According to a new multi-client market survey of the international bioplastics market by the German Nova Institute,  25 companies have now developed production capacity at 30 sites worldwide of over 180,000 tons of polylactic acid (PLA), one of the leading bio-based plastics.

PLA is used mainly in packaging and nonwovens, but it also has a large number of other durable applications. The largest producer is NatureWorks, a company active in the USA and Thailand with a capacity of 140,000 tons per year. The other producers have a current capacity of between 1,500 and 10,000 tons annually.