The confusion around terms like “biodegradable,” “bioplastic,” and “compostable” is real. Consumers want to do the right thing for the planet, but transparency around these claims can be a bit opaque and in some cases straight out misleading from both brands and suppliers. Amid these concerns and the lack of defined standards, last year the UK government asked experts to help develop standards for biodegradability and compostability of plastics. The call was set out in a paper, Call For Evidence: Standards For Bio-Based, Biodegradable, and Compostable Plastics.
In its role as the UK national standards body, the British Standards Institute (BSI) introduced the standard that requires a product break down into organic matter and carbon dioxide in the open air within two years to be considered biodegradable plastic. A business will need to prove its products break down without leaving any microplastics.
“Tackling the global challenge of plastic waste requires imagination and innovation,” said Scott Steedman, Director of Standards at BSI. “New ideas need to be agreed, publicly available, independent standards to enable the delivery of trusted solutions by industry,” he added, describing the new standard as “the first stakeholder consensus on how to measure the biodegradability of polyolefins which will accelerate the verification of technologies for plastic biodegradation.”
For the first time, plastic manufacturers will have the ability to get data on the performance of the biodegradability process of polyolefinic material and deliver testing laboratories with a standardized protocol. The standard was developed by a steering group of experts in the field of plastics, and is sponsored by Polymateria.
Nadhim Zahawi, Minister for Business and Industry, said in a statement, “The government, consumers and businesses are taking collective action to tackle global plastic pollution, helping to reduce harm to wildlife, clean up our oceans and reach our trailblazing net-zero goals. To support this ambition, the government published a call for evidence on biodegradable plastics, which will soon publish its findings. We always welcome innovation aimed at increasing the sustainability of plastics, and will monitor the introduction of this new standard with interest.”
The standardized protocols for testing at each stage will include:
“We have designed this around the consumer,” Niall Dunne, Chief Executive of Polymateria, told The Guardian. “We wanted to cut through this eco-classification jungle and take a more optimistic view around inspiring and motivating the consumer to do the right thing.” He continued, “We now have a base to substantiate any claims that are being made and to create a new area of credibility around the whole biodegradable space.”
