORLD BIOBASED POLYAMIDE DEMAND BY REGION & MARKET (thousand metric tons)

        8. 4.2.6 Other Bioplastics

          $520.00

          1. Table | WORLD OTHER BIOPLASTIC RESIN DEMAND BY TYPE, REGION, & MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      3. 4.3 Market Overview

        $840.00

        1. Table | WORLD BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET

        2. 4.3.1 Packaging

          $308.00

          1. Table | WORLD PACKAGING DEMAND FOR BIOPLASTICS BY APPLICATION & REGION (thousand metric tons)

          2. Table | WORLD PACKAGING DEMAND FOR BIOPLASTICS BY APPLICATION, 2012 (146,700 metric tons)

        3. 4.3.2 Nonpackaging

          $461.00

          1. Table | WORLD NONPACKAGING DEMAND FOR BIOPLASTICS BY APPLICATION & REGION (thousand metric tons)

          2. Table | WORLD NONPACKAGING DEMAND FOR BIOPLASTICS BY APPLICATION, 2012 (261,300 metric tons)

      4. 4.4 Regional Overview

        $336.00

        1. 4.4.1 Demand

          $99.00

          1. Table | WORLD BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY REGION (thousand metric tons)

          2. Table | WORLD BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY REGION, 2002-2022 (percent of total)

        2. 4.4.2 Production

          $110.00

          1. Table | WORLD BIOPLASTICS PRODUCTION BY REGION (thousand metric tons)

          2. Table | WORLD BIOPLASTICS PRODUCTION BY REGION, 2002-2022 (percent of total)

        3. 4.4.3 Trade Flows

          $127.00

          1. Table | WORLD BIOPLASTICS NET EXPORTS BY REGION (thousand metric tons)

    5. 5 NORTH AMERICA

      $1,123.00

      1. 5.1 North America: Economic Overview

        $101.00

        1. Table | NORTH AMERICA: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

      2. 5.2 North America: Bioplastics Demand

        $104.00

        1. Table | NORTH AMERICA: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT & MARKET (thousand metric tons)

        2. Table | NORTH AMERICA: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY COUNTRY, 2012 (85,100 metric tons)

      3. 5.3 United States

        $399.00

        1. 5.3.1 United States: Overview

          $140.00

          1. Table | UNITED STATES: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 5.3.2 United States: Products

          $140.00

          1. Table | UNITED STATES: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 5.3.3 United States: Markets & Producers

          $118.00

          1. Table | UNITED STATES: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      4. 5.4 Canada

        $254.00

        1. 5.4.1 Canada: Overview

          $115.00

          1. Table | CANADA: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 5.4.2 Canada: Products

          $82.00

          1. Table | CANADA: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 5.4.3 Canada: Markets & Producers

          $82.00

          1. Table | CANADA: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      5. 5.5 Mexico

        $265.00

        1. 5.5.1 Mexico: Overview

          $118.00

          1. Table | MEXICO: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 5.5.2 Mexico: Products

          $82.00

          1. Table | MEXICO: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 5.5.3 Mexico: Markets & Producers

          $82.00

          1. Table | MEXICO: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

    6. 6 WESTERN EUROPE

      $1,988.00

      1. 6.1 Western Europe: Economic Overview

        $121.00

        1. Table | WESTERN EUROPE: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

      2. 6.2 Western Europe: Bioplastics Demand

        $128.00

        1. Table | WESTERN EUROPE: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT & MARKET (thousand metric tons)

        2. Table | WESTERN EUROPE: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY COUNTRY, 2012 (212,500 metric tons)

      3. 6.3 Germany

        $298.00

        1. 6.3.1 Germany: Overview

          $117.00

          1. Table | GERMANY: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 6.3.2 Germany: Products

          $82.00

          1. Table | GERMANY: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 6.3.3 Germany: Markets & Producers

          $101.00

          1. Table | GERMANY: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      4. 6.4 Italy

        $309.00

        1. 6.4.1 Italy: Overview

          $126.00

          1. Table | ITALY: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 6.4.2 Italy: Products

          $82.00

          1. Table | ITALY: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 6.4.3 Italy: Markets & Producers

          $114.00

          1. Table | ITALY: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      5. 6.5 United Kingdom

        $257.00

        1. 6.5.1 United Kingdom: Overview

          $104.00

          1. Table | UNITED KINGDOM: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 6.5.2 United Kingdom: Products

          $82.00

          1. Table | UNITED KINGDOM: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 6.5.3 United Kingdom: Markets & Producers

          $91.00

          1. Table | UNITED KINGDOM: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      6. 6.6 France

        $273.00

        1. 6.6.1 France: Overview

          $106.00

          1. Table | FRANCE: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 6.6.2 France: Products

          $82.00

          1. Table | FRANCE: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 6.6.3 France: Markets & Producers

          $94.00

          1. Table | FRANCE: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      7. 6.7 Netherlands

        $256.00

        1. 6.7.1 Netherlands: Overview

          $110.00

          1. Table | NETHERLANDS: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 6.7.2 Netherlands: Products

          $82.00

          1. Table | NETHERLANDS: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 6.7.3 Netherlands: Markets & Producers

          $84.00

          1. Table | NETHERLANDS: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      8. 6.8 Other Western Europe

        $345.00

        1. 6.8.1 Other Western Europe: Overview

          $111.00

          1. Table | OTHER WESTERN EUROPE: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 6.8.2 Other Western Europe: Products

          $82.00

          1. Table | OTHER WESTERN EUROPE: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY COUNTRY & PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 6.8.3 Other Western Europe: Countries

          $90.00

        4. 6.8.4 Other Western Europe: Markets & Producers

          $82.00

          1. Table | OTHER WESTERN EUROPE: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

    7. 7 ASIA/PACIFIC

      $1,842.00

      1. 7.1 Asia/Pacific: Economic Overview

        $118.00

        1. Table | ASIA/PACIFIC: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

      2. 7.2 Asia/Pacific: Bioplastics Demand

        $87.00

        1. Table | ASIA/PACIFIC: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT & MARKET (thousand metric tons)

        2. Table | ASIA/PACIFIC: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY COUNTRY, 2012 (92,600 metric tons)

      3. 7.3 Japan

        $336.00

        1. 7.3.1 Japan: Overview

          $121.00

          1. Table | JAPAN: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 7.3.2 Japan: Products

          $102.00

          1. Table | JAPAN: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 7.3.3 Japan: Markets & Producers

          $112.00

          1. Table | JAPAN: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      4. 7.4 China

        $353.00

        1. 7.4.1 China: Overview

          $141.00

          1. Table | CHINA: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 7.4.2 China: Products

          $94.00

          1. Table | CHINA: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 7.4.3 China: Markets & Producers

          $118.00

          1. Table | CHINA: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      5. 7.5 Taiwan

        $286.00

        1. 7.5.1 Taiwan: Overview

          $125.00

          1. Table | TAIWAN: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 7.5.2 Taiwan: Products

          $83.00

          1. Table | TAIWAN: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 7.5.3 Taiwan: Markets & Producers

          $82.00

          1. Table | TAIWAN: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      6. 7.6 South Korea

        $258.00

        1. 7.6.1 South Korea: Overview

          $116.00

          1. Table | SOUTH KOREA: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 7.6.2 South Korea: Products

          $82.00

          1. Table | SOUTH KOREA: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 7.6.3 South Korea: Markets & Producers

          $82.00

          1. Table | SOUTH KOREA: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      7. 7.7 Other Asia/Pacific

        $404.00

        1. 7.7.1 Other Asia/Pacific: Overview

          $125.00

          1. Table | OTHER ASIA/PACIFIC: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 7.7.2 Other Asia/Pacific: Products

          $82.00

          1. Table | OTHER ASIA/PACIFIC: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY COUNTRY & PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 7.7.3 Other Asia/Pacific: Countries

          $108.00

        4. 7.7.4 Other Asia/Pacific: Markets & Producers

          $103.00

          1. Table | OTHER ASIA/PACIFIC: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

    8. 8 OTHER REGIONS

      $1,265.00

      1. 8.1 Central & South America

        $725.00

        1. 8.1.1 Central & South America: Economic Overview

          $125.00

          1. Table | CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 8.1.2 Central & South America: Bioplastics Demand

          $87.00

          1. Table | CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT & MARKET (thousand metric tons)

        3. 8.1.3 Brazil

          $306.00

          1. Table | BRAZIL: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

          2. Table | BRAZIL: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

          3. Table | BRAZIL: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

        4. 8.1.4 Other Central & South America

          $207.00

          1. Table | OTHER CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

          2. Table | OTHER CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

          3. Table | OTHER CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      2. 8.2 Eastern Europe

        $282.00

        1. 8.2.1 Eastern Europe: Overview

          $116.00

          1. Table | EASTERN EUROPE: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 8.2.2 Eastern Europe: Products & Countries

          $95.00

          1. Table | EASTERN EUROPE: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY COUNTRY & PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 8.2.3 Eastern Europe: Markets & Producers

          $82.00

          1. Table | EASTERN EUROPE: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

      3. 8.3 Africa/Mideast

        $257.00

        1. 8.3.1 Africa/Mideast: Overview

          $120.00

          1. Table | AFRICA/MIDEAST: BIOPLASTICS SUPPLY & DEMAND (thousand metric tons)

        2. 8.3.2 Africa/Mideast: Products & Countries

          $82.00

          1. Table | AFRICA/MIDEAST: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY PRODUCT (thousand metric tons)

        3. 8.3.3 Africa/Mideast: Markets & Producers

          $82.00

          1. Table | AFRICA/MIDEAST: BIOPLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET (thousand metric tons)

    9. 9 INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

      $6,118.00

      1. 9.1 General

        $82.00

        1. Table | WORLD BIOPLASTICS SALES BY COMPANY, 2012 (million dollars)

      2. 9.2 Market Share

        $201.00

        1. Table | WORLD BIOPLASTICS MARKET SHARE BY COMPANY, 2012 ($1.5 billion)

      3. 9.3 Mergers & Acquisitions

        $105.00

        1. Table | SELECTED ACQUISITIONS & DIVESTITURES

      4. 9.4 Manufacturing Requirements

        $96.00

      5. 9.5 Research & Development

        $89.00

      6. 9.6 Marketing Strategies

        $129.00

      7. 9.7 Channels of Distribution

        $91.00

      8. 9.8 Cooperative Agreements

        $435.00

        1. 9.8.1 Joint Ventures & Manufacturing Agreements

          $82.00

          1. Table | SELECTED JOINT VENTURES & MANUFACTURING AGREEMENTS

        2. 9.8.2 Supply Agreements

          $85.00

          1. Table | SELECTED SUPPLY AGREEMENTS

        3. 9.8.3 Distribution & Marketing Agreements

          $103.00

          1. Table | SELECTED DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING AGREEMENTS

        4. 9.8.4 Product Development & Licensing Agreements

          $156.00

          1. Table | SELECTED PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & LICENSING AGREEMENTS

      9. 9.9 Company Profiles

        $4,771.00

        1. 9.9.1 Arkema SA

          $323.00

        2. 9.9.2 BASF SE

          $118.00

        3. 9.9.3 Braskem SA

          $283.00

        4. 9.9.4 Cardia Bioplastics Limited

          $344.00

        5. 9.9.5 Cargill Incorporated

          $82.00

        6. 9.9.6 Cereplast Incorporated

          $267.00

        7. 9.9.7 Corbion nv

          $334.00

        8. 9.9.8 Daesang Corporation

          $82.00

        9. 9.9.9 DuPont (EI) de Nemours

          $219.00

        10. 9.9.10 Evonik Industries AG

          $140.00

        11. 9.9.11 FKuR Kunststoff GmbH

          $170.00

        12. 9.9.12 Grabio Greentech Corporation

          $82.00

        13. 9.9.13 Green Dot Holdings LLC

          $141.00

        14. 9.9.14 Groupe Limagrain Holding SA

          $90.00

        15. 9.9.15 Innovia Films Limited

          $96.00

        16. 9.9.16 Metabolix Incorporated

          $173.00

        17. 9.9.17 Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation

          $169.00

        18. 9.9.18 NatureWorks LLC

          $350.00

        19. 9.9.19 Newlight Technologies LLC

          $86.00

        20. 9.9.20 Novamont SpA

          $168.00

        21. 9.9.21 Plantic Technologies Limited

          $125.00

        22. 9.9.22 PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited

          $139.00

        23. 9.9.23 Rodenburg Biopolymers BV

          $82.00

        24. 9.9.24 Roquette Frères SA

          $82.00

        25. 9.9.25 Showa Denko KK

          $120.00

        26. 9.9.26 Sphere SA

          $82.00

        27. 9.9.27 StarchTech Incorporated

          $82.00

        28. 9.9.28 Synbra Holding BV

          $82.00

        29. 9.9.29 Teijin Limited

          $82.00

        30. 9.9.30 Tianjin GreenBio Materials Company Limited

          $82.00

        31. 9.9.31 Toray Industries Incorporated

          $129.00

        32. 9.9.32 Wuhan Huali Environmental Technology Company Limited

          $82.00

        33. 9.9.33 Zhejiang Hangzhou Xinfu Pharmaceutical Company Limited

          $82.00

        34. 9.9.34 Zhejiang Hisun Biomaterials Company Limited

          $82.00

      10. 9.10 Other Companies Mentioned in Study

        $123.00

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