Global production capacities of bioplastics 2022-2027
Global production capacities of bioplastics 2022 (by material type)
Global production capacities of bioplastics 2027 (by material type)
Continued growth: global production capacities of bioplastics 2022-2027
Bioplastics currently represent still less than one percent of the more than 390 million tonnes of plastic produced annually1. 
After stagnating in 2020, mainly due to Covid-19, the overall global plastic production increased again in 2021. With regards 
to bioplastics production capacities projected for 2022, there is new momentum as well. This development is driven by ris-
ing demand combined with the emergence of more sophisticated applications and products. Global bioplastics production 
capacity is set to increase significantly from around 2.23 million tonnes in 2022 to approximately 6.3 million tonnes in 2027. 
BIOPLASTICS MARKET 
DEVELOPMENT 
UPDATE 2022
Material development and diversification
Bioplastic alternatives exist for almost every conventional plastic material and corresponding application. Due to a strong 
development of polymers, such as PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoates), polylactic acid (PLA), PAs (polyamides) as well as a steady 
growth of Polypropylene (PP), the production capacities will continue to increase significantly and diversify within the next 5 
years.
* PEF is currently in development and predicted to be available at commercial scale in 2023 
** Regenerated cellulose films
*** Regenerated cellulose films
1 World plastics production 2021, Plastics Europe, 2022.

Applications and market segments
Bioplastics are used for an increasing variety of ap-
plications, ranging from packaging and consumer 
products to electronics, automotive, and textiles. 
Packaging remains the largest market segment for 
bioplastics with 48 percent (1.07 million tonnes) of the 
total bioplastics market in 2022.
About this market data update
The market data update 2022 has been compiled in cooperation with the market experts of the nova-Institute (Hürth, Germany).
The market data graphs are available for download on http://www.european-bioplastics.org/news/publications/
Land use estimation for bioplastics 2022 and 2027
Global production capacities of bioplastics 2022 (by market segment)
Phone: +49 .30 28 48 23 50 
Email: info@european-bioplastics.org 
Email: press@european-bioplastics.org
European Bioplastics 
Marienstraße 19-20 
10117 Berlin
For more information please visit: 
www.european-bioplastics.org 
twitter.com/EUBioplastics
December 2022
Land use share for bioplastics estimated to be at 0.015 percent of the global agricultural area
The land used to grow the renewable feedstock needed to produce bioplastics is estimated to only slightly increase to ap-
proximately 0.8 million hectares in 2022. This accounts for around 0.015 percent of the global agricultural area of roughly 5.0 
billion hectares. Along with the projected increase of bioplastics production in 2027, the land use share is expected to increase 
to around 0.06 percent. In relation to the available agricultural area, this share is minimal. Thus, there is no competition be-
tween the renewable feedstock for food and feed and the production of bioplastics.
BIOPLASTICS MARKET UPDATE 2022 | European Bioplastics