Bio-Based Materials Riding the Wave of Sustainability: Common Misconceptions, Opportunities, Challenges and the Way Forward

Natasya Nabilla Hairon Azhar, Desmond Teck-Chye Ang, Rosazlin Abdullah, Jennifer Ann Harikrishna and Acga Cheng
Additional contact information
Natasya Nabilla Hairon Azhar: Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Desmond Teck-Chye Ang: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Rosazlin Abdullah: Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Jennifer Ann Harikrishna: Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Acga Cheng: Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: Solid waste disposal, particularly of plastic and rubber, significantly impacts the environment and human health; thus, encouraging consumers to u sustainable alternatives is essential to ensure a resilient future. In recent decades, bio-based material research has primarily focused on bioplastics and, accordingly, current knowledge of alternative sustainable materials (such as biorubber) is fragmented, with consumer misconceptions posing a key challenge. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of bio-based materials, in addition to common misconceptions about them. The findings of a public survey that aimed to assess consumers’ attitudes towards, as well as their awareness and perceptions of, conventional and sustainable alternative materials, particularly oxo-biodegradable rubbers, are also reported in this paper. Despite their unfamiliarity with the terms ‘bio-based’ and ‘oxo-biodegradable’, most respondents had a positive view of bio-based products and expressed an interest in reducing their use of conventional products in favour of sustainable alternatives. The results also revealed that consumers are willing to spend more on sustainable alternatives because they are aware of the environmental issues associated with solid waste. This study provides new insights into knowledge gaps and challenges that must be addressed to promote the prudent use of sustainable materials in a fast-changing world.

Keywords: bio-based materials; consumer behaviour; environment; oxo-biodegradable rubber; synthetic materials; sustainability; waste management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/9/5032/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/9/5032/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:9:p:5032-:d:799628

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().