Plastics, the macromolecular materials found in a wide variety of products ranging from grocery bags to car bumpers, are composed predominantly of synthetic polymers such as polyethylene, polyesters and polyamides, along with small amounts of additives including plasticizers, antioxidants, UV stabilizers, etc. An estimated 368 million tons of plastics were produced in 2020. Most synthetic polymers in use today are derived from petroleum. Monomers, the building blocks of polymers, are currently obtained directly from crude oil refining or synthesized from refining products. It is estimated that plasticmanufacturing processes consume 8-10% of the global oil supply, and the number is forecast to double by 2040. Petroleum is non-renewable, and the oil resources are rapidly being depleted from planet earth. Furthermore, world reserves of fossil fuels are unevenly distributed, and most countries depend on foreign oil sources which are constantly affected by economic and political fluctuations. In the United States, for example, about 35% of crude oil are imported, with Canada, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Colombia being the leading suppliers. While energy is increasingly being produced from alternate sources, petrochemicals and plastics are still largely reliant on oil. Unless alternative sources become well established, sustainability concerns will negatively impact plastic production. The answer is bioplasticsplastics formulated using polymers that are prepared from biomass.