Summary:
China’s bio-based materials sector is entering a rapid growth phase driven by new national standards, regional R&D funding, and breakthroughs in PLA and PHA technologies. With expanding capacity, lower production costs, and global partnerships, China is emerging as a key force shaping sustainable materials innovation and competitiveness worldwide.
1. Policy Drives Industry Standardization and Accelerates Technological Implementation
In 2025, China’s bio-based materials sector entered a period of intensive policy rollout. On August 29, 2025, the national standard GB/T 46256-2025 “Bio-based Materials and Products — Requirements for Bio-based Content and Traceability Marking” was issued and will take effect on March 1, 2026.
This standard defines bio-based content, specifies traceability labeling, and aligns with international certification systems, establishing a unified “identity authentication” framework that will standardize production, regulation, and consumption throughout the value chain.
It also responds to the “Action Plan for Accelerating Innovation in Non-food Bio-based Materials (2022–2025)” released by six ministries in 2023, improving evaluation, labeling, and traceability systems.
At the regional level, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region launched a “leaderboard” initiative in 2025 to promote technological breakthroughs in biomass utilization, focusing on non-grain sugars, PLA (polylactic acid), and PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates). With total funding of USD 24 million, the program targets key industrialization bottlenecks such as poor heat resistance and high production costs.
2. Industry Hotspots and Core Market Data
The global bio-based materials market is expanding explosively. In 2025, the global bio-based packaging market is projected to reach USD 20 billion.
China, accounting for 45% of the Asia-Pacific market, has become the main growth engine, with domestic industry output exceeding USD 42 billion. In the daily-chemical sector, PLA penetration has already reached 19%.
Segment Focus:
PLA and PHA, the key substitutes for petroleum-based plastics, continue to expand in both capacity and application.
-
Global PLA capacity: exceeds 3 million tonnes/year
-
China: leads with 1.2 million tonnes/year, ranking first worldwide.
-
In the PHA sector, cost breakthroughs have emerged. The Tsinghua University Yichang base uses extreme halophilic bacteria to cut PHA production cost to USD 4,200 per tonne, a 40% reduction.
Applications:
E-commerce and food-delivery packaging have become key substitution scenarios. In 2025, bio-based materials are expected to replace 15% of traditional plastic packaging in China and exceed 35% by 2030.
For instance, the PLA/PBAT composite courier bag market reached USD 1.18 billion in 2024, maintaining an annual growth rate of around 25%.
3. Industry Challenges and Emerging Trends
Despite strong momentum, the industry faces multiple structural challenges:
PLA’s heat-resistance limit is around 60 °C, while PHA decomposes at 130 °C, with narrow processing windows restricting high-end applications.
PHA remains more than 2 × the cost of PLA. Even when produced from food-waste feedstocks, PHA still costs USD 420 per tonne more than PLA. The “1–10–100 rule” — lab-scale 1 unit → pilot 10 units → industrial 100 units — remains a scaling barrier.
Domestic lactide self-sufficiency is below 30%; 80% of PHA core strain patents are held by European and U.S. firms. Prices of imported twin-screw reactors and other key equipment have surged 220%.
“Pseudo-degradable” products proliferate: PBAT’s ocean degradation rate is only 7.3%.
Chinese enterprises hold just 19 of the 122 certification capabilities required by the EU, posing export barriers.
Trend Outlook:
“Non-grain feedstocks” and “high-value applications” are emerging as strategic breakthroughs.
Guangxi’s “flexible sugar platform” converts bagasse and straw into PLA at USD 56 per tonne lower cost than corn-based routes.
BluePHA applies PHA to medical sutures; Cathay Biotech develops long-chain PHA for premium packaging with a price premium > 5× over conventional plastics.
Regional clustering is evident:
-
Yangtze River Delta: > 200 enterprises concentrated in industrial parks
-
Pearl River Delta: accounts for 41% of China’s intelligent packaging equipment exports, complementing the Yangtze Delta’s material capacity.
4. Key Enterprise Developments
-
Tsinghua University Yichang PHA Base:
Phase I (10,000 tonnes/year) went online in April 2025; Phase II expansion to 30,000 tonnes/year is planned.
The use of extreme halophilic bacteria breaks foreign patent barriers and achieves a cost of USD 4,200 per tonne.
-
Shanghai BluePHA Biotech:
Holds the world’s only food-grade PHA certification across China, the U.S., and EU.
Its “Multibiolipids™” portfolio targets soil improvement and saline-alkali land remediation while extending to high-value medical suture markets.
-
Anhui BBCA Biochemical (Fengyuan):
Builds a full-chain “corn cob → lactic acid → PLA → fiber” model.
Raw-material costs are down 40%; PLA capacity has reached 350,000 tonnes/year, making it the domestic leader.
-
Guangxi Lande Renewables:
Focuses on circular “waste-to-biomaterial” utilization, converting kitchen waste oil into bio-based polymers.
In partnership with downstream biodegradable tableware makers, it established a demonstration production line for closed-loop recycling.
With 100,000 tonnes/year PLA capacity, Jindan continues R&D in non-grain feedstocks and participates in national standard formulation, driving scaled industrial adoption.
About CCM:
CCM is the leading market intelligence provider for China’s agriculture, chemicals, food & feed and life science markets. Founded in 2001, CCM offers a range of content solutions, from price and trade analysis to industry newsletters and customized market research reports. CCM is a brand of Kcomber Inc.
For more information about CCM, please visit www.cnchemicals.com or get in touch with us directly by emailing econtact@cnchemicals.com or calling +86-20-37616606.