Another promising development is bioplastics, which have begun to compete with petroleum-based products in certain short-lifespan applications – such as packaging and agriculture – over the last two decades. Given that bioplastics are produced from renewable or “bio-based” sources (cellulose, starch, and glucose) – and, in some cases, through microbial fermentation – they have a lower carbon footprint, contribute less to global warming, and biodegrade to small molecules.
另一个令人振奋的发展是生物塑料。过去二十年来，在某些短寿命应用领域（如包装和农业），生物塑料已开始与基于石油的产品竞争。生物塑料是用“基于生物”的可再生资源（纤维素、淀粉和葡萄糖）和（在某些情况下）微生物发酵过程制成的，其碳迹更低、对全球变暖影响更小，并能通过生物降解变成小分子。