Bioplastics for food packaging

Advancements in technologies and applications continue to drive the market for bioplastics. From 2014-2025, the market is expected to reach $96,627 million, reflecting a growth of 20.9% CAGR, according to Progressive Markets in its latest report, Global Bioplastics Market - Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014 - 2025.

Alternative to conventional plastics, bioplastics can be produced from used cooking oil, algae, sugarcane, corn, and other renewable sources, and they fully biodegrade into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass. Industries are looking to increase their use of bioplastics where possible, given these characteristics.

In countries like the Philippines where plastic waste is massive while recycling processes and practices have yet to improve, bioplastics use is a part of the solution. This is good news for the F&B industry, which uses huge amounts of plastic packaging materials, many of which are often disposed of after only one use, resulting in mounting landfills.  

Dr Engr Leslie Joy Lanticse-Diaz, an Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City considers bioplastics the future of food packaging industry. To address environmental sustainability despite the strong dependence on plastics, one of the actions taken is the fabrication and usage of bioplastic as food packaging material, she said.

As one of the guest speakers at the Plastics Applications in Food & Beverage Packaging Summit 2018, a conference organised by Ringier Events, Dr Engr Lanticse-Diaz has prepared the presentation titled Bioplastic for Food Packaging: A Disruptive Innovation.

She teaches basic to advance courses in Materials Science and Engineering as well as Environmental Engineering. Her experience in plastics includes working on biodegradable polymeric and composite materials synthesized from local raw materials for applications in the packaging and medical industries. She has conducted R&D projects funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and internal research grants in the University, and has numerous paper presentations and publications on materials design, synthesis, processing, testing, characterization, and application.