The implications of plastic pollution have gained importance at all levels over the last few years, from individual consumers to national and international policy makers. Current trends are not in favor of reducing such pollution, on the contrary, as the global plastic production trend is increasing. It is estimated that there were 369 million tons of plastics traded in 2020 alone, which is $1.2 trillion in value, a significant increase from $933 billion the year before (UNCTAD, 2022d). Plastics’ omnipresence has pushed waste management capacities to their limits; thus, it is of the utmost importance to identify what materials or products could successfully substitute plastics and how to implement this transition.

There have been many international efforts put into action to tackle the problem of plastics, with the majority still focusing on downstream strategies. At the same time, there are a growing number of initiatives addressing and consequently stimulating changes throughout the whole plastic life cycle in a move towards the development of circular economies, including strategies to reduce resource use as well as material-shift towards substitutes to plastics throughout value chains.

For efforts of substituting plastics to succeed, the definition of what exactly a plastic substitute is needs attention. Plastics substitutes can be considered all natural materials from mineral, plant, animal, marine or forestry origin that have similar properties of plastics. They do not include fossil fuel-based or synthetic polymers, bioplastics, and biodegradable plastics. Plastic substitutes should have lower environmental impact along their life cycle (e.g., natural fibres, agricultural wastes, and other forms of biomass). Depending on the case, they should be biodegradable/compostable or erodible, and should be suitable for reuse, recycling, or sound waste disposal as defined by national, regional regulations or in internationally agreed definitions. They can include by-products. Plastic substitutes should not be hazardous for human, animal, or plant life.

One of the crucial aspects of introducing a substitute to plastic is not to aggravate the environmental impact or to cause harm in any other way. Impacts of potential plastic substitutes, such as water or land use, greenhouse gas emissions, and human health, are best assessed with a standard set of indicators under life cycle analysis (LCA). Most suitable substitutes are usually found among locally available materials with a high rate of reusability. The longer their reusability, which marks a step away from today’s throwaway culture stimulated by plastics, the higher the resulting positive impact of the substitutes.