# Harnessing Agri-Food Waste as a Source of Biopolymers for Agriculture
## 4 Conclusions  
Fossil-based plastics represent one of the greatest problems of this last century; being fabricated from non-renewable resources and being (mostly) non-biodegradable, they contribute to GHG emissions and pollution both at the beginning and at the end of their life [137].  
This review explores the feasibility of converting AFW into biopolymers and the possible employment of this in agriculture as much films, hydrogels, biocides, biostimulants, soil stabilizers, and for seed, fruit, and vegetable coatings [14; 15]. Biopolymers can represent a good alternative to fossil-derived plastic, as they are renewable and often biodegradable. Replacing conventional plastics with biopolymers is desirable, as it represents a significant step towards sustainability, given the ubiquitous use of polymers across various industries.  
The agricultural sector, and, more broadly, the food industry, would be one of the first fields to benefit from the use of biopolymers, as they can help mitigate the environmental footprint of an industry already heavily impacting the environment. Moreover, the employment of biopolymers would improve the safety of the food produced, as microplastics are a potential health hazard that is becoming more and more alarming [138]. Furthermore, the capacity of biopolymers to biodgrade helps to simplify the agricultural process (e.g., munching films composed by biopolymers do not have to be removed anymore since they naturally biodegrade). However, some gaps still need to be filled for biopolymers to be considered a valid commercial alternative to fossil-based plastic; further research should be done on the improvement of mechanical properties of biopolymers. Indeed, since they are often too fragile for their intended use, mixtures of biopolymers pose as a feasible alternative to modulate the polymer features, making them suitable for the intended application.  
According to an economic point of view, the employment of AFW helps with cutting the cost of operations, but not enough to compete with traditional plastic biopolymers. An overall process optimization is necessary to improve employment and popularity of biopolymers in the agricultural field. The employment of a cascade process where more than one compound is produced from AFW can help to cut the cost of production, by producing value-added products. In processes where microbial production is concerned, optimization of the fermentation parameters and genetic strain improvement are crucial for the economic feasibility of the process.  
Future actions should focus on researching ways to optimize processes, in order to make them more economically viable and more environmentally friendly. Each region should focus on local AFW production to reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions caused by transportation. Furthermore, investing in renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind energy to enhance AFW, can further strengthen sustainability efforts, ensuring that our actions can pave the way for a greener and more sustainable future.  
When the process of converting AFW into biopolymers is optimized and scaled at the industrial level, the costs of the final product will be reduced, and biopolymers can become more competitive than traditional plastic, thus making the agro-industrial sector more sustainable.  
Writing--original draft preparation, C.V. and M.V.; writing--review and editing, S.T., E.C.G. and G.C.; supervision, C.F. and S.T. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This work was supported by the University of Turin (Ricerca Locale 2023), and the Agritech National Research Center and received funding from the European Union Next-GenerationEU (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR)--missione 4 componente 2, investimento 1.4--D.D. 1032 17/06/2022, CN00000022).