Nanocomposites of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) containing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were prepared by dispersion of CNCs in aqueous poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) emulsion followed by melt extrusion with PLA. Functionalization of PVAc by radical grafting of glycidyl methacrylate (PVAc-GMA) was carried out during PVAc polymerization by using ammonium cerium (IV) nitrate as the initiator. The morphology, phase interactions, thermal and mechanical properties and degradability in composting of blends (PLA/PVAc, PLA/PVAc-GMA) and nanocomposites (PLA/PVAc/CNC, PLA/PVAc-GMA/CNC) containing 3% wt CNC were examined by FESEM, AFM, FT-IR, DSC and tensile tests. The study of degradability demonstrated that the disintegration rate of PLA/PVAc-GMA/CNC in soil was higher than that of PLA/PVAc/CNC, likely because the epoxy groups of GMA accelerated the biodegradation rate through the formation of radicals. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.