Bioplastics areplasticmaterials that are made frombiomass sources. These includevegetable fats and oils,corn starch,straw andfood waste. Some bioplastics are made directly fromnatural biopolymers such aspolysaccharides (e.g.,starch andcellulose) andproteins (e.g.gluten, andgelatin). Others arechemically synthesised fromsugarderivatives andlipids. In contrast, common plastics, also called petro-based polymers, are made frompetroleum ornatural gas.
One good thing about bioplastics is is that they are not made fromfossil fuel. This is good because there is only a limited amount of fossil fuels. They also can not be found everywhere. This leads topetroleum politics and affects theenvironment. Studies show that some bioplastics can be made with a lowercarbon footprint. Other bioplastics' processes are less efficient and cause a higher carbon footprint than fossil plastics.[1][2][3]
