Market study on Bio-based Polymers in the World

The German Nova-Institut GmbH has published the new market study on Bio-based Polymers in the World – Capacities, Production and Applications: Status Quo and Trends towards 2020. The study examines bio-based polymers produced by 247 companies at 363 locations around the world and describes in detail 114 companies at 135 locations. Considerably higher production capacity was found than in previous studies. The 3.5 million t represent a share of 1.5 % of an overall construction polymer production of 235 million t in 2011. Current producers of bio-based polymers estimate that production capacity will reach nearly 12 million t by 2020. With an expected total polymer production of about 400 million t in 2020, the bio-based share should increase from 1.5 % in 2011 to 3 % in 2020, meaning that bio-based production capacity will grow faster than overall production.

The most dynamic development is foreseen for drop-in biopolymers, which are chemically identical to their petrochemical counterparts but at least partially derived from biomass. This group is spearheaded by partly bio-based PET whose production capacity will reach about 5 million t by 2020, using bioethanol from sugar cane. The second in this group are bio-based polyolefins like PE and PP, also based on bioethanol. But PLA and PHA are also expected to at least quadruple the capacity between 2011 and 2020. Most investment in new bio-based polymer capacities will take place in Asia and South America because of better access to feedstock and a favourable political framework. Europe’s share will decrease from 20 % to 14 % and North America’s share from 15 % to 13 %, whereas Asia’s share will increase from 52 % to 55 % and South America’s from 13 % to 18 %. The full report comprises of the three main parts: “market data”, six “trend reports”, and 114 “company profiles”. It also includes on-year access to the “Bio-based Polymers Producer Database”, which will be continuously updated.