Constance Ißbrücker, Head of Environmental Affairs at European Bioplastics e.V. Bioplastics are nothing new to the medical sector. In fact, it’s one of the sectors where bioplastics have been in use for a very long time because they offer significant benefits in terms of specific properties and functionalities. They also provide opportunities [...]
In its efforts to tackle the challenges related to waste, overpackaging, and sustainable production, the European Commission not only introduces additional regulations, such as the Single-use Plastics Directive, but also focuses on revising existing legislation. A milestone in the EU’s approach to respond to the environmental challenges we are facing is the revision of [...]
A recently conducted study which focused on the identification and quantification of microplastics in final refined compost found no remains of used EN 13432 certified industrial compostable bioplastics. If correctly composted, their use does not contribute to the increase of microplastic pollution. Microplastics and their potential environmental and health impacts have been of growing concern in recent years. Compost produced from separately [...]
At the end of last year, the European Commission has started to revise the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) and its Essential Requirements. After the implementation of the Single-use Plastics Directive (SUPD) which came into effect in July, this revision could mean additional far-reaching changes for the whole plastics industry. In a three-month [...]
Promising interim results of field test with compostable plastic bags in supermarkets Since mid-March 2021, in the German city of Straubingen, supermarkets of the EDEKA and REWE company participate in a field test with compostable vegetable and fruit bags. Recently, first very positive interim results of a consumer survey and a compost analysis have been published. According to the survey, consumers showed a very high level of acceptance for the use of compostable [...]
Constance Ißbrücker, Head of Environmental Affairs at European Bioplastics e.V. The Single-use Plastics Directive (SUPD) coming into effect on 3 July 2021 will not only ban several plastic applications, such as cutlery, plates or drinking straws from the market. It will also prohibit all products made from so-called oxo-degradable plastics. The Directive [...]
Contrary to popular belief, certified, industrial compostable organic waste bags neither bear harm for soil or human health, nor do they contribute to the problem of microplastics, as experts underline. On the contrary, they convey chances for a higher quality and quantity of collected organic waste. Read in the following a guest commentary by the Verbund kompostierbare Produkte e.V. (Association for Compostable Products / “Verbund”). For many years now, the [...]
For quite some time now, the European Commission (EC) is putting a special focus on biodegradable and compostable polymers when assessing the general role of bioplastics. This becomes obvious when looking at the number of related EU studies and reports that had been published in 2020. The last publication in this regard was the [...]
This year has already seen quite an impressive number of studies, reports, and additional publications related to bioplastics that were published by the European Commission (EC). Most of them contribute to the development of a framework for bioplastics included in the EC’s Circular Economy Action Plan. For the bioplastics industry, a clear framework is [...]
Berlin, 17 December 2020 – This week the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) published a report, entitled “Biodegradability of plastics in the open environment”. The report identifies applications of biodegradable polymers which contribute towards achieving a circular economy and tackle the challenge of managing the EU’s waste. “We are pleased to see that [...]
