Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) Market Size, Share, Industry, Forecast and outlook (2024-2031)

Global Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) Market is segmented By Type (Short Chain Length, Medium Chain Length), By Product Method (Sugar Fermentation, Vegetable Oil Fermentation, Methane Fermentation), By Application (Packaging and foodservice, Bio-Medical, Agriculture, Wastewater Treatment, Cosmetics, 3D Printing, Chemical Addictive), By Region (North America, Europe, South America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa) – Share, Size, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2024-2031

Polyhydroxyalkanoates Market Size

Global Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) Market reached US$ 88 Million and is expected to reach US$ 171.3 Million by 2030, growing with a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period 2024-2031

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biopolyesters, stored within cells as energy storage materials by various microorganisms. Due to biocompatibility and biodegradability properties, PHAs have various applications in different industries, such as the biomedical industry. Tissue engineering, bio-implant patches, drug delivery, surgery, and wound dressing are some of the major applications of the biomedical industry where PHAs are used. PHAs are green plastics, and, as compared to traditional plastics in terms of manufacturing and recycling, they have positive social and environmental effects.

In addition, when used in vivo, PHAs do not possess acute and chronic health effects. These bioplastics are a renewable and sustainable resource without being permanent or causing emissions to minimize landfill requirements. Various researchers have designed various carbon sources, bacterial strains, fermentation conditions, and recovery methods for improved yield and economic prospects. Recently growing synthetic biology and genetic engineering developments have resulted in developing PHAs from strains without toxins containing non-PHAs.

Market Summary

For More Insights Download Sample

Market Dynamics 

The global polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs) market is driven by tightening regulations by different governments across the globe to replace synthetic plastic-based packaging materials with biobased packaging materials. Increasing acceptance of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs) for different medical applications due to its biocompatibility properties boosts the product's market in recent times.  

Tightening regulations by various governments across the globe to replace synthetic plastic-based packaging materials with biobased packaging materials 

Government policies in different regions on the procurement of renewable and environmentally friendly products (green products) are a major factor driving the demand for biodegradable and sustainable plastics based on PHA. Therefore, synthetic plastic packaging materials are inherently non-biodegradable and are likely to be substituted by bio-based packaging materials under strict environmental legislation.

For instance, In August 2009, in Mexico, all non-biodegradable plastic bags were officially banned. In France, the country's ministry of agriculture supports biodegradable plastics under the 2005 Agriculture Policy Regulation. In addition, the European Union's Europe 2020 competitiveness plan, aimed at reducing greenhouse emissions and supporting the bioplastics business, is expected to have a positive effect on the demand for polyhydroxyalkanoates. The U.S. government also passed the Federal Farm bill, urging federal departments to purchase bio-based goods safely.

Increasing acceptance of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs) for different medical applications due to its biocompatibility properties boosts the market of the product in recent times.  

The increasing consumption of products such as biocontrol agents, drug carrier tissues, biodegradable implants for engineering, memory enhancers, and anti-cancer agents would further boost the demand for polyhydroxyalkanoate in the coming years. Strong growth in the R&D investments in the medical industry and wide acceptance from medical applications due to its bio-compatibility has led to the increasing development of bio-compatible materials, further boosting the polyhydroxyalkanoate market size in the forecast years.

In general, the PHAs available were not targeted for use as medical implants and thus lacked the consistency that the Drug Administrators could accept. The need is to produce high purity PHAs, check their in vivo biodegradation, make scaffolds, and alter their surface. Thus many companies invested in PHAs studies to contribute to tissue engineering, to improve tissue products for medical and therapeutic applications with required modifications: vascular grafts, heart valves, nerve tissue engineering, others. Thus growing advancements in medical studies are expected to boost the polyhydroxyalkanoate market in the coming tenure.  

The high cost of production and current technology is still in its early phase is challenging the growth of the polyhydroxyalkanoate market in recent times.

The comparatively higher cost of PHA than traditional polymers is one of the major constraints on the industry's growth. The manufacturing cost of biodegradable plastics such as PHA is typically 20% to 80% higher than traditional plastics. This is majorly due to the increasing price of biodegradable plastics for polymerization since most of the processes are still in the experimental stage. They have not, therefore, reached economies of scale.

Such bio-based technologies and materials are still at an early stage of development and have not been sold at the same level as their petrochemical counterparts. This is only possible if there is globally widespread development. Product is currently sparsely distributed to the U.S. and China, accounting for almost 90 percent of the total worldwide production of PHA. It will also take some time to evolve to compete in the main market, thus challenging its growth in recent times.

COVID-19 Impact on Market

According to experts, the global polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs) has shown an improvement due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the biggest winner in bio-plastics, according to experts, will be the packaging industry, particularly for food, beverages and medicines. Due to the shutdown during the COVID-19 era in the restaurant industry, the buyers were moved to the retail channel. Most of the foods sold in retail outlets are wrapped in plastic. Therefore, due to the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, demand for plastics grew.

On the other hand, virgin plastic became cheaper than biodegradable plastics, which was a short-term market limitation due to a decrease in oil prices during 2020. Due to the mentioned factors, the demand for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is expected to experience a neutral impact in 2020 and is expected to develop positively during the forecast period.

Market Segmentation Analysis

The global polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs) market is segmented based on type, production method, application, and region.

Higher availability of raw materials and the easy process, major PHA companies are currently producing PHA through the sugar fermentation method. 

The global polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs) market is segmented into vegetable oil fermentation, sugar fermentation, and methane fermentation in terms of production methods. Out of all, sugar fermentation is building the highest market share in recent times. Different strains are selected based on the raw material, as different strains of bacteria can accumulate PHA from various sources.

The most popular technique used is sugar fermentation. Sugar can be extracted from molasses, sugarcane, beet, and bagasse. In general, they are present in abundance and are quickly ingested and converted into PHA by bacteria. Because of the higher availability of raw materials and the more straightforward process, major PHA companies are currently producing PHA through this method, as sugar molecules are easily cracked in the fermentation process.

Market Geographical Share

Government policies promoting the use of biodegradable plastics, growing customer awareness and innovation in the bioplastics industry is motivated by the need for environment-friendly goods in the European region

Europe holds the highest market of polyhydroxyalkanoate in recent times. The main drivers responsible for market growth in the European region are government policies promoting biodegradable plastics and growing customer awareness. Innovation in the bioplastics industry is motivated by the need for environment-friendly goods. Single-use plastics and sustainable packaging are expected by the packaging and food services industry. The need for bioplastics is thus increased, which drives the demand for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). Besides, many PHA manufacturers have a big domestic market in the region in the European region, making it the largest market share.

North America's polyhydroxyalkanoate market will likely witness significant gains in the coming years due to regional regulatory bodies' stringent regulations for consuming bio-based packaging materials. For example, to protect the environment, the EPA has strict laws on reducing toxic waste content. In addition, major players in the U.S. medical industry are making substantial investments in the production of bio-compatible materials for healthcare applications such as drug delivery, implants, and others, further facilitating the rising demand for products in the coming years.

Companies and Competitive Landscape

The polyhydroxyalkanoate market is highly competitive with the presence of local as well as global companies. Some of the key players contributing to the market's growth include Danimer Scientific, Bio-Mer International, BioMatera Inc, kaneka Corporation, Dayglo Color Corp, Bluepha, Newlight Technologie, PolyFerm Canada, Tepha INC, Mango Materials and among others.  

The major key players are adopting several growth strategies such as product launches, acquisitions, and collaborations, contributing to the growth of the polyhydroxyalkanoate market globally. The key players are favoring partnership and acquisition as a growth strategy to build their business.

• For instance, in December 2020, Danimer Scientific, a bioplastics company of the next generation focusing on biodegradable products' production and manufacture, today reported that they had completed their previously announced combination with Live Oak Acquisition Corp. 

Mango Materials

Overview: The company is based in San Francisco Bay Area that strives to be the global leader in the bio-manufacturing revolution. The company has developed a proprietary platform to provide optimally formulated, biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) pellets integrated into any supply chain.

Product Portfolio: The company has a product portfolio of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) that includes:

• YOPP Pellets: The company came up with a process technology platform to produce the PHA pellets named YOPP PHA pellets. These are cost-effective with conventional oil-based plastics.   

Key Development:

• In June 2019, Mango Materials, a start-up company based in California, manufactures biodegradable plastics that are economically competitive with traditional petroleum-based plastics from waste biogas (methane). Mango Materials uses surplus methane gas from wastewater treatment plants or landfills to manufacture polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) pellets. A useful polymer converted into a range of eco-friendly plastic items such as child toys, computer casings, water bottles, and food packaging containers with high-margin or high volume.

The global polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) market report would provide access to a 61 market data table, 55 figures and 260 pages.