Plastic derived fully or partially from plant materials, such as cellulose, potato or corn starch, sugar cane, maize and soy, instead of petroleum or natural gas. Bio-based plastic can be engineered to be biodegradable or compostable, but not all bio-based plastics are biodegradable. They can be designed to be structurally identical to petroleum-based plastics, in which case they can last in the environment for the same period of time. Source: UNEP/World Resources Institute (2021). TACKLING PLASTIC POLLUTION: Legislative Guide for the Regulation of Single-Use Plastic Products. p.32 (Box 8) Sources: Green Dot Bioplastics; Kubowicz and Booth (2017); Rujnic-Sokele and Pilipović (2017); UNEP (2015); United States of America (2020).