Plastics derived from fossil fuels are nonrenewable, may leach toxic chemicals, can harm marine life, and increase reliance on imported fossil-fuel-based feedstocks. The development of bioplastics and other biobased materials hold great promise to mitigate many of these problems by offering the potential for renewability, biodegradation, and a path away from harmful chemicals. They are not, however, an automatic panacea.
The Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative (SBC) has developed tools to help producers, purchasers, and consumers navigate the maze of biobased products entering the marketplace.
The Guidelines for Sustainable Bioplastics: provide a roadmap for the development and continuing improvement of biobased plastics.
The BioSpecs for Food Service Ware: Environmentally Preferable Specifications for Compostable Biobased Food Service Ware: define the criteria for manufacturers to determine the sustainability of their compostable food service ware.
The Conformance Guide: BioSpecs for Food Service Ware: lists the verification documents necessary for manufacturers to substantiate conformance to the BioSpecs criteria.
The Purchasing Specifications for Compostable Biobased Food Service Ware: is a sample bid document that purchasers can use when going to bid for compostable food service ware.