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In January 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Treatment of Plastic Pollution"; in September, the National Development and Reform Commission and other nine ministries and commissions jointly issued the "Notice on Solidly Promoting the Treatment of Plastic Pollution". As of October 2020, China's 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions have issued various local plastic pollution control policies, mainly restricting non-degradable plastic bags, disposable plastic tableware, disposable plastic products in hotels and hotels, and express plastic packaging.

Biodegradable plastics can be decomposed into carbon dioxide and water in a relatively short period of time under certain conditions. As an alternative to restricted plastic products, biodegradable plastics can quickly stand up to the wind. Degradable plastics can be produced from biological raw materials, or from petrochemical or coal chemical raw materials.

The degradable materials made from biomass mainly include polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxy fatty acid esters (PHA), starch-based, cellulose, etc.; the degradable materials made from fossil energy such as coal/petroleum mainly include two Polyacid glycol copolyester series (including PBS, PBAT, PBSA), polycaprolactone (PCL), polyglycolic acid (PGA) and CO2 copolymers, etc. Biomass-based PBS degradation materials are also under study.

The main application areas of biodegradable plastics are food packaging, disposable tableware and plastic bags. For Asia, agricultural film is also its main end market. Globally favorable policies and the increasing environmental awareness of enterprises and individuals have brought new market opportunities for biodegradable plastics.

According to the statistics of ASIACHEM Consulting, as of December 2020, China's polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxy fatty acid ester (PHA), dibasic acid glycol copolyester series (PBS, PBAT, PBSA), polyglycolic acid ( The annual production capacity of the six major biodegradable plastics of PGA), polycaprolactone (PCL) and CO2 copolymer is about 560,000 tons, and it is expected to exceed 1 million tons by the end of 2021.

"China Degradable Plastics Annual Report 2021" mainly introduces the development status and trends of the fully biodegradable plastics market and technology including bio-based and coal/petroleum-based.