A consortium of European manufacturers has voluntarily committed itself to using environment-friendly polymers in packaging, with a view to guaranteeing efficient biodegradability standards for their products.
While we all use polymer-based products every day - in plastic bags, cups and plant pots - only some polymers are biodegradable, and it is impossible for the consumer to tell just by looking at them.
The Environmental Agreement (EA) is in the form of a unilateral self-commitment by industry and it ensures internationally recognised standards for the biodegradation of polymers produced from both renewable or fossil resources.
This is an area where no EU initiatives are currently planned by the European Commission. In a statement, the EU executive it welcomed the initiative, which it hopes will help:
* encourage the development and use of new polymers thereby fostering innovation and competitiveness
* open up new avenues for waste management and recycling
* improve soil and water quality through high quality compost
* create additional sources of income for farmers.
The EA includes a certification and labelling scheme.
The industry sector with the largest consumption of biodegradable plastics is the packaging sector (food containers, wraps, nets, foams) and the sector producing plastic bags for the collection and composting of food waste and as supermarket carrier bags (38% of total consumption).
The manufacturers committed to this EA are key players in the biodegradable plastics market: BASF (Germany), Cargill Dow (USA), Novamont (Italy), Rodenburg Biopolymers (Netherlands). Between them these companies represent over 90% of the European market for biodegradable plastics and have a similar share of the current global market. The self-commitment will be managed by the International Biodegradable Polymers Association & Working Groups, IBAW.
The Source: EU Business.
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