Bioplastics

thumb|140px|The repeating unit within polyethylene in the most stable staggered conformation

thumb|Chocolates wrapped in cellophane Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose. Its low permeability to air, oils, greases, bacteria, and liquid water makes it useful for food packaging. Cellophane is highly permeable to water vapour, but may be coated with nitrocellulose lacquer to prevent this.

Biopolymers are natural polymers produced by the cells of living organisms. Like other polymers, biopolymers consist of monomeric units that are covalently bonded in chains to form larger molecules. There are three main classes of biopolymers, classified according to the monomers used and the structure of the biopolymer formed: polynucleotides, polypeptides, and polysaccharides. The polynucleotides, RNA and DNA, are long polymers of nucleotides. Polypeptides include proteins and shorter polymers of amino acids; some major examples include collagen, actin, and fibrin. Polysaccharides are linear

thumb|Biodegradable plastic kitchen utensil|utensils thumb|Flower wrapping made of PLA-blend bio-flex Bioplastics are plastic materials produced from renewable biomass sources. In the context of bioeconomy and the circular economy, bioplastics remain topical. Conventional petro-based polymers are increasingly blended with bioplastics to manufacture "bio-attributed" or "mass-balanced" plastic products—so the difference between bio- and other plastics might be difficult to define.

polymer

composite materials made of wood fiber and thermoplastics

thumb|right|200px|Structure of poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate (Polyhydroxybutyrate|P3HB), a polyhydroxyalkanoate thumb|400px|right|Chemical structures of P3HB, PHV and their copolymer PHBV

thumb|right|200px|Structure of poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB), a polyhydroxyalkanoate

chemical compound

a polyamide