Germany sets 2029 goal to boost bio-based plastics in packaging

Germany's federal government published a sustainability action plan on 16 October 2026 that sets a goal to significantly raise the share of retail packaging made from bio-based drop-in plastics by 2029. The agriculture ministry leads implementation, with the environment ministry in support, but the plan sets no binding measures beyond faster scale-up of research and use of regional supply chains.

Why this mattersA government target for bio-based drop-in plastics could shift demand toward bio-feedstock resin and converters able to process it, though the plan lacks binding measures so far.

• Action plan 'Nachhaltigkeit fur ein modernes und zukunftsfahiges Deutschland' was published on 16 October 2026, structured into 20 'missions'.
• The government aims to 'significantly' raise the share of retail packaging made from bio-based drop-in plastics by 2029.
• Germany's Federal Ministry of Agriculture is lead department for implementation, with the Federal Environment Ministry as a contributing ministry.
• The plan does not detail concrete mechanisms, citing faster scale-up of research results into industrial-scale production and use of regional value chains.
• Bio-based drop-in plastics match the chemical and molecular structure of conventional plastics and can be processed and recycled in the same way, according to the government.

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