On 25 March, the webinar Bioplastics and Sustainable Production: Impact Assessment and Development Prospects brought together representatives of business, government, academia, the expert community, and civil society to discuss sustainable materials and industrial transformation.
The speaker, Oleksandr Khokhotva, Doctor of Technical Sciences and expert in chemical management, provided a comprehensive overview of modern approaches to the development, assessment, and application of bioplastics.
The webinar explored key differences between conventional plastics and bioplastics, including bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable materials, along with their advantages and limitations. Special attention was given to environmental impact assessment using the life cycle approach (LCA), enabling objective comparison with traditional polymers.
Participants also learned about bioplastics’ feedstocks, production technologies, and applications—from packaging to medical uses—as well as recycling approaches: mechanical, chemical, and biological.
The discussion covered:
- practical cases of bioplastics use across industries;
- approaches to material selection aligned with sustainability principles;
- regulatory and strategic trends, including ecodesign, extended producer responsibility, and secondary raw materials markets.
A key debate addressed whether biodegradability or recyclability should be prioritized in sustainable material choices.
The webinar also introduced practical tools for assessing the feasibility of bioplastics in specific products, supporting more informed decision-making.
The event brought together a wide range of stakeholders and confirmed strong interest in bioplastics as part of the transition to RECP and a circular economy.
More than 80 participants joined the event, 75% of whom were women.
The recording of the webinar is available here (in Ukrainian but auto-captions in other languages available).
Organizers:
The Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Centre in partnership with the Yale Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering (USA), within the UNIDO Global GreenChem Innovation and Network Programme, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
