The Emergence of Bioplastic as a Sustainable Polymer in the Indian Food Packaging Industry: A Scientometric Analysis

Abstract

The use of bioplastics as a potential remedy for the problems caused by plastic pollution is gaining the attention of researchers and policy makers globally. Bioplastics are regarded as sustainable and valuable in several industries, particularly food packaging sector. In this context, the paper aims to evaluate the literature on bio-plastics research in India at the institutional level to determine correlations through a scientometric analysis. In doing so, a total of 1705 publications were extracted from the Web of Science database for the period between 2000 and 2021.The study results showed that sustainable plastics had gained the attention of the research community, with an upturn in publication from 2010 onwards. Furthermore, the study constructed a thematic map which indicates rising research trends in bioplastics are moving towards technologies for the food packaging sector. The study findings highlight the future research trend on bioplastics and provide meaningful information for sustainable food packaging in India.