Keywords
Sustainability
Sustainable development
Life cycle assessment
Bioplastics
How to Cite
Abstract
Objective: This article aims to critically analyze the life-cycle-related environmental potential of bioplastics and their technical, economic, and regulatory limitations within the circular economy.
Method: The study is exploratory and qualitative and adopts a narrative bibliographic and documentary review with a structured search protocol. Peer-reviewed literature and institutional documents on circular economy, life cycle assessment, bioplastics, microplastics, waste management, and environmental regulation were selected using explicit eligibility criteria and analyzed through deductive-inductive thematic categorization.
Results: The results indicate that bioplastics can contribute to reducing dependence on fossil resources, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and diversifying end-of-life routes, such as mechanical recycling, industrial composting, chemical recycling, anaerobic digestion, and energy recovery. However, these benefits depend on the type of raw material, production route, polymer characteristics, collection and treatment infrastructure, adequate labeling, consumer behavior, and supportive public policies.
Originality/Relevance: The article contributes to the debate on bioplastics by emphasizing that their environmental performance cannot be assumed generically, but must be assessed through a life cycle and circular economy perspective.
Theoretical/methodological contributions: The study systematizes the main opportunities and limitations of bioplastics, connecting material classification, end-of-life alternatives, microplastic risks, and regulatory challenges.
Social/management contributions: The findings support decision-making by companies, policymakers, and waste management actors seeking more sustainable material strategies.
References
Abdalla, F. A., & Sampaio, A. C. F. (2018). Os novos princípios e conceitos inovadores da economia circular. Entorno Geográfico, 15, 82–102. https://revistas.univalle.edu.co/index.php/entornogeografico/article/view/6512
ABIPLAST. (2023). Bioplástico oxi-degradável e biodegradável: qual a diferença entre esses plásticos? https://www.abiplast.org.br/sala-de-imprensa/bioplastico-oxidegradavel-e-biodegradavel-qual-a-diferenca-entre-esses-plasticos-2/
Amorim, D. P. L. (2019). Bioplásticos: dos benefícios sustentáveis e ascensão da produção. Revista Metropolitana de Sustentabilidade, 9(1), 85–99. http://www.revistaseletronicas.fmu.br/index.php/rms/article/view/1958
Barros, E. F. F., Leal, F. C., Geroldo, L. M., Araújo, L. A., & Carlet, R. (2023). Produção de bioplástico à base de amido de batata reforçado com fibra vegetal: Uma alternativa ao uso do plástico. ETEC Cel. Fernando Febeliano da Costa.
Bishop, G., Styles, D., & Lens, P. N. L. (2021). Environmental performance comparison of bioplastics and petrochemical plastics: A review of life cycle assessment (LCA) methodological decisions. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 168, Article 105451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105451
Braskem. (n.d.). I'm green™ bio-based. https://www.braskem.com.br/imgreen/home-en
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Braungart, M., McDonough, W., & Bollinger, A. (2007). Cradle-to-cradle design: Creating healthy emissions: A strategy for eco-effective product and system design. Journal of Cleaner Production, 15(13–14), 1337–1348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2006.08.003
Brazil, Chamber of Deputies. (2020). Bill No. 1,228/2020: Prohibits the manufacture, import, distribution, and sale of single-use plastic products. https://www.camara.leg.br/propostas-legislativas/2239179
Bugatti, C., de Almeida, K. C., de Araújo Guimarães, M. S., & Amâncio, N. D. F. G. (2023). Microplásticos e nanoplásticos e sua relevância na saúde humana: Uma revisão de literatura. Research, Society and Development, 12(1), e6712139302. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v12i1.39302
Castro, T. H. M. (2019). Bioplásticos: Impactos ambientais e perspectivas de mercado [Master’s dissertation, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro]. Instituto Alberto Luiz Coimbra de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa de Engenharia. https://www.ppe.ufrj.br/images/publicações/mestrado/Thais_Hessab._MESTRADO_2019.pdf
de Souza Machado, A. A., Lau, C. W., Kloas, W., Bergmann, J., Bachelier, J. B., Faltin, E., Becker, R., Görlich, A. S., & Rillig, M. C. (2019). Microplastics can change soil properties and affect plant performance. Environmental Science & Technology, 53(10), 6044–6052. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b01339
Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2013). Towards the circular economy: Economic and business rationale for an accelerated transition. https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/towards-the-circular-economy-vol-1-an-economic-and-business-rationale-for-an
European Bioplastics. (2016). Bioplastics: Facts and figures. https://www.european-bioplastics.org
European Bioplastics. (2020). Environmental communications guide for bioplastics. https://www.european-bioplastics.org
Fortuna, A. L. L. (2020). Bioplásticos: Uma alternativa sustentável aos plásticos convencionais [Undergraduate thesis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro]. Pantheon Institutional Repository. https://pantheon.ufrj.br/bitstream/11422/12581/1/ALLFortuna.pdf
Geissdoerfer, M., Savaget, P., Bocken, N. M. P., & Hultink, E. J. (2017). The circular economy: A new sustainability paradigm? Journal of Cleaner Production, 143, 757–768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.048
Gross, R. A., & Kalra, B. (2002). Biodegradable polymers for the environment. Science, 297(5582), 803–806. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.297.5582.803
Hawken, P., Lovins, A. B., & Lovins, L. H. (1999). Natural capitalism: Creating the next industrial revolution. Little, Brown and Company.
Hofer, C., Cantor, D. E., & Dai, J. (2012). The competitive determinants of a firm’s environmental management activities: Evidence from US manufacturing industries. Journal of Operations Management, 30(1–2), 69–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2011.10.002
InnProBio. (2015). Forum for Bio-Based Innovation in Public Procurement (Horizon 2020 Grant Agreement No. 652599). CORDIS. https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/652599
Kirchherr, J., Reike, D., & Hekkert, M. (2017). Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 127, 221–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.09.005
Korhonen, J., Honkasalo, A., & Seppälä, J. (2018). Circular economy: The concept and its limitations. Ecological Economics, 143, 37–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.06.041
Mussatto, S. I., Dragone, G., & Roberto, I. C. (2006). Brewers’ spent grain: Generation, characteristics and potential applications. Journal of Cereal Science, 43(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2005.06.001
OECD. (2013). Policies for bioplastics in the context of a bioeconomy (OECD Science, Technology and Industry Policy Papers No. 10). OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/5k3xpf9rrw6d-en
OECD. (2022). Global plastics outlook: Policy scenarios to 2060. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/aa1edf33-en
Parveen, N., Naik, S. V. C. S., Vanapalli, K. R., & Sharma, H. B. (2024). Bioplastic packaging in circular economy: A systems-based policy approach for multi-sectoral challenges. Science of the Total Environment, 945, Article 173893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173893
Pooja, N., Chakraborty, I., Rahman, M. H., & Mazumder, N. (2023). An insight on sources and biodegradation of bioplastics: A review. 3 Biotech, 13(7), Article 220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-023-03638-4
Raupp, F., Limberger, S. J., & Selig, P. M. (2008). A convergência na implantação conjunta das técnicas de produção mais limpa e o mecanismo de desenvolvimento limpo. In Anais do X Encontro Nacional de Gestão Empresarial e Meio Ambiente. ENGEMA.
Reike, D., Vermeulen, W. J. V., & Witjes, S. (2018). The circular economy: New or refurbished as CE 3.0? Exploring controversies in the conceptualization of the circular economy through a focus on history and resource value retention options. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 135, 246–264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.08.027
Rosenboom, J. G., Langer, R., & Traverso, G. (2022). Bioplastics for a circular economy. Nature Reviews Materials, 7(2), 117–137. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-021-00407-8
São Paulo (State). (2019). Law No. 17,110, of July 12, 2019: Prohibits the supply of plastic straws in the State of São Paulo. https://www.al.sp.gov.br/repositorio/legislacao/lei/2019/lei-17110-12.07.2019.html
Schaulet, N. S., Ribeiro, V. G., & Jacques, J. J. (2024). Panorama histórico do uso de plásticos convencionais e biodegradáveis. In Anais do XII Encontro de Sustentabilidade em Projeto. Even3. https://www.even3.com.br/ensus2024/
Spierling, S., Venkatachalam, V., Mudersbach, M., Becker, N., Herrmann, C., & Endres, H. J. (2020). End-of-life options for bio-based plastics in a circular economy: Status quo and potential from a life cycle assessment perspective. Resources, 9(7), Article 90. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9070090
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
United Nations Environment Programme. (2026). Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution. https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution
Van Roijen, E. C., & Miller, S. A. (2022). A review of bioplastics at end-of-life: Linking experimental biodegradation studies and life cycle impact assessments. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 181, Article 106236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106236
Wang, L., Pei, W., Li, J., Feng, Y., Gao, X., Jiang, P., ... Li, L. (2024). Microplastics induced apoptosis in macrophages by promoting ROS generation and altering metabolic profiles. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 271, Article 115970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.115970
World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our common future. Oxford University Press.