Abstract In the recent years, bio-based and biodegradable products have raised
great interest since sustainable development policies tend to expand with the
decreasing reserve of fossil fuel and the growing concern for the environment.
These polymers bring a significant contribution to the sustainable development in
view of the wider range of disposal options with minor environmental impact.
As a result, the market of these environmentally friendly materials is in rapid
expansion, 10–20 % per year. Consequently, biodegradable polymers are the
topics of much research. Biodegradable polymers can be mainly classified as agropolymers
(starch, chitin, protein…) and biodegradable polyesters [polyhydroxyalkanoates,
poly(lactic acid)…]. These latter, also called biopolyesters, can be
synthesized from fossil resources but main productions are obtained from
renewable resources. This chapter intends to present these polymers regarding the
synthesis, the structure, properties and their applications.