Six biopolymer technologies, one goal: replacing petroleum-based plastic
Not all bioplastics are the same, and no single material is right for every application.
We work across six core biopolymer technologies — PHA, PBS, PBAT, PLA, Cellulose, and TPS — each with a distinct origin, processing behavior, and biodegradation profile. Below is an overview of what each technology is, where its strengths lie, and where it fits within a broader materials strategy.
PHA
PHA is a family of biodegradable polyesters produced by microbial fermentation, typically from sugars, plant oils, or waste feedstocks. Because it is made by living organisms rather than synthesized from petroleum, PHA breaks down completely and naturally in soil, freshwater, and marine environments, without leaving microplastic residue behind. It also holds an industrial and home compostability certification, which is not true of every bioplastic on the market. Mechanically, PHA can be engineered across a wide range of properties, from rigid and brittle to soft and elastic, by adjusting the microbial strain and fermentation conditions, which makes it adaptable to films, rigid packaging, fibers, and coatings. Its biocompatibility also opens it up to medical and pharmaceutical uses that most bioplastics cannot touch. The trade-off is cost: fermentation-based production is currently more expensive than starch- or petroleum-based alternatives, which is why PHA is typically positioned for applications where true marine and soil biodegradability is a requirement, not just a preference.
PBS
PBS is a biodegradable polyester produced by polymerizing succinic acid with butanediol. Both building blocks can be sourced from petroleum or increasingly from bio-based feedstocks, which means PBS can be positioned anywhere on the spectrum from partially to fully bio-based, depending on formulation. Its standout property is a processing behavior very close to polypropylene and polyethylene, so manufacturers can run PBS on existing plastic processing equipment with minimal retooling — a practical advantage that lowers the barrier to adoption. PBS offers good thermal resistance and toughness compared to many other biodegradable polymers, making it suitable for injection-molded parts, agricultural films, and rigid packaging that need to withstand more handling than a typical compostable film. It biodegrades under industrial composting conditions and, depending on formulation, in soil. PBS is frequently blended with starch, PLA, or PBAT to balance cost, flexibility, and biodegradation rate, making it a common building block in multi-material compostable packaging systems rather than a stand-alone material.
PBAT
PBAT is a biodegradable co-polyester known primarily for the flexibility and tear resistance it brings to compostable films. Structurally, it behaves similarly to conventional low-density polyethylene, giving it the stretch and toughness needed for bags, mulch films, and flexible packaging, an area where many rigid bioplastics fall short. PBAT is certified compostable under industrial composting standards, and it is rarely used on its own — it is most often blended with PLA or starch to offset PLA's brittleness while retaining biodegradability, producing a film that is both flexible and reliably compostable. This blending role is what makes PBAT so widely used in compost bags, produce bags, and mulch films despite being one component rather than the finished material. One consideration for buyers is that PBAT is still largely produced from fossil-based building blocks, so while it is fully biodegradable, it is not automatically bio-based; sourcing bio-based PBAT requires specifying it explicitly, since standard PBAT and bio-based PBAT are not interchangeable on that front.
PLA
PLA is the most widely produced bio-based plastic in the world, made by fermenting plant sugars (commonly corn or sugarcane) into lactic acid and then polymerizing it. It is fully bio-based and industrially compostable, with a transparency and rigidity that make it a close visual substitute for PET and polystyrene in cups, trays, films, and rigid packaging. PLA also processes well on standard plastic equipment, including injection molding, thermoforming, and extrusion, which has helped drive its scale and relatively lower cost compared to fermentation-based alternatives like PHA. The two limitations buyers should know: PLA is brittle and has a relatively low heat-deflection temperature, so it can deform in hot-fill or hot-holding applications and needs impact modifiers or blending for tougher parts. It is also compostable primarily under industrial composting conditions with sustained heat and moisture, not in home compost bins or open environments, so end-of-life claims need to specify industrial composting rather than general biodegradability to avoid misleading customers.
Cellulose
Cellulose is the most abundant natural polymer on earth, extracted from wood pulp, cotton, or agricultural residues and processed into materials such as cellophane, cellulose acetate, and nanocellulose composites. Its biggest advantage is source availability and a long track record: cellulose-based films have been used in packaging for close to a century, giving it regulatory and consumer familiarity that newer biopolymers don't have. Cellulose films offer excellent barrier properties against oxygen and grease, making them well suited to food packaging, and they biodegrade readily in soil, compost, and marine environments in their unmodified forms. Chemically modified versions like cellulose acetate trade off some biodegradability for improved moisture resistance and mechanical strength, so the sustainability profile depends heavily on which cellulose derivative is used. Emerging nanocellulose materials, derived by breaking cellulose fibers down to the nanoscale, are being developed as reinforcing agents that can improve the strength of other bioplastics like PLA and PHA without adding synthetic content.
TPS
TPS is produced by plasticizing native starch, typically from corn, potato, or cassava, using heat, pressure, and a plasticizer such as glycerol to break down starch's crystalline structure into a moldable thermoplastic. It is one of the lowest-cost bio-based polymers available, since it is derived directly from an abundant agricultural commodity without the fermentation step that materials like PHA and PLA require. TPS biodegrades quickly and completely in soil and compost, often faster than other bioplastics, which makes it attractive for short-life applications like loose-fill packaging, disposable cutlery, and agricultural films. Its main limitation is sensitivity to moisture: TPS can absorb water from the air, which affects its dimensional stability and mechanical properties over time. For this reason, TPS is rarely used alone in demanding applications and is commonly blended with more moisture-resistant polymers such as PBAT or PLA, combining starch's low cost and fast biodegradation with the durability of its blend partner.