Bioplastics refers to environmentally-friendly material that will enable the sustainable development of our society and serve as a driving force behind the new paradigm of ‘low carbon green growth.’ Bioplastics can be classified into two categories: biomass-based plastics, produced through either chemical or biological processes using biomass such as plant-based resources; and biodegradable plastics, under specific conditions, to be completely decomposed by microorganisms.
 
 
It is possible to synthesize polymers using biomass, which are renewable plant-based resources, instead of using conventional fossil fuel. They are called biomass-based plastics. Representative of this category are starch-based plastics and poly(lactic acid) (PLA), which is produced by converting glucose from corn into lactic acid or lactide. They are biomass-based plastics and are also biodegradable. Research and development is underway to utilize inedible plants rather than corn as raw materials and to produce from biomass sources commodity plastics such as polyolefins and polyamides.
 
 
Biodegradable plastics, are plastics which can be completely broken down into water and carbon dioxide under certain conditions through the effects of moisture and microorganisms like bacteria, algae, fungi or enzymes. They can be produced from various materials (biomass or fossil fuel-based chemicals), and can be used in the same way as conventional plastics. They are, however, environmentally-friendly material, in that they can be buried in landfills after use, or incinerated, during which process only low heat is generated, without releasing harmful substances like dioxin.
 
 
Biodegradable plastics unlike the non-degradable plastics that are widely in use today are synthesized from a variety of sources. They may include natural polymers from plant-based materials like cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, lignin, and starch, which is reserve carbohydrate, as well as animal-based materials such as chitin, which is the main component of shrimp and crab shells. Microbial biopolymers are produced by microorganisms and include polyalkanoates such as poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), poly-β-hydrolyvalerate (PHV) and their copolymer, PHB/PHV. Some biodegradable polymers like aliphatic polyester, polycaprolactone (PCL), and poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) are obtained through chemical synthesis of existing monomers. They are commercially viable plastics thanks to their potential to serve a variety of functions due to easily manipulated properties as well as relative ease of production compared to microbial biopolymers.
 
 
Biomass-based plastics are very useful and important materials, in that they help reduce carbon emission, since biomass, their raw material, is produced by photosynthesis, a process that uses the carbon dioxide in the air. Biodegradable plastics, on the other hand, offer optimal end-of-life alternatives, for these products can be conveniently buried in landfills or turned into compost after use. For example, trash bags made of biodegradable plastics can be made into compost together with their contents after undergoing a certain length of composting process.