Main features of Cellulose Acetate include:
- It can be produced using 100% biogenic inputs, with both acetyls and cellulose components being produced from renewable biological sources only.
- It is a sustainable material that is biodegradable in environments, such as water, soil, marine environments, and home compost.
- Certain products are exempted from the EU Microplastic Regulation, having proven that more than 60% of mass biodegrades within 60 days.
- It is valued for its haptic properties.
- It can be processed with convenient solvents to form fibers or films.
- It can be thermoplastically processed (with various biobased and biodegradable plasticizers).
- It allows producing products with exceptional high optical clarity.
Cellulose acetate is a modified natural polymer that was first synthesized in 1865 by Paul Schützenberger, who discovered that cellulose reacts with acetic anhydride - first industrial production processes were patented around 1894. Since its discovery, Cellulose Acetate has changed the world and was widely used in due to its beneficial properties compared to existing materials at the time.
Major areas of applications included textiles (consumer & industrial), films, consumer plastics, eyewear and fashion products as well as cigarette filters. Over the last decades and up to today, Cellulose Acetate is being rediscovered as a versatile material that can contribute to the defossilization of value chains. According to a report of the Joint Research Council (2026), dedicated biobased plastics are “developed to optimally convert biomass into plastic products, and to decouple from fossil feedstock and conventional plastic production systems”.
Cellulose acetate is classified as dedicated bio-based polymer with around 60% organic carbon content, which is equivalent to the cellulose fraction. If all input feedstocks, including the chemicals, are produced using a biogenic rout, the carbon content of cellulose acetate can increase to almost 100%. If you would like to learn more about the production of cellulose acetate, we invite you to browse the “History & Production process” area of our library.