About the document:
Communication about bio-based products can be tricky. While much information on bio-based products is available, it is often too technical and difficult to understand for consumers. For this reason, the BioCannDo project developed a series of factsheets with key communication messages on various bio-based products.
This factsheet presents the most important issues about sustainability, functionality and disposal of bio-based food packaging materials in an easy to understand way. The key messages can serve as a basis for communication activities and they have been designed to be shared with other communication initiatives.
Key messages have been developed by the BioCannDo team in exchange with experts from the product field. The key messages have also been tested in consumer focus groups. The lessons learned from this case study are summarized in “Bio-based food packaging”: a slideshow with insights of the perception of bio-based food packaging materials by consumers and professionals.
Summary:
Bio-based packaging materials represent a growing alternative to fossil-based plastics, offering potential environmental advantages while introducing new challenges in sustainability and communication. Traditional bio-based materials include paper and cardboard, which account for about 41% of packaging materials in Europe. These are recyclable and biodegradable but resource-intensive in production, requiring substantial water and energy inputs. Nonetheless, they can incorporate agricultural residues, such as grass or tomato stems, reducing their environmental footprint.
Plastic packaging makes up approximately 19% of total packaging waste, yet only about 1% is currently bio-based. Bio-based plastics fall into two major categories: “drop-in” plastics, chemically identical to fossil-based materials like Bio-PET or Bio-PE; and dedicated bio-based plastics, such as PLA, PHA, PEF, or starch blends, which have no fossil counterparts. Drop-ins integrate smoothly into existing recycling systems, while dedicated bioplastics often face infrastructure and economic challenges due to low production volumes.
A persistent communication issue surrounds terminology. “Bio-based” merely indicates origin from renewable resources and does not necessarily mean biodegradable, compostable, or organic. Oxo-degradable plastics, often misrepresented as “biodegradable,” fragment into microplastics and are therefore banned under EU single-use plastic regulations. Clearer language—distinguishing between renewable origin and biodegradability—is essential for consumers and policymakers alike.
The sustainability of bio-based packaging depends heavily on feedstock management and life-cycle assessment. While bio-based plastics can reduce CO₂ emissions (e.g., PLA production emits 60% less CO₂ than conventional plastics), they often score worse in acidification and eutrophication due to fertilizer and pesticide use in biomass cultivation. Environmentally responsible practices—such as using agricultural by-products and maintaining biodiversity—are critical to ensuring that bio-based packaging delivers genuine environmental benefits. Currently, less than 0.02% of global agricultural land is used for bio-based plastics, highlighting vast potential for sustainable scale-up.
End-of-life management remains a key issue. The preferred hierarchy includes prevention, reuse, and recycling. All bio-based plastics can theoretically be recycled, but only drop-in types can currently be processed in existing systems. Others are usually incinerated, with bio-based incineration being carbon-neutral since it re-releases previously captured CO₂. Composting should only be used when recycling is not feasible, such as for contaminated packaging (e.g., tea bags). Even biodegradable materials require industrial composting conditions and should not be discarded in nature.
Bio-based packaging also contributes to food preservation and waste reduction. Innovative materials like PLA and PEF offer gas permeability and barrier properties that extend shelf life and maintain product quality, potentially reducing the 20% of food wasted annually in the EU. For example, replacing PET with PEF enables thinner, more efficient packaging with superior UV and gas barriers.
Finally, numerous EU-funded projects—such as BIOSMART, PULPACKTION, FRESH, BioBarr, SHERPACK, RefuCoat, and PEFerence—are developing next-generation smart, compostable, and high-performance bio-based packaging. These initiatives aim to overcome current technical and economic barriers, paving the way for a more circular and sustainable packaging economy.