Biodegradable silage film has become the subject of serious research, because agriculture faces two pressures at once. On one side, livestock need a feed supply that keeps through the lean season. On the other, used wrap accumulates as waste that does not break down easily. Researchers have been working on a solution, but there is a constraint that cannot be negotiated away: silage must be sealed from oxygen, so any alternative has to match the barrier performance of what it replaces.
This article looks at where the technology actually stands, what it can and cannot do today, and what a farm can realistically do about plastic waste right now.
Why the Question Is Not Simple
Before asking whether biodegradable film can replace conventional wrap, it helps to be clear about what different forages need.
Dry hay can be bound with net wrap or twine. It does not require full sealed coverage, because its moisture content is low and dry material keeps well without special preservation. Removing the water is itself a preservation method.
Silage is a different case. It is preserved wet, which suits ruminant digestion, but that moisture means it needs genuine sealing to keep. The process depends on excluding oxygen so that lactic acid bacteria can ferment the plant sugars, dropping the pH and preserving the forage. Worth noting, since it is often described the wrong way round: fermentation happens inside the sealed bale after wrapping, not before it. The correct order is cut, bale, wrap, then ferment.
Because the seal is doing the preservation work, any film that lets oxygen through will allow oxidation and spoilage. That is the bar a biodegradable alternative has to clear, and it is a demanding one.
What the Research Actually Shows
The assumption that bio-based film must perform worse deserves challenging, because the evidence is more encouraging than expected.
A study published in the Journal of Dairy Science tested bio-based biodegradable film as a replacement for standard polyethylene cover in silage conservation. The bio-based films showed lower oxygen permeability than the polyethylene comparison, and that translated into improved aerobic stability for the silage, with yeast counts reduced below 2.0 log10 cfu per gram and aerobic stability maintained for more than 90 hours.
In other words, the barrier performance was not the weak point people assumed it would be. That finding matters, because oxygen permeability is the property that determines whether silage keeps.
It is worth being precise about the context, though. That work examined bunker silage covers rather than bale wrap, and bale wrapping places different demands on a film, since it must stretch, cling, and survive handling and months of outdoor exposure.
The Limitations Nobody Should Skip Over
Two caveats deserve more prominence than they usually get.
The first concerns what “biodegradable” actually means in practice. Many biodegradable agricultural films are made from plant-based polymers or additives that break down under **industrial composting conditions**. They do not simply dissolve in a field or a farmyard. If your region has no industrial composting facility that accepts agricultural film, a biodegradable label may not change the disposal problem at all.
The second concerns oxo-degradable additives, which are sometimes marketed alongside genuinely biodegradable products. These accelerate fragmentation when exposed to sunlight and oxygen, but they remain controversial precisely because fragmentation is not the same as decomposition. Breaking a sheet of plastic into small pieces creates microplastics rather than removing plastic from the environment.
| Option | What It Means | Practical Catch |
|---|---|---|
| Biodegradable film | Plant-based polymers or additives designed to break down | Usually requires industrial composting, not field breakdown |
| Oxo-degradable | Additives accelerate fragmentation in sun and oxygen | Controversial, as fragmentation creates microplastics |
| Bio-based feedstock | Made from corn starch or sugarcane instead of petroleum | Lowers fossil input, but is not automatically biodegradable |
| Recyclable LLDPE | Conventional film collected and reprocessed after use | Depends on a collection scheme existing in your area |
The Waste Problem Is Real
None of this should be read as an argument for complacency. Agricultural plastic consumption has risen sharply, reaching millions of tonnes of agricultural film annually, with the largest share used in Asia. Silage bags, bale wraps, and bunker covers are among the main film products on livestock farms.
Where waste management infrastructure exists, used film can be collected and reprocessed. Where it does not, the material accumulates, and some farms resort to burning it. That is a genuinely poor solution. Open burning of agricultural film produces air pollution, and because the temperature is uncontrolled, it can release toxic residues rather than destroying the material cleanly.
“Customers ask me about biodegradable film more often than they used to, and I try to give them a straight answer rather than a marketing one. The technology is promising and the research is encouraging, but a lot of what is sold as biodegradable needs an industrial composting plant to actually break down. If that plant does not exist near you, the label has not solved your problem. What genuinely helps today is using a durable film so you use less of it, and finding a collection scheme for what you do use.”
Sue Su, Marketing Director, Jummos
What a Farm Can Do Now
While biodegradable bale wrap continues to develop, there are practical steps available immediately.
Use film that lasts. A durable, correctly specified film that holds its seal through the full storage period means no re-wrapping, no spoiled bales, and no replacement plastic. Film that fails early costs you twice, in feed and in more plastic.
Apply the right number of layers. Research supports a cumulative film thickness of at least 6 mil for good preservation, with 8 mil recommended for greater security against punctures and tears. Too few layers is a false economy, since a spoiled bale wastes both the feed and the plastic already used.
Protect the seal. Store bales on clean ground away from sharp objects, handle them with proper bale equipment rather than rolling them, and check regularly for punctures from birds or vermin. Most film failures are handling failures.
Find a collection scheme. Agricultural plastic recycling programmes exist in many regions and will take used film for reprocessing. This is the option that works today, and it is considerably better than burning.
Silopak’s Silage Film
Silopak has manufactured forage wrap film since 2011, and our silage film has been tested to preserve silage for more than 18 months given ideal composition and supporting environmental conditions.
To be clear about what we make, our films are LLDPE-based with UV stabilisers. They are designed to be strong, weather-resistant, and recyclable, rather than biodegradable. We think it is better to tell you that plainly than to attach a green label to a product that does not carry it.
Where we do contribute to the environmental side is through durability. A film that seals reliably for eighteen months is a film you are not replacing, and bales you are not re-wrapping. Combined with a proper recycling route for the used material, that is the practical environmental option available on most farms today. You can read more about our range on the agricultural silage film page, and our guide to silage film in the USA covers recycling programmes in more detail.
If biodegradable film becomes genuinely viable for bale wrapping, we will say so. Until then, we would rather sell you something that works and can be recycled than something with a better story on the label.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can biodegradable film replace conventional silage wrap?
Not yet as a straightforward substitute for bale wrap, though the research is encouraging. A study in the Journal of Dairy Science found bio-based biodegradable film performed well as a silage cover, with lower oxygen permeability than polyethylene and improved aerobic stability. That work examined bunker covers rather than bale wrap, however, and bale wrapping additionally demands stretch, cling, and resistance to handling damage over months outdoors. The technology is advancing but is not yet the default choice.
Does biodegradable film break down on its own in the field?
Usually not, and this is the most important thing to understand before buying. Many biodegradable agricultural films require industrial composting conditions to break down, meaning specific temperature and microbial environments that a field or farmyard does not provide. If there is no facility near you that accepts agricultural film, a biodegradable product may not improve your disposal situation at all. Check what conditions the specific film requires before assuming it solves anything.
What is the most environmentally sound option available today?
For most farms, it is a combination of using a durable film that holds its seal for the full storage period, applying enough layers to avoid failures, handling bales carefully to prevent punctures, and routing used film into an agricultural plastic recycling programme. Durable film means less plastic used over time because nothing needs re-wrapping. Burning used film is the option to avoid entirely, since it causes air pollution and can release toxic residues.
Reviewed by Sue Su, Marketing Director of Jummos, on September 15, 2026. Film performance and biodegradability claims were checked against published research to keep the information accurate and honest for farmers.