From environmental thinking in economics to bioplastics: promising material for a sustainable (bio)economy

Abstract

The demand and concerns for sustainable production, environmentally friendly products, as well as conscious consumption are increasing, although environmental thinking in economics is nothing new. Bioeconomy is presented as a potential solution to overcome various challenges modern society faces. The power of the bioeconomy lies in replacing fossil resources with renewables to produce various goods. Even plastics, the essential materials of our time, might be made from renewable biological resources. However, bioplastics are often discussed when it comes to the sustainability of their production, but also concerning the proper waste management or even their circularity. The task is very complex, and it is needed to take both environmental and socio-economic impacts into consideration. Currently, we might perceive various prerequisites and barriers, that are typically of a socio-economic, technological, but also political character, which must be addressed to meet the full potential of viable bioplastics production and their introduction to the market. The purpose of this paper is to provide the theoretical basis for bioeconomy production, in particular, the bioplastics, based on a narrative literature review of topics ranging from environmental thinking in economics, through biotechnology to plastics, to be able to set research questions and determine gaps in the research for the upcoming dissertation thesis. Although I used mainly Web of Science, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, I also searched for books and reports to gather valuable information and achieve the complexity of this review. I found several gaps ranging from the financial perspective to a wider assessment of the potential of bioplastics and their production not only from the business perspective, but also environmental impact and sustainability, or even adequate policy support and regulatory framework that might help their production and market introduction.