Page 67 - Plastics News Issue October 2025
P. 67
PRODUCT NEWS
Biodegradable Plastic Films:
Markets, Materials & Adoption
Understanding Biodegradable Plastic Films
Biodegradable packaging films refer to thin
layers of substances that are meant to disinte-
grate under given environmental circumstances.
These films break down to carbon dioxide, wa-
ter, and biomass using the action of microbes,
unlike traditional plastics, which last hundreds of
years. Their attraction is that they are less en-
vironmentally burdensome and still perform just
as well as traditional films.
The biodegradable plastics have been broad-
ened with the introduction of bio-based polymer
films that are made using renewable feedstock,
such as corn, sugarcane, potato starch, and cel-
lulose. Their afterlife destinations, be it an indus-
he plastics industry stands at a juncture, trial composting, home composting, or soil bio-
facing growing scrutiny from regulators, degradation, have become a vital selling point
Tenvironmentalists, and even consumers. among producers and labels keen on following
With the fear of waste buildup and micro plastic through on their sustainability promises.
contamination of the environment, a new type The Materials behind the Market
of material is gaining interest, and that is biode-
gradable packaging film. A new generation of in- It is no longer the market that has one solution.
novative films, produced from renewable materi- Rather, a range of sustainable film materials is
als and designed to degrade at the end of their creating the new trend:
life, is transforming both the food packaging and
agricultural industries. PLA Film Production
This article takes us into a world of changing Polylactic acid (or PLA) has become one of the
compostable plastic sheets, the materials that most commercially feasible in terms of biode-
are fueling the development of the product, and gradable food wraps and packaging in general.
the dynamics of its worldwide adoption. Sus- A product made of fermented plant sugars, PLA
tainable film materials are more of a critical story film manufacturing is transparent, printable, and
today as industries are transitioning to greener rigid, making it applicable in packaging, dispos-
solutions. able tableware, as well as in shrink-wrapping
October 2025 PLASTICS NEWS 67
