Bacardi rum bottles, Skittles sweet wrappers, designer water bottles -- a bevy of companies are developing biodegradable plastic packaging they say is better for the environment than traditional plastics.
While experts agree we should use less plastic in any form, some say as long as plastics are here to stay, we should be using degradable materials -- and also pushing governments to help us dispose of them.
But most people don't have access to such facilities, meaning biodegradable plastics generally end up in recycling centres or landfills -- or worse, the environment.From the United States to Europe to China, supermarket shelves are increasingly stocked with items packaged with"bioplastic" or"biodegradable","compostable" or"sustainable" plastics.Many governments don't regulate such claims, and most consumers don't know what they mean.
"There is a lot of confusion on the market," said Philippe Dewolfs, business manager at TUEV Austria, one of the world's leading certifying agencies for biodegradable plastics, which is paid by companies to assess materials.These plastics contain at least some biomass feedstock like corn, potato starch, wood pulp or sugarcane -- but may also contain fossil fuel-derived materials.
In November, the European Commission proposed new rules on packaging to tackle waste and also clarify terms used to describe plastics presented as environmentally friendly."They have their place in a sustainable future, but they need to be directed to specific applications where their environmental benefits and value for the circular economy are proven."Some fear that confusion could lead to littering, adding to the world's plastic pollution problem.
Microplastics have been found in soil, oceans, rivers, tap water and even in human blood, breast milk and placentasActivists like Tourner say companies and governments should focus on standardising glass packaging for things like yoghurt and milk, so they can be returned to shops to be sterilised and reused.
"They are eternal pollutants," said Nathalie Gontard, research director at France's national agriculture research institute .
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