PHA bioplastics: Production
Big plant dreams, tiny real output and a fire sale
What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | not published; tens of kt/yr nameplate globally (indicative) | indicative | |
| World output | not published | not published | |
| Capacity utilisation | low: bioplastics range 28-100% utilisation by polymer in 2025, PHA likely at the low end (indicative) | Danimer's paused expansion ($189.5 million spent) and bankruptcy show capacity built ahead of demand. | European Bioplastics 2025; Elevenflo 2026 |
| Concentration | a handful of producers; no shares published | After Danimer's collapse, CJ Biomaterials and Kaneka are the most prominent (indicative). | indicative |
| New capacity | not published | Danimer's Bainbridge greenfield plant, announced in 2021 at about $700 million, never reached profitable scale (indicative); Yield10 and Danimer both failed in 2024-2025, and Teknor Apex bought Danimer's assets for $19 million after a court-approved sale in May 2025. | bioplastics MAGAZINE 2025; Plastics Today 2025 |
Top producing countries
- United States: Danimer plants (now Teknor Apex); CJ Biomaterials HQ in Woburn, MA
- Indonesia: CJ Biomaterials PHA plant at Pasuruan (indicative)
- Japan: Kaneka PHBH (indicative)
- China: several start-ups and producers (Bluepha, Tianjin GreenBio, PhaBuilder; indicative)
- Europe: PHA among the areas of new European capacity
Largest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CJ Biomaterials (CJ CheilJedang) aPHA and scPHA; Pregis and Tous les Jours partnerships; capacity not verified (about 5 kt, indicative) | South Korea/US | not published | n/a | Plastics Today, Jun 2025 |
| Kaneka Green Planet brand; capacity not verified | Japan | not published | n/a | indicative |
| Danimer Scientific (now Teknor Apex) SPAC listing Dec 2020 raising about $380 million; Chapter 11 on 18 Mar 2025; $402 million funded debt; sold for $19 million in June 2025 | US | not published | 2025 | bioplastics MAGAZINE, Mar 2025; Elevenflo 2026; Wikipedia |
| RWDC Industries PHA developer; operating status not verified in sources reached | Singapore/US | not published | n/a | indicative |
| Newlight Technologies AirCarbon PHB from methane (indicative) | US | not published | n/a | indicative |
| Chinese producers (Bluepha, Tianjin GreenBio, PhaBuilder) capacities not verified | China | not published | n/a | indicative |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No commercial PHA producer identified research groups and start-ups not verified | India | not published | n/a | not found in sources reached |
No commercial PHA production was found in India. India's single-use plastic rules and its sugar and oil base make it a potential site, but none of the global failures suggests an easy entry.
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | Home of Danimer (failed) and CJ Biomaterials' HQ; demand from food service. |
| EU | Single-Use Plastics Directive treats PHA items as plastic, which limits the marine-degradability advantage (indicative). |
| India | No production; rules make compostable straws and cutlery mandatory (S&P Global 2026). |
| China | Several start-ups scaling (indicative). |
| Japan | Kaneka is the main producer. |
| Middle East | None found. |