Addressing Persistent Plastic Pollution
Caroline Randall
Marketing Manager
This report uses case studies in agriculture, forestry, and composting, to shows that, with proper use and supportive regulatory frameworks, biodegradable plastics can mitigate the long-term environmental impacts of conventional plastics.
In 2021, the UK Government’s summary of responses to the call for evidence on ‘Standards for biobased, biodegradable, and compostable plastics, highlighted that ‘bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics are of increasing interest as a potential solution to some of the issues caused by plastic waste. However, the government is concerned, that without robust standards or certification criteria, claims about the benefits that such materials may bring cannot be verified and uncertainty about unintended consequences will remain’. It concluded that ‘more research, is required to fully understand whether in practise biodegradable plastics do not simply accelerate the fragmentation of plastic into microplastic.’
This report presents the evidence that, with proper use and supportive regulatory frameworks, biodegradable plastics can mitigate long-term environmental impacts.
Biodegradable plastics offer a pathway toward reducing plastic pollution and addressing the presence of microplastics, and the use of certified compostable and biodegradable materials will reduce long term accumulation of microplastics. Although real-world biodegradation may occur more slowly than in laboratory conditions, a dynamic balance often emerges between the rate that materials are placed in the open environment and their subsequent biodegradation, indicating that biodegradable microplastics are transient and steadily processed by natural systems. Furthermore, certified biodegradable plastics have undergone biodegradation and ecotoxicological testing as part of the certification process, which conventional plastics do not. For fair comparison to be made, both biodegradable and conventional plastics should be subject to the same scrutiny.
As standards and technologies continue to evolve, biodegradable plastics will play an increasingly important role in building a more circular and sustainable bioeconomy. Many of these materials are bio-based and offer a lower environmental impact than their fossil-derived counterparts.
The key is to deploy them thoughtfully and robustly balancing economic and performance requirements with environmental objectives. Achieving this will require close collaboration between policymakers, regulators, researchers, and industry, drawing on the substantial knowledge and data already available.
The full report can be found here
