I would argue generally yes, apart from two specific exceptions:
Today's Lesson: The Safety of Bioplastics
Investigating the properties of innovative plastics
Number Of The Day
Life Cycle Assessments indicate that biobased polypropylene can reduce footprints by up to 81%. While the actual numbers in manufacturing environments are probably significantly lower, and bioplastics come with their own challenges and limitations, this speaks to the potential of bioplastics to make our labs more sustainable. Of course, greater sustainability might also mean different properties, which could influence our lab work. So, among all the types of bioplastics, which ones are safe to use?
81%
Using Bioplastics In The Laboratory
When I’m hired to consult for labs or when giving talks, I’m frequently asked whether it is safe to use bioplastics.
Many scientists are concerned that bioplastics are of lower quality and might disrupt entire experiments.
Some think that plastics might leach into their analytes, whereas others are more concerned about the physical properties of the material itself.
First, we have to differentiate between different types of bioplastics.
Merely bio-based plastics come from organic sources but can recreate the very same chemical structure as conventional plastics.
However, biodegradable bioplastics have a different chemical structure. After all, the idea here is that they break down more easily.
This difference in structure is the main determinant of their properties.
Biobased Plastics
For those, the only difference from conventional plastics is the feedstock and the initial steps of the manufacturing process.
Biobased plastics you find in the laboratory such as polypropylene tubes or tips are made from the very same building blocks into the very same polymers. Therefore, leaching of significant quantities does not occur, even under temporary UV exposure.
Given that they feature the same chemical structure as conventional plastics, you can use them just like the others:
You can centrifuge them.
You can autoclave them (if Polypropylene).
You can see through them - they are fully transparent.
All in all, they show the same physical properties when it comes to brittleness or flexibility as their conventional counterparts.
You might ask whether it is really possible to extract polymers of the same quality from discarded cooking oils.
No, you don’t need to be afraid - their quality is high because we crack the oils into monomeric building blocks before polymerization, similar to how conventional plastics are manufactured.
Biobased tubes and tips are widely available nowadays. This is the current range of Eppendorf’s biobased portfolio. They were the first to sell biobased items, but now other manufacturers have started to offer similar products.
If I gave you a pack of tubes made from bio-based plastics and a pack of conventional tubes, it is very unlikely that you would even be able to tell them apart.
Biobased & Biodegradable Plastics
Overall, these materials are also polymer-based. Therefore, they won’t fall apart in your hands, nor will they leach amounts of plastics sufficient to disturb your experiments.
Since the chemical structure varies, so do the properties of the plastic. Of note, others like Polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) have much longer repeating units.
That means for assays, robotics, or even cell culture they are generally usable.
However, we designed them to be more easily degradable.
We even have some studies proving that. Campion et al. also showed that using PLA for their cell culture worked equally well.
You can see the results shared by Campion et al., who plated equivalent numbers of MCF-7 cells onto Petri dishes made from polystyrene (shown in A) or PLA Petri dishes (Planet-Safe®; shown in B) in RPMI 1640 supplemented with 5% FBS. They state, “Cell adherence and growth after 3 days in culture appeared identical. One experimental example from a series of three is illustrated.” Of note, other authors such as Doherty et al. or Loughlin et al. arrive at similar conclusions.
However, compared to their conventional counterparts, they are often more brittle, less transparent, and less heat-stable.
That sounds dramatic, but often isn't.
Doherty et al. and others show that the mechanical properties of PLA are comparable to, and in some instances even superior to, those of conventional plastics. However, this cannot be said for all bioplastics. This image is taken from Doherty et al. and shows the results of an ISO-conform test. Essentially, Petri dishes are filled with hot agar and their deformation is assessed. Specifically, the test refers to ISO 24998:2008, and the figure displays polystyrene (PS) and polylactic acid (PLA) dishes.
Differences in their robustness become visible when they are used in high-stress environments or long term.
In other words, it’s rather unlikely that you will notice them in the laboratory.
Loughlin et al, found PLA functional in several workflows (bacterial and cellular), including centrifugation at 2000 g. Still, there are limitations:
Two Major Challenges
First, some of these plastics have lower transparency. I.e., if not painted, they might have a slight color tint
Click to enlarge. As you can see when you look closely, non-colored plates from Green Elephant Biotech are slightly matt, not fully transparent. Depending on the producer, you can still use them for photometric assays or ELISAs, just your vision is worse.
This makes them appear less trustworthy visually, even though their quality is the same!
Also for photometric assays these are often feasible.
Please note that Loughlin et al., stated that counting bacterial colonies becomes problematic but this was due to their 3D printing of plates, molded items do not cause such problems.
The other challenge, however, is that plastics like PLA are not as heat-resistant.
These are pictures similar to those from Campion et al., depicting the deformation of polystyrene dishes after autoclaving on the left and the brittle PLA fragments on the right.
In other words, you cannot autoclave them. If you want to reuse plastics and autoclaving is necessary, these are not the right choice.
Most PLA items can still be used up to approximately 54°C.
This means that culturing cells at 37°C will not pose a problem. Even if you want to heat-kill your cells, you should be fine.
For other polymer types or for applications close to their temperature limits, you’ll want to double-check the specifications.
Applying The Knowledge
Generally, bioplastics are safe to use - no excessive leaching, falling apart, or loss of sterility.
But if you have high-force applications such as excessive centrifugation, need high transparency, or require heat stability above 50°C, check the product description.
The plastic type, additives, and manufacturing process make a huge difference. Therefore, do your due diligence. To demonstrate, this graphic is adapted from Loughlin et al. showing how injection molding leads to much more transparent items than 3D printing. Although ineffective in this case, polishing is generally another approach to clear plastics.
Normally, the company has conducted standardized tests and should be able to tell you exactly what the material can do.
As a rule of thumb, large companies selling these items would never risk their reputation by offering products of lower quality.
These items are made from first-generation feedstocks (notably, Eppendorf produces items from second-generation feedstocks, i.e., discarded cooking oils). I bet you wouldn’t notice a difference when seeing them in the laboratory. These are from Planet-Safe by Diversified Biotech, Inc. if you’d like to check them out.
For newer start-ups, this is less clear, but my tip is to ask for independent references who have already used their products.
PS: It seems geeky but learning about the properties of plastics can improve your data.
For example, using polypropylene instead of polyethylene vials when doing flow cytometry is advantageous because cells stick to it less.
Conversely, polystyrene is therefore better suited for cell culture.
How We Feel Today
References
Tähkämö, L., et al., 2022. Life cycle assessment of renewable liquid hydrocarbons, propylene, and polypropylene derived from bio-based waste and residues: Evaluation of climate change impacts and abiotic resource depletion potential. Journal of Cleaner Production, 379(1), 134645. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134645.
Serrano-Aguirre, L., et al., 2024. Can bioplastics always offer a truly sustainable alternative to fossil-based plastics? Microbial Biotechnology, 17(4), e14458. doi:10.1111/1751-7915.14458.
Campion, C., et al., 2025. Towards greener and more sustainable pre-clinical oncology research. BJC Reports, 3, 4. doi:10.1038/s44276-024-00115-0.
Doherty, D., et al., 2024. Assessing the viability of 3D-printed poly(lactic acid) petri dishes: A sustainable alternative for laboratory use. Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 40, e00899. doi:10.1016/j.susmat.2024.e00899.
O'Loughlin, J., et al., 2024. Bio-based polylactic acid labware as a sustainable alternative for microbial cultivation in life science laboratories. Heliyon, 10(21), e39846. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e39846.
Kong, U., et al., 2023. The potential applications of reinforced bioplastics in various industries: A review. Polymers, 15(10), 2399. doi:10.3390/polym15102399.
Negrete-Bolagay, D., et al., 2024. Opportunities and challenges in the application of bioplastics: Perspectives from formulation, processing, and performance. Polymers, 16, 2561. doi:10.3390/polym16182561.
Cossarizza, A., et al., 2017. Guidelines for the use of flow cytometry and cell sorting in immunological studies. European Journal of Immunology, 47(10), 1584–1797. doi:10.1002/eji.201646632.
Curtis, A.S., et al., 1983. Adhesion of cells to polystyrene surfaces. The Journal of Cell Biology, 97(5 Pt 1), 1500–1506. doi:10.1083/jcb.97.5.1500.
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Personal Note From Patrick, The Editor Hi Reader, ever thought about reusing your tips or tubes? To do so, many laboratories autoclave them to ensure they are sterile. However, autoclaving takes time and energy - it’s at least 121 °C for 30 minutes, after all. So, does reusing items actually make sense? Let's answer a question no one else addressed yet: Today's Lesson: Reuse Or Incineration Exploring which option is more sustainable Number Of The Day Approximately 400 000 000 tons of plastic...
Personal Note From Patrick, The Editor Hi there, ever thought about reusing your tips or tubes? To do so, many laboratories autoclave them to ensure they are sterile. However, autoclaving takes time and energy - it’s at least 121 °C for 30 minutes, after all. So, does reusing items actually make sense? Let's answer a question no one else addressed yet: Today's Lesson: Reuse Or Incineration Exploring which option is more sustainable Number Of The Day Approximately 400 000 000 tons of plastic...
Personal Note From Patrick, The Editor Hi Reader, can we be more sustainable in sterile environments or S2 environments? Of course, we all have ideas, but turning them into reality is often more challenging. Therefore, I want to provide you with some real-life examples. As an advisor to institutes, universities, and companies, I have seen several examples. Here is one I especially like: Today's Lesson: Case Report Microbiology An example of a more sustainable practice Number Of The Day...
