The development of new biopolymer production technologies is becoming increasingly relevant for tackling the negative impact of linear plastics. Despite these potential benefits, their production and commercialization still face several obstacles that might hinder their widespread adoption. The present systematic review aimed to offer a thorough analysis of the multi-level supply-side barriers across researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals. Searches were performed in Web of Science, SCOPUS, PubMed, and IEEE Xplore between June and July 2023. Publications between 2019 and 2023 were considered for analysis (n = 176). Content was coded following a PICO structure and the results were reported following the PRISMA checklist. We found that technological and knowledge barriers were the most identified, followed by economic, regulatory, supply stability, and behavioral challenges. Moreover, we found that 82% of the documents identified more than one barrier, reflecting the complex interaction between the different challenges in the field. Fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, establishing clear regulatory frameworks, and enhancing communication strategies are relevant recommendations for overcoming these barriers. These findings draft a multifaceted roadmap of the key barriers in the commercialization of new, sustainable biopolymer production technologies, and carry significant implications for future research, policy development, and industry practices.

Migration is often viewed through the lens of international movement, yet internal migration within countries represents a significant aspect of human movements. This paper presents the results of a systematic review examining internal migration dynamics, specifically concentrating on studies that explore the professional determinants of internal migration, potentially alongside other influencing factors. The review draws upon data from SCOPUS, Web of Science, and EconLit databases. Seventeen relevant studies were identified, primarily from developing countries and predominantly published post-2010. As expected, the majority of studies concentrated on career and employment motivations, but other factors, such as distance, place, and behavioural influences, were also addressed. The findings reveal the complexity of migration behaviours, emphasizing the importance of thoroughly considering multiple determinants. The reviewed literature underscores the complex interplay of sociodemographic factors, push and pull dynamics, distance, place disparities, and psychological factors in shaping internal migration patterns. By analysing research focused on migration within national borders, this study enhances comprehension regarding place attraction and the underlying forces propelling internal migration. Although this study concentrates narrowly on professional determinants, provides a synthesis of current knowledge, emphasizing the importance of encompassing a diverse range of factors to elucidate the complexities of migration phenomena.

Background In the context of the European Green Deal and the European Union’s transition towards a circular and sustainable economy, bioplastics are emerging as a promising alternative to fossil-based plastics. However, despite increasing interest from industry and society, their large-scale adoption remains limited. This policy report synthesizes challenges, risks, and opportunities for the sustainable scaling of bioplastics. Methods It draws on evidence from an online multi-country survey with 18 stakeholders across the bioplastics value chain, including manufacturers, processors, retailers, and R&D centres, predominantly based in Europe. Key Results The findings reveal an acceptance-adoption paradox: while stakeholders express high acceptance of plant- and waste-based bioplastics, this positive perception does not translate into widespread market uptake. Key barriers include limited availability and unstable supply chains, high production and commercialization costs, technical and environmental performance concerns, regulatory challenges, and lack of consumer demand. Market volatility and regulatory uncertainty were identified as the most significant business risks, constraining long-term investment and strategic planning. Waste- and insect-based bioplastics, although recognised for their high sustainability potential and alignment with circular bioeconomy principles, are perceived as particularly challenging to work with and face additional trust and acceptance hurdles. Conclusions Based on these insights, the report advances with evidence-based policy recommendations to accelerate bioplastics adoption. These include strengthening regulatory harmonisation and legal clarity, incentivising innovation focused on cost reduction, performance improvement and safety assurance, reinforcing supply chains through targeted economic incentives, and promoting transparency through certified life cycle assessments and robust communication strategies. The report also highlights the importance of public engagement, participatory approaches, and multidisciplinary collaboration to counter misinformation and greenwashing. Overall, the findings suggest that with coherent policies, targeted investments, and trust-building measures, bioplastics – especially those derived from waste valorisation – can play a strategic role in Europe’s sustainable plastics transition.

Bioplastics have been presented as a sustainable alternative to products derived from fossil sources. In response, industries have developed innovative products using biopolymers across various sectors, such as food, packaging, biomedical, and construction. However, consumer acceptance remains crucial for their widespread adoption. This study aims to explore public sentiment toward bioplastics, focusing on emotions expressed on Reddit. A dataset of 5041 Reddit comments was collected using keywords associated with bioplastics and the extraction process was facilitated by Python-based libraries like pandas, NLTK, and NumPy. The sentiment analysis was conducted using the NRCLex, a broadly used lexicon. The overall findings suggest that trust, anticipation, and joy were the most dominant emotions in the time frame 2014–2024, indicating that the public emotional response towards bioplastics has been mostly positive. Negative emotions such as fear, sadness, and anger were less prevalent, although an intense response was noted in 2018. Findings also indicate a temporal co-occurrence between significant events related to bioplastics and changes in sentiment among Reddit users. Although the representativeness of the sample is limited, the results of this study support the need to develop real-time monitoring of the public’s emotional responses. Thus, it will be possible to design communication campaigns more aligned with public needs.