It's all about sustainability

Given that bioplastics today account for less than one per cent of the global plastics market, it might seem reasonable to ask why we still think it's important to give these materials serious - and fair - consideration.

I hope the answer is obvious; the plastics industry - like every other - needs to consider every option available to reduce fossil fuel dependence. Manufacturing plastics from renewable plant feedstocks could provide a real opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions.

Right now, we can only say "could". Full life cycle analysis is notoriously difficult. There are issues of land and water usage to consider, as well as potential competition with food, And, of course, performance requirements must be satisfied.

All of those points aside, this industry cannot afford to ignore the potential sustainability gains of using renewably-resourced plastics. Unfortunately, over the past decade the bioplastics argument has become clouded by the topic of compostability.

It's true that some bioplastics can be composted, and that sets them apart from some traditional plastics materials. And for some packaging waste applications - the mixed food scraps and packaging from fast food outlets, for instance - a compostable material can simplify end-of-life management.

However, composting only makes sense in cases where the appropriate infrastructure exists and where directing waste to composting units does not compromise other waste management efforts. In many cases, composting is neither an available or resource-efficient option.

So, here at EPN, we are pleased to hear bioplastics producer Natureworks calling – in Europe at least - for the bioplastics sector to look beyond composting to the overall sustainability of the materials it manufactures.

The true potential benefit of bioplastics must surely be sustainability but today's heavy emphasis on composting risks drawing attention away that. It risks biodegradable or degradable plastics produced from non-renewable sources being viewed as "greener" than non-biodegradable plastics produced from renewable resources. It risks diverting valuable high energy input raw materials to low value compost. And it risks encouraging in the mind of the consumer the belief that simply buying a compostable package is enough to meet their environmental obligations.

These are risks the plastics – and bioplastics - industry should not be prepared to take. Today, Europe has the EN13432 standard covering compostability of packaging in industrial infrastructure. If a packaging product satisfies this standard, the producer can claim compostability.

But what the industry really needs now is an international standard (perhaps along the lines of ASTM 6866 in the US)that will enable producers of any plastics product to define and claim an unarguable level of renewable content.