The World Economic Forum reports there will be 933 million metric tons of plastics generated annually by 2050. Due to low rates of recycling (15%) and resistance to being naturally broken down, plastics have become a major pollutant and environmental issue. Biodegradable bioplastics derived from biomass such as cellulose and lignin could help address this challenge and over the last year, significant strides have been made in developing bioplastics as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics. These technologies were featured by Scientific American as some of the top emerging technologies of 2019. Researchers are discovering ways to breakdown cellulose and lignin into their building blocks, or monomers, to create plastic, and they have also shown that the resulting plastic is comparable in strength and visual characteristics to standard plastics. Technologies include using environmentally friendly ionic liquids and genetically engineered enzymes to help separate and breakdown cellulose and lignin.