Assessing Bioplastics’ Economic, Commercial, Political, and Energy Potential with Circular Economy Modeling: a Sustainable Solution to Plastic Waste Management

Plastic contamination is a major global concern as it accumulates in the environment and breaks down into harmful microplastics. The excessive dumping of plastic, especially packaging materials, in landfills, leads to capacity shortages and long-term environmental risks. Current disposal methods, such as pyrolysis, are expensive and produce ash containing heavy metals. To mitigate these issues, recycling plastics and using recycled materials instead of extracting natural resources are recommended, although the current recycling rate is low due to high costs and limited market applications. Biodegradable plastics made from natural sources offer a potential solution, particularly for non-durable applications like packaging and agricultural films. Policy-makers must instrument operative plastic waste management systems, enforce strict guidelines, and make sure comprehensive lifecycle management of plastic products. The article also examines the business aspects of bioplastic development using analytical models like Porter’s five forces and value chain analysis. Circular economy modeling is used to evaluate economic and energy considerations, highlighting the potential benefits of anaerobic digestion for energy, fertilizer, and the economy within a circular economy framework. The Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response technique is proposed as a policy approach. Lastly, a comparison is made between biodegradable and non-biodegradable plastics within a closed-loop supply system, considering environmental factors.