Circular Economy
Polylactic Acid (PLA)
Definition
Polylactic acid is a thermoplastic polyester produced by fermenting plant-derived sugars (from corn, sugarcane or cassava) into lactic acid and polymerising it. PLA is bio-based and technically compostable, but it degrades only under the sustained heat of industrial composting facilities — not in home compost, soil or the ocean — and behaves like conventional plastic if it leaks into the environment.
References
Supports definition and framing.
Overview
How it is used
The term features in packaging specifications, compostable-product standards (EN 13432, ASTM D6400) and debates on bioplastics' role in single-use plastic policy.
Why it matters
PLA is the test case for bioplastics as a class: useful in closed loops with proper collection, but not a licence to treat "bio-based" as synonymous with "harmless if littered".