Research Status and Future Prospects of Bio-based Renewable Packaging Materials

ZHAO Shaoning; WANG Xinfeng; GUO Jianfeng; LI Yanjiao

doi:10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2025.15.006

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Packaging Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (15) : 53-61. DOI: 10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2025.15.006

Special Topic on Sustainable Packaging Technology Innovation and Industrial Development

Research Status and Future Prospects of Bio-based Renewable Packaging Materials

ZHAO Shaoning^*, WANG Xinfeng, GUO Jianfeng, LI Yanjiao

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Abstract

The work aims to identify effective pathways for transitioning bio-based renewable packaging materials from environmentally friendly alternatives to practical solutions to address the core challenges hindering the large-scale application of these materials—specifically, the difficulty in achieving synergistic optimization of performance, cost, and sustainability, and provide theoretical foundations and strategic guidance for this transformation. A systematic evaluation framework was developed to analyze application bottlenecks in mainstream material systems, including polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), and cellulose derivatives. The study focused on key challenges in terms of performance limitations, functional integration constraints, and low circularity efficiency, and explored pathways for structural design optimization, cost control, functional innovation, and improved recycling efficiency. In conclusion, successful transition to practical bio-based renewable packaging hinges on the synergistic advancement across multiple dimensions: material design, cost optimization, functional innovation, and recycling technology. The research identifies bionic design, high-value waste conversion, intelligent integration, and cascade recycling as critical breakthroughs. Complementary policy support and infrastructure development are also vital. Systematically implementing these pathways can demonstrably enhance the materials' overall competitiveness, accelerate their industrial-scale adoption, and contribute to building more resilient sustainable packaging solutions.

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bio-based materials / renewable materials / performance limitations / recycling bottlenecks / structural design

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ZHAO Shaoning, WANG Xinfeng, GUO Jianfeng, LI Yanjiao. Research Status and Future Prospects of Bio-based Renewable Packaging Materials[J]. Packaging Engineering. 2025, 46(15): 53-61 https://doi.org/10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2025.15.006

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