Abstract
<jats:p>Global pollution caused by durable petroleum-based plastics has greatly contributed to increased greenhouse gas emissions, as well as plastic waste in land, rivers, and oceans. One promising approach towards solving this difficult problem is through increased production and use of biodegradable plastics (bioplastics) from either terrestrial or marine sources. The latter includes seaweeds and by-products from fish and shellfish processing, whose utilization provides benefits in waste management and aligns with the principles of circular economy. These by-products include myofibrillar proteins and collagen, as well as chitin; the latter compound is naturally abundant in exoskeletons of shrimps, crabs, and other arthropods. A study on carbon footprint assessment done on seaweed-based bioplastic production using carrageenan from Kappaphycus alvarezii provided the following key findings: (a) Carbon Sequestration: seaweed cultivation acts as carbon sink, often sequestering more carbon than is emitted during the initial farming stage; (b) Production Hotspots: conversion of seaweed into bioplastic (specifically the extraction of carrageenan) is the primary emission contributor (78.35%), followed by casting or film production (5.59%); (c) Drying Impact: while drying is energy-intensive, the Philippine method of sun-drying seaweed on platforms generally has a lower impact compared to fossil-fuel-intensive processing; (d) Environmental Impact vs. Conventional Plastics: seaweed bioplastics generally show lower global warming potential (GWP) compared to petroleum-based plastics. SWOT analysis on the prospective commercial production of seaweed-based bioplastics in the Philippines showed the following major results: Strengths - (a) socio-economic benefits of seaweeds, (b) techno-economic advantages of marine over terrestrial sources of bioplastic substrates, (c) ecological considerations; Weaknesses - (a) high production cost of bio-based bioplastics, (b) problematic biodegradation; Opportunities – (a) added benefits to coastal communities, (b) commercial benefits, (c) biodegradable and edible packaging products, (d) biomedical applications, (e) improvement in physico-chemical properties of bioplastics; Threats – (a) ecosystem impacts on seaweed farming, (b) declining seaweed seedling quality.</jats:p>