The prefix „bio“ goes back to the greek word „bios“, meaning „life”. Correspondingly, biobased materials are made of renewable raw materials. Terms often used synonymously are “material of renewable origin” or “biomass material”.

The basis for biobased plastics are mainly plants rich in starch and cellulose such as corn, sugarcane, miscanthus, oilseeds or wood. Biobased plastics are an alternative to plastics of fossil origin, which are made of mineral oil. A product marked biobased may completely consist of renewable resources or be made of raw materials of both biobased and fossil origin. Any biobased content is better than none.

It is important to know that „biobased“ is not equivalent to “biodegradable”.