• Recently a study conducted by Boon revealed that bioplastics are as harmful for nature as plastics. So, shifting to plastics made from plants, which is promoted as climate-friendly, does not do any good for the climate.
• The harmful consequences of plastic like depletion of fossil fuels and climate changes led to the use of an alternative known as bioplastic. The study suggests bioplastics have a less positive impact on climate than it was expected to do. Increase in bioplastic consumption in future will generate an increase in greenhouse gas emissions from cropland expansion throughout the world.
• Bioplastics are climate-neutral because they are based on raw materials which are renewable, like maize, sugar cane or wheat. Despite having a long list of advantages like reducing human carbon footprints, fewer use of non-renewable raw materials, more energy savings during production and others, researchers say, with the current technology, the issue might be unclear than is assumed.
• The production of bioplastics in large amounts would change land use globally. This could potentially lead to an increase in conversion of forest areas to arable land. However, forests absorb considerably more CO2 than maize or sugar cane annually, if only because of their larger biomass.

About Bioplastic:

• Bioplastics are developed as an alternative to the petroleum-based plastics. Increased use of petroleum-based plastics is associated with producing more greenhouse gases. Bioplastics are not just one single product; they consist of a whole family of products with different properties and applications. A plastic material is considered as a bioplastic if it is either bio-based, biodegradable, or features both properties.
• Bio-based plastics means they are developed form biomass (plants) such as corn, sugarcane, vegetable oil or wood pulp. Biodegradable plastics are those which possess the characteristics of biodegradability and composability. They can be converted into natural substances like water, carbon dioxide, and compost by the action of micro-organisms in the environment. Biodegradable plastics are either bio-based or petroleum-based. It means expect petroleum-based non-biodegradable plastics all other plastics are considered as bioplastics.

Analysis

• Bioplastics are better than petro plastics in terms of fossil-fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency. But in terms of cost and applicability, bioplastics are inferior to petro plastics. Bioplastic production requires almost 80% of the energy required to produce common plastic. Biodegradable plastics are easy to recycle and are non-toxic.
• In India, the bioplastic market is still at a nascent stage. The demand for bioplastics growing at a slow rate and it increases with raising awareness among citizens.
• And on the hand, Plastics are usually made from petroleum, with the associated impacts in terms of fossil fuel depletion but also climate change. The carbon embodied in fossil resources is suddenly released to the atmosphere by degradation or burning, hence contributing to global warming.
• This corresponds to about 400 million metric tonnes of CO2 per year worldwide, almost half of the total greenhouse gases that Germany emitted to the atmosphere in 2017. It is estimated that by 2050, plastics could already be responsible for 15% of the global CO2 emissions.