First, let’s take a look at the plastics manufacturers and market from the beginning before we shift to Global Biodegradable Tableware Manufacturers. The beginning of industrial production of plastics was in the 1950s (rapid development of the oil-plastic industry). Since then, plastic gradually became a vital material for supporting modern life.
In the early advertisement of plastic products, they use “convenience” as a way to introduce them. But later this material led to a widespread and catastrophic phenomenon called “white pollution.” This phenomenon has become a major problem for the modern world. “White pollution” refers to waste generated using a variety of plastic products. These plastic products are made from polystyrene, polypropylene, PVS and other polymers. Now in the overproduction and overconsumption era, every year, humans threw away about 8 million tons of plastic waste into the water and then into the oceans.
The countries most involved in polluting the oceans are China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Bangladesh. These countries can be identified by relatively underdeveloped waste storage systems. However, waste problems have become a critical issue not only in these countries but also in Europe and the United States.
Some countries do not use trash bins to collect ordinary household waste. This is not happening due to the lack of bins. This is mainly because of too much waste that cannot be put in the bins!
In addition to packaging that pollutes the living environment (eg chips and sweets), packaging of various beverages (eg bottles), filtered tobacco products (eg cigarette butts), beverage straws, plastic bags, as well as disposable containers (coffee cups, plates, forks, knives, spoons) have a great portion of waste volume. These containers do not decompose when they are thrown away in nature. They become the source of pollution themselves.
For this problem, not all countries act irresponsibly. Many developed countries have designed and organized waste management for a longer or shorter period and have taken various measures to solve the issue. Fortunately, this trend is improving day by day.
Plastic disposable tableware consumption increases sharply in summer, especially during the busy picnic and barbecue season. At the same time, biodegradable tableware that is also environmentally friendly is available too. These products, do not harm the environment when disposed of. But they have higher prices. Studies reveal that consumers are willing to pay an extra amount of money to replace biodegradable tableware with plastic ones.
Biodegradability means that matter is capable of aerobic and anaerobic decomposition. Once the matter decomposes, substances such as carbon dioxide, water, methane, biomass and mineral salts are produced. Biodegradability depends strongly on environmental conditions: temperature, the presence of microorganisms, and the presence of oxygen and water. Biodegradable materials, however, are not meant to be compostable as well.
In the composting process, microbes are getting involved. Both biodegradable and compostable products are eco-friendly. Many researchers claim that biodegradable tableware and compostable containers can reduce the ecological footprint.
Many biodegradable products are using agricultural by-products as raw materials. For instance, by-products of post-harvest processing, which are sourced from renewable and organic materials are likely to decompose completely without contaminating nature.
Many of the compostable tableware raw materials are bran, straw, corn or rice. For example in Estonia, about 100,000 tons of grain is milled annually. The mill produces bran grains that are used in compostable tableware.
Most biodegradable tableware is made from corn starch. Because corn, both in Europe and in the Middle East where the market is large, is one of the most abundant and available renewable sources. Corn has a high level of starch and excellent consistency. Corn starch-based tableware is all biodegradable and does not cause any health problems. Its waste in nature can easily be broken down in 6 months and will not contaminate soil and water.
The trading industry has an increasing trend to use biodegradable tableware to reduce the negative effects of plastic on the environment. Instability in the price of crude oil in the world influenced the plastic market. On the other side, increasing environmental awareness of plastic pollution encouraged governments to support the use of bioplastics.
This results in a very large market for biodegradable tableware in the world. Therefore, loads of manufacturers are switching to this green business. Biodegradable tableware manufacturers are part of the bioplastics manufacturing industry, which are organic plastics derived from renewable sources such as vegetable oil, corn starch, potato starch and pea starch.
The biodegradable tableware market has developed in recent years. The formula for these products is improved by the major manufacturers in this industry. High-quality products, comparatively lower price as well as having different tableware sizes and types according to each country's market is three important key factors in growing this business.
The global biodegradable tableware market is widely spread in various regions including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and other parts of the world. North America has the largest share of the market. Europe is the second region with the highest consumption of biodegradable tableware. Germany and the United Kingdom are two countries that have a larger share of the European market. Other countries also adjust their production and supply based on the demand for these products.
Below are the top 17 largest biodegradable tableware manufacturers in the world.
1- Pactiv LLC (United States)
2- Huhtamäki Oyj (Finland)
3- Behzist Biodegradable Tableware (Iran)
4- Dart Container Corporation (United States)
5- Georgia-Pacific LLC (United States)
6- Lollicup USA Inc. (United States)
7- Solia, Inc. (United States)
8- Natural Tableware (Netherlands)
9- Biotrem (Poland)
10- Reynolds Consumer Products LLC (United States)
11- Genpak, LLC (United States)
12- Vegware (UK)
13- Papstar GmbH (Germany)
14- Bionatic GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
15- Better Earth LLC (United States)
16- Eco Guardian (Canada)
17- Biopak (Australia)
In Iran, Behzist biodegradable tableware in Iran is one of the best and largest manufacturers that makes great efforts to maintain the growth of biodegradable tableware compared to other factories that existed. The brand has also made great efforts to raise public awareness about environmental issues and plastic pollution. Behzist products are a great alternative to common foam, plastic and paper containers.
