Future-proofing plastic waste management for a circular bioeconomy

Environmental concerns related to plastic pollution have imposed a challenge to academia, industries and governments to promote alternative and sustainable solutions from international to subnational levels. Advances in biotechnology and polymer chemistry have allowed obtaining carbon-neutral building blocks from different feedstocks (biomass, waste and residues) and the synthesis of more versatile biobased plastics with improved properties and functionalities. Such recent developments permit their applicability in general and engineering applications and ensure their recyclability through different paths. However, biobased plastics can present distinct chemical structures from fossil-based ones and disturb the current recycling of plastics and hence inhibit the closure of plastic cycles, which is undesirable, given the current focus on a transition towards a circular economy. This article provides a critical overview of the recent (bio)technological advances for more sustainable production of biobased plastics. It also discusses the main challenges that such novel products might impose on current waste management streams and highlight potential strategies to overcome them.