Table 1.

Definitions, examples, and chemical structures of bio‐based, biodegradable, and oxo‐ and hydro‐degradable plastics.

Plastic	Definition	Example[a]	Chemical structure	Ref.
bio‐based	a plastic made from renewable resources, namely biomass or waste	PEF		[31]
bio‐degradable	a plastic that can be assimilated by bacteria and/or fungi to give environmentally friendly products	PHB (bio‐based)		[30]
		PBAT (fossil‐carbon‐based)		[30]
oxo‐degradable	a plastic whose degradability is induced by additives that initiate oxidation reactions	Oxo‐PP		[20, 21]
hydro‐degradable	a plastic whose degradability is induced by the polar groups susceptible to hydrolysis	PA		[24–27]

[a] PEF=polyethylene furanoate; PHB=poly‐4‐hydroxybutyrate; PBAT=polybutylene adipate terephthalate; Oxo‐PP=oxo‐degradable polypropylene; PA=polyacrylamide.