**Preface to "Biobased Polymers for Environmental Applications"**

Biobased polymers are attracting a great deal of attention because the extension of their use to replace fossil-based products is promoting a material selection approach oriented toward carbon neutrality. The improved modulation of their thermomechanical properties through the design of blends, biocomposites, and bionanocomposites, in addition to the exploitation of reactive processing techniques, provides such materials with high performances and peculiar functionalities. Moreover, the end-of-life management of biobased polymers is easier than the management of fossil-based polymers because they can be recyclable and, depending on their chemical structures and geometrical features, are also compostable or degradable in a controlled environment. Hence, on the one hand, biobased polymers offer the possibility of differentiating processability and properties to match the requirements of different applications; on the other hand, they offer the possibility of designing the best end-of-life scenarios for specific products. Although these beneficial new alternatives require a great deal of efforts to be integrated into current industrial production and waste management systems, many research activities have been dedicated to this topic. Moreover, biobased polymers are used for interesting environmental applications, such as depollution. The present reprint, which includes five papers from two European projects (BIONTOP and ECOFUNCO), gathers research and review papers dedicated to replacing fossil-based materials with their biobased counterparts with suitable properties, considering not only the structural and functional properties but also the environmental benefits of these new alternative products.

This reprint includes 10 papers. The first three papers describe research activities on poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-based blends and their composites with wheat bran that were carried out under the framework of the BIONTOP project ("Novel Packaging Films and Textiles with Tailored End of Life and Performance Based on Bio-based Copolymers and Coatings", 837761) funded by the European Commission BBI-JU program. The melt fluidity, morphological, thermo-mechanical, creep and fracture properties of these promising biodegradable materials were considered and discussed.

The reprint includes two contributions (a review and a research article) written in the contest of the ECOFUNCO project ("ECO Sustainable Multi FUNctional Biobased COATings with Enhanced Performance and End of Life Options", 837863) funded by the European Commission BBI-JU program. The review explores possible innovations in the field of solid and liquid biobased coatings, whereas the research article examines the modification of paper tissues with biobased additives for sustainable personal care applications.

A research paper on the production of PLA-based composites to valorize hazelnut shell powder, which represents an agro-food waste, is also included in the reprint. Moreover, the reprint presents research papers investigating different biobased materials for environmental depollution, including hydrogel-based, bacterial cellulose-based and biochar-based materials. Finally, a research paper on the behavior of natural rubber during aging is presented.
