Bio-Based

According to the definition of European Bioplastics, the term biopolymers is used for polymers which are:

–        made from bio-based (i.e. renewable) resources
–        biodegradable
–        a combination of both bio-based and biodegradable

The term “bio-based” only describes that a polymer is made from a significant amount of renewable carbon.

Bio-based is often incorrectly referred to as biodegradable. Biodegradability is a functional property which is determined by the chemical structure of a polymer and not by the origin of the starting material. Hence, biodegradable polymers are not necessarily bio-based.