Europe's Bioeconomy: The Business of Nature

thinks otherwise: "[They] have been found
to offer no proven environmental advantage
over conventional plastics, while their rapid
fragmentation into microplastics cause concerns."
Work is now underway to restrict their use in the
EU. But the problems don't end there.
SOMETIMES MORE HARMFUL
THAN PLASTIC
Designers and brands are just as confused as
their customers.
An investigation in the UK recently by
FoodserviceFootprint.com found that the
country's largest pub chains have been left
bamboozled after switching from plastic to
compostable straws. In some cases, the straws
made from polylactic acid (PLA) – a plastic
substitute derived from plants that will biodegrade
within three months in a controlled composting
environment – were ending up in landfills where
they are actually more harmful than plastic.
Even the association representing the bioplastics
sector admits that explaining its wares is tricky:
"It's hard to communicate all pros and cons of the
very different bioplastics in an appropriate way,"
suggests Hasso von Pogrell, managing director
of European Bioplastics.
A clear definition would certainly help.
To date, the term bioplastics is loosely used to
refer to plastics that are biobased, biodegradable,
or both. Biobased means they are made at least
in part from renewable materials derived from
plants (like corn or cellulose) instead of fossil
resources, according to the European Bioplastics
website.
Some can also be biodegradable in industrial
composting facilities (there is a European
Photo: European Commission
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04 — BUSINESS IN EUROPE MAGAZINE 2018