The paper sheds some light on the technology behind the ‘oxo-biodegradable’ industry, its failure to live up to international established and acknowledged standards that effectively substantiate claims on biodegradation and compostability, and the implications resulting from the different approaches.
“Bioplastics are still a relatively young industry,” said Andy Sweetman, chairman of the board of European Bioplastics. “Inherent implications made on the environmental suitability of our products are subject to close scrutiny by all kinds of stakeholders. It is, therefore, vital that claims on biodegradability or compostability are backed by internationally accepted standards.
“We just cannot allow that the public, who are generally very sensitive to ecological issues, be further confused by claims on biodegradability and compostability resulting from conflicting approaches. If certain products that claim to be biodegradable or compostable are proven not to fulfil acknowledged standards, this is liable to impact negatively on our own members’ products, even though they do fully comply.”
Source: European Bioplastics
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