| Properties |
Biopolymer |
Petro-based plastics |
| Renewability |
Yes or partially |
No |
| Sustainability |
Yes |
No |
|
Degradability |
Biodegradable and/or
compostable |
Usually non-degradable
(Some are degradable through
polymer oxidation) |
|
Polymer range |
Biopolymers (lipids, proteins,
Starch etc.), Bacterial polymers
(Polyhydroxyalkanoates,
polyhydroxybutyrate) |
Extensive |
| Green house gas emissions |
Low emission |
High emission |
| Utilization of fossil fuels |
Limited utilization |
High utilization |
| Agriculture land utilization |
Expected to increase |
No utilization |
