The continuous demand for plastics on the market is due to the
particular characteristics of this class of materials: low price
(usually lower than 1€ kg1) (Valentino et al., 2014), durability,
lightness and ductility, which are all factors that make plastics versatile
and utilizable in many commercial sectors (European
Commission, 2013). On the other hand, ‘‘traditional” plastics which
are not biodegradable, lead to the accumulation of wastes that are
liable to remain in the environment for hundreds of years.