A SPI news release defines bioplastics as plastics that are biodegradable, have bio-based content or both.” The guide intends to provide readers with:

* information concerning trends and challenges.

* similarities and differences amongst different bioplastics.

* applications and uses.

* companies in the industry.

* production estimates and projected market growth.

Bioplastics have been made for decades, but interest in them has increased in recent years because of concerns over the cost and potential limited supplies of petroleum-based feedstocks, which are used to make most plastics.

“As bioplastics continue to make inroads into new markets, the business world is taking notice,” SPI President and CEO Bill Carteaux said in the release. “The desire to learn more about their properties, applications and potential for growth are at an all-time high.”

The guide estimates the current global bioplastics market at 570 million pounds, but adds that the market is on pace to reach 1.2 billion pounds in 2012 — an annual growth rate of almost 18 percent.

SPI recently formed a Bioplastics Council to promote the development of bioplastics. The council’s six founding members are materials firms Arkema Inc. of Philadelphia; BASF Corp. of Florham Park, N.J.; Cereplast Inc. of Hawthorne, Calif.; NatureWorks LLC of Minnetonka, Minn,; DuPont Co. of Wilmington, Del.; and Telles of Lowell, Mass. Telles is a joint venture between Metabolix Inc. and agricultural giant Archer Daniels Midland. The group is in the process of adding a seventh member.