Bioplastics, Biodegradation, and the Circular Plastic Economy: Bioengineering Pathways to Sustainable Polymers

The global plastic crisis has driven urgent demand for materials that can replace fossil-based polymers without perpetuating the same end-of-life failures. Bioplastics, including polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), polylactic acid (PLA), cellulose-derived polymers, and their blends, offer a credible route forward, but production costs, inconsistent biodegradation under real-world conditions, and fragmented regulatory standards continue to limit their industrial uptake. At the same time, advances in microbial bioconversion, marine biorefinery science, and biopolymer processing are rapidly expanding what is technically achievable. Translating these advances into genuinely circular materials at industrial scale requires the field to work across the full lifecycle: from feedstock selection and biosynthesis through material processing and functional performance to controlled end-of-life scenarios.

This Research Topic aims to consolidate recent research across the bioplastic value chain, connecting upstream bioprocess engineering with downstream materials performance and environmental biodegradation science. A particular focus is placed on closing the gap between laboratory-scale achievement and industrial reality: what feedstocks are viable at scale, which processing strategies retain functional performance while enabling degradability, and under what environmental conditions do bioplastics actually break down as intended. We welcome contributions that address the microbial and enzymatic production of biopolymers from low-cost or waste feedstocks (including agricultural residues and marine biomass), as well as the engineering of biodegradable blends and composites, processing approaches such as electrospinning and wet-spinning, and biodegradation kinetics across soil, freshwater, and marine environments. Life cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, and regulatory perspectives are equally welcome, as are systems-level approaches that situate bioplastic production within existing biorefinery and waste management infrastructure.

This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, and perspectives. Submissions should address at least one stage of the bioplastic lifecycle (production, processing, performance, or end-of-life scenarios) and ideally draw connections across stages. Studies grounded in industrial or environmental application contexts are particularly encouraged. Work addressing standardisation, compostability certification, or policy frameworks for biodegradable and bio-based plastics is within scope. Submissions are invited across the breadth of relevant biopolymer classes, including but not limited to PHAs, PLA, thermoplastic starch, cellulose-based materials, and their blends.