1. Price issue. At this stage, the price of bioplastics is two or three times higher than that of ordinary plastics, which hinders the rapid popularization of such materials. Some Japanese companies use bioplastics in their products, mainly to establish an environmental image of the company. However, once bioplastics enter the mass production stage, the cost can be greatly reduced.
2. Bioplastics, like biofuels, may compete with people for food. Biofuels come from corn, wheat, and other food crops, which will drive up the world's food prices. Bioplastics made of corn and other raw materials may also cause the same problem. Scientists in Japan, the United States and other countries have begun to use waste wood and weeds to make bioplastics.
3. The supply of bioplastics is still relatively limited. To a certain extent, product prices are still driven by oil prices.
Fourth, the end-of-life management of bioplastics. The focus is on the pollution of the PLA bottle to the regeneration stream. Although the current PLA level does not pose a serious threat of pollution, a large number of PLA bottles will be harmful to the recycling economy of PET bottles.
5. Lack of a unified bioplastic labeling method.
6. Consumer awareness of bioplastics is increasing, but most consumers do not know how to distinguish these materials—such as biomaterials and biodegradable materials, or renewable materials and recycled content—and how to balance different attributes. Therefore, it is important to strengthen the promotion of consumers, such as accurately explaining the definition of related terms. In addition, consumers know little about the best disposal route for biodegradable materials. It is also especially important for the bioplastics industry to strengthen marketing to eliminate the distrust of some consumers.
7. The issue of global warming. Bioplastics can be biodegraded to varying degrees. It points out a way for the world to no longer rely on petroleum to produce plastics. But the "green argument" of the manufacturer is overly complicated, and environmentalists also have reservations about it. The production of bioplastics will produce carbon dioxide, leading to global warming.
8. Doubts about the safety of genetically modified materials. The raw materials used in bioplastics are crops-corn, switchgrass, sugar cane, and even sweet potatoes-which require land and water to grow. To promote fermentation, manufacturers often use genetically modified organisms, and recycling of this plastic also has some shortcomings.