Confusion
I am hearing almost every day from governments and NGO’s that consumers are confused by the various types of biodegradable plastic available on the market. This is mainly due to their own failure to explain it properly and to control misdescription.
BIODEGRADABLE means that the plastic can be degraded by cell-mediated phenomena ie by bacteria and fungi. There are two main types of biodegradable plastic –
A. tested according to EN13432 or ASTM D6400 to biodegrade in an industrial composting facility, and
B. tested according to ASTM D6954 or BS8472 to biodegrade if it gets into the open environment.
Symphony Environmental Technologies plc (LON:SYM) is a world leader in the development of additives to make ordinary plastic biodegradable and protective technologies to enhance plastic products.