Current status and future development of plastics: Solutions for a circular economy and limitations of environmental degradation

Plastics are the most advanced materials, regarding their application and property range, with an annual worldwide demand of over 400 million tonnes, but have been facing strong public opposition lately. In the debate on sustainable plastics, plastic waste and plastic littering, bio-based and especially biodegradable plastics have gained attention as potential solution to these problems. This has been accompanied by misunderstanding, false and inadequate labeling of plastics as well as insufficient communication with the public and authorities. The plastic waste and littering problems are addressed by already implemented and planned bans on single-use plastics, improved regulations for labeling and communication of biodegradable plastics, and enhancement of plastic recycling. The future will show how successful these strategies are. If plastics are produced with renewable carbon from biomass, direct CO2 utilization and recycling, the production can be completely independent from fossil resources in a long-term future perspective which supports the circular renewable carbon economy.