Reports on bio-based plastics | Knowledge for policy

Bioeconomy

Access the latest, most impactful science-based works on bio-based plastics from multiple sources.

Plastics materials flows in the EU-27 and their environmental impacts (JRC, 2025)
The potential of emerging bio-based products to reduce environmental impacts (Zuiderveen, E.A.R., Kuipers, K.J.J., Caldeira, C. et al., 2023)
Sustainability of biobased plastics – Analysis focusing on CO₂ for policies (CE Delft, 2023)
Bio-based and biodegradable plastics: facts and figures – focus on food packaging in the Netherlands (van den Oever, M., Molenveld, K., van der Zee, M., & Bos, H., 2017)
Plant-based materials and transitioning to a circular economy (R. Shogren, D. Wood, W. Orts, and G. Glenn, Sustainable Production and Consumption, 2019)
The development and challenges of poly (lactic acid) and poly (glycolic acid) (K. J. Jem and B. Tan, Advanced Industrial and Engineering Polymer Research, 2020)
Paving the way for biobased materials: a roadmap for the market introduction of PHAs (K. Molenveld, W. Post, S. F. Ferreira, G. de Sévaux, and M. Hartstra, 2022)
Towards circular carbo-chemicals – the metamorphosis of petrochemicals (J. P. Lange, Energy & Environmental Science, 2021)
Substituting conventional products with bioeconomy innovations: analysis of potential environmental impacts using a Life Cycle Assessment perspective (T. Sinkko, C. Casonato, A. Valenzano, P. Wierzgala, and G. Listorti, 2025)
Biodegradable and compostable plastics — challenges and opportunities (EEA, Briefing No. 09, 2020)
Biobased plastic – Sustainable sourcing and content – Final report (European Commission: Directorate-General for Environment, Trinomics, Wageningen and Wood, 2022)

Originally published	26 Jan 2026
Knowledge service \| Metadata	Bioeconomy \| Bio-based plastics \| Bio-based chemicals and materials
Digital Europa Thesaurus (DET)	bio-industry bio-based product circular economy bioeconomy Life cycle assessment biodegradability plastics

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Commission launches call for interest in the European Bioeconomy Investment Deployment Group

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