Bioplastic production in terms of life cycle assessment: A state-of-the- art review

The current transition to sustainability and the circular economy can be viewed as a socio-technical response to environmental impacts and the need to enhance the overall performance of the linear production and consumption paradigm. The concept of biowaste refineries as a feasible alternative to petroleum refineries has gained popularity. Biowaste has become an important raw material source for developing bioproducts and biofuels. Therefore, effective environmental biowaste management systems for the production of bioproducts and biofuels are crucial and can be employed as pillars of a circular economy. Bioplastics, typically plastics manufactured from bio-based polymers, stand to contribute to more sustainable commercial plastic life cycles as part of a circular economy in which virgin polymers are made from renewable or recycled raw materials. Various frameworks and strategies are utilized to model and illustrate additional patterns in fossil fuel and bioplastic feedstock prices for various governments' long-term policies. This review paper highlights the harmful impacts of fossil-based plastic on the environment and human health, as well as the mass need for eco-friendly alternatives such as biode-gradable bioplastics. Utilizing new types of bioplastics derived from renewable resources (e.g., biowastes, agricultural wastes, or microalgae) and choosing the appropriate end-of-life option (e.g., anaerobic digestion) may be the right direction to ensure the sustainability of bioplastic production. Clear regu-lation and financial incentives are still required to scale from niche polymers to large-scale bioplastic market applications with a truly sustainable impact. (c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

The transition to sustainability and the circular economy is a response to environmental impacts and the need to improve the linear production and consumption model. Biowaste refineries are gaining popularity as an alternative to petroleum refineries. Biowaste is an important source for developing bioproducts and biofuels, and effective environmental management systems are crucial for a circular economy. Bioplastics made from renewable or recycled materials can contribute to more sustainable plastic life cycles. Regulation and financial incentives are needed to scale up bioplastic production for a truly sustainable impact.