Bioplastics and Petroleum-based Plastics: Strengths and Weaknesses

the eutrophication; the abioticdepletion; and many others directly related tothe production, utilization, and disposal of the considered plastics. The aim of thiswork is to present a comparison between bioplastics and conventional plastics throughthe use of the “Life Cycle Assessment” methodology. In particular, the life cycleassessment’s Cradle to Grave of shoppers made from Mater-Bi (starch-based plastic)an polyethylene were reported and compared as a case study in order to highlightthe strengths and weaknesses of the bioplastics and the conventional plastics.; the acidification; the human toxicity; The application of biomass, such as starch, cellulose, wood, and sugar,used to substitute fossil resources for the production of plastics, is a widely acceptedstrategy towards sustainable development. In fact, this way a significant reductionof non renewable energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission is accomplished.In recent years, several typologies of bioplastics were introduced and the most importantare those based on cellulosic esters, starch derivatives, polyhydroxybutyrate,polylactic acid, and polycaprolactone. Nowadays, the most important tool to evaluatethe environmental impact of a (bio)plastic is the life cycle assessment that determinesthe overall impact of a plastic on the environment by defining and analyzing severalimpact categories index like the global warming