Unpacking the Raw Materials that make Eco-Products Foodservice Packaging: Bioplastics

We offer a variety of products that balance environmental, performance, economic, and market needs. Our product offering is divided into three lines defined by raw material types and end-of-life potential. Our GreenStripe® line of products is made with renewable resources such as sugarcane, corn, and tree fiber, and designed for composting at end of life. This article will explore bioplastics as a raw material in our GreenStripe ® line of products.

The term ‘bioplastic’ can span a variety of materials and end-of-life scenarios.

While there isn’t a single standardized definition for bioplastics, a commonly used one, such as the one proposed by European Bioplastics, defines them as plastics that are either biobased, biodegradable, or feature both properties. Packaging made with bioplastics can be tested and certified for compostability, and may possess either biobased or biodegradable properties, or both. While the biobased criteria relates to what the material is made from, the biodegradability criteria refers to the ability for the material to degrade by the action of microorganisms. Packaging made with bioplastics can also be tested and certified for compostability to prove they can degrade in commercial composting conditions.

At Eco-Products, we are committed to producing foodservice products that can be composted alongside food and yard waste to create compost. That’s why we design, test, and certify our products to meet compostability standards.

It is important to note that just because a material is biobased does not mean it is biodegradable or that the product made from this material is compostable. Similarly, just because a material is biodegradable does not mean it is biobased. Additionally, several states have prohibited the use of the term “biodegradable” in relation to plastic products.³

Read more about this concept in the End-of-Life section of this article.

Product Attributes/Characteristics
Bioplastic products in our GreenStripe ® line include cold cups, lined hot cups, containers, lids, and cutlery.

The bioplastics used to make some Eco-Products items may include PLA (polylactic acid), PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), and PBAT (polybutylene adipate terephthalate).

PLA can be derived from plants like corn, sugarcane, or cassava. These plant-based starches are processed into a biopolymer that looks, acts, and performs like a traditional petroleum-based plastic.

PHA is a naturally occurring biopolymer produced by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids. Since these polyhydroxyalkanoates are produced by microorganisms, it is more accurate to refer to their production as biosynthesis.

PBAT is a highly flexible biopolymer typically paired with other bioplastics, like PLA, to enhance the properties of final products. While PHA is partially derived from petroleum, it is still considered bioplastic.

While our products already deliver meaningful environmental benefits, we remain committed to going further. We’re working to better understand how our principal raw materials are sourced so we can assess their full environmental impact.

ISCC+PLUS and Bonsucro are two beginning-of-life (BOL) certifications for the PLA derived from corn and sugarcane, respectively. In 2024, our Ingeo™ brand PLA, which is derived from starch, maintained its ISCC+PLUS certification. For our PLA derived from sugarcane, we began purchasing Bonsucro-certified material through a mass balance approach in June 2024. However, steps are still required at the manufacturing facility to complete the chain-of-custody portion of Bonsucro certification.

Currently, there is not a BOL certification option for PHA or PBAT.

The desired end-of-life (EOL) option for GreenStripe® products is commercial composting, which provides the necessary conditions for compostable products to effectively break down. Bioplastic products in our GreenStripe® line meet ASTM standards for compostability, are BPI certified for commercial facilities, and many have earned CMA field testing approval.

Composting infrastructure that accepts certified compostable products is expanding, but we recognize that access to commercial composting facilities may not be available in your region. While commercial compost facilities are the intended end-of-life scenario for bioplastics, Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) data indicate that PLA products (similar to conventional plastics) act inert in landfills, and do not emit methane or CO2. Visit our PCF webpage to learn more about our Product Carbon Footprint capabilities

Biobased does not automatically mean biodegradable.

It is important to note that bioplastics can be defined as biobased, biodegradable, or both. This is because “biobased” refers to the source of material, whereas biodegradable refers to the ability of a material to break down and is often linked back to a material’s chemical structure. (European Bioplastics)

Biodegradable does not mean compostable.

There is a big difference between the terms ‘biodegradable’ and ‘compostable’. (BPI) 

Not everything that is biodegradable is compostable, but technically everything that is compostable is biodegradable in a composting environment.

The difference is the expected time frame and environment for the degradation process. Compostable products are designed to disintegrate at commercial compost facilities in combination with microbes, heat, and moisture in specified time frames, typically 180 days or less.

In contrast, a product or raw material that is classified as biodegradable does not have a specific time frame in which it must biodegrade, which does not conform with standards for compostable products. Finally, several US states have made it illegal to use a “degradable” or “biodegradable” claim for products made with plastics or bioplastics.

Green-tinted bioplastic can also be found in our Veridian™ collection. Our Veridian™ collection is designed to help customers meet labeling requirements for compostable products in Washington and Colorado. These products comply with state regulations and empower customers and composters nationwide to reduce contamination, even in states without specific labeling laws. The Veridian™ collection includes clamshells, cups and lids, cutlery, deli containers, salad bowls, portion cups, and more. Read this story to learn more about our Veridian™ collection.