Are bioplastics and biodegradable plastics really better?

Jun. 24, 2024

Are bioplastics and biodegradable plastics really better?

How do you know if the 'green' disposable plastic products you buy'marked bioplastic, biodegradable, compostable, or bioplastic'are actually safe for our planet and our health? It's confusing for well-intentioned people. We're here to help.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of biodegradable resin. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Plastic is made of artificially created chemicals 'that don't belong in our world and don't mix well with nature.' After we use plastic'sometimes only for a few seconds'we throw it away. These plastics are a big source of pollution, getting into our food and water, creating toxic health hazards for neighboring communities as part of their production and disposal and killing marine wildlife. While public pressure has made companies appear to be more environmentally friendly, most haven't cleaned up their act. They've only created more confusing terms, greenwashing their products to make us feel like we're acting responsibly.

The bottom line: the best solution is to avoid single-use plastics, no matter what material they are made from. It's the only real way to prevent pollution and waste. When plastic is unavoidable, it's vital to understand what the labeling actually means. Biodegradable plastics are very rarely recyclable, and biodegradable does not mean compostable'so they often up in the landfill. Compostable and bioplastic goods can be a better choice than biodegradable ones, but often still end up in landfills unless you can compost appropriately.

Why? There's an important difference between what makes conventional plastics, biodegradable plastics, and bioplastic'and what happens when we're done using them.

Conventional plastics are made from products derived from petroleum. The US Department of Energy reports that plastics are mostly produced from from natural gas processing, and feedstocks derived from refining crude oil'these are the ingredients that last forever in our environment. They take hundreds of years to break down and never completely decompose'they just become smaller and smaller pieces that are impossible to remove from the environment. Some plastics are known to be toxic, and as they break down, plastic bits become food for organisms up and down the food chain.

Biodegradable plastics are made from the same materials as conventional petroleum based plastics, but with even more chemicals. These extra chemicals cause the plastic to break down more rapidly when exposed to air and light. Some biodegradable plastics fragment rather than biodegrade, due to the addition of oxidizing agents (found in 'oxo-degradable plastics'). By fragmenting, rather than degrading, they break into small pieces which can pollute soils, increase risk of ingestion for animals and end up in our oceans and waterways. These kind of plastics are impossible to recover for recycling and aren't suitable for composting. The prefix 'bio' can be very misleading: plastics do degrade, but not into something biological. It breaks into smaller and smaller pieces of plastic.

Unfortunately, recycling your 'biodegradable' plastics isn't a great answer to this issue. Most biodegradable plastics have a #7 recycling code on them, which places them in the 'Other' category of plastics. #7 plastics are generally not accepted for recycling by local municipal recyclers, due to the addition of chemical additives.

Bioplastics and 'compostable' plastics tend to be made from plant biomass, such as corn starch, sugar cane or wheat, and should either completely and rapidly break down biologically, or be compostable. This means they are supposed to break down into biological elements, unlike conventional plastics. However, while some bioplastics can be composted and do not harm the quality of compost, others leave toxic residues or plastic fragments behind, making them unsuitable if your compost is being used to grow food. Additionally, the use of plant material for bioplastics causes concern including the use of genetically modified crops, and the use of farmland that could be used to grow valuable food crops, deforestation, use of fresh water supplies, soil erosion, fertilizer use (which comes from petrochemical sources), food security and more.

Bioplastics cannot be recycled with standard plastics as the additives in bioplastics can make the recycled product less durable.

Composting bioplastics is also complicated. Most bioplastics will only compost in commercial (municipal) composters. Commercial composters reach temperatures and humidity levels you would be unable to achieve in a standard garden composter, so your bioplastics may never break down at home. Some commercial composters, like those in Northern California, have to remove bioplastics like compostable utensils because even their temperatures and humidity levels will not break down these products.

So, is sending these items to landfill the best way to dispose of them? In a landfill, they won't contaminate recycling or compost streams. But for biodegradation to occur, three basic resources are required ' heat, light and oxygen. In a landfill site, waste is entombed, creating a complete absence of light and oxygen. If a biodegradable plastic or bioplastic ends up in a landfill site it may never decompose.

It's clear: we can't recycle or compost our way out of the plastics issue ' and that holds true for new biodegradable plastics and bioplastics. We can make informed decisions and stop waste by buying less, and buying responsibly! Come to our Store for dozens of affordable products and strategies for reducing your reliance on plastic.

Also: check out these Responsible Purchasing Guides for more detailed information on the products mentioned above.

Sources:
https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=34&t=6
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/bioplastics.html
https://www.theguardian.com/environment//may/23/biodegradable-plastic-false-solution-for-ocean-waste-problem
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/cif-green//jun/18/greenwash-biodegradeable-plastic-bags

[Photo credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture on Flickr]

7 Biggest Advantages of Biodegradable Plastics

The fashion industry uses a lot of traditional plastic. Microplastics have been found in Arctic snow. Plastic bags have been found in the Mariana Trench. It's a big problem.

To tackle this issue, it's good to know the benefits that the alternatives can provide.

Below you can explore seven important benefits that biodegradable plastics have to offer:

1. Biodegradable Plastics Produce Less Emissions

We consume over 100 million tonnes of plastic each year. In , the greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production was equivalent to nearly 1.8 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). That's a lot of garment trims and fashion debris.

Biodegradable plastics offer a reduced rate of these emissions as they're not made through the harmful extraction and refinement of petroleum.

For every ton of petroleum-based plastics produced, there's up to three tons of CO2 that follows suit. With bio-polymers, this figure is reduced to 0.5 tons.

Finally, biodegradable plastics can actually help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As bio-polymers are derived from plants, this means it takes a lot of CO2 from the atmosphere for plant growth. This is known as a 'carbon sink'.

2. Less Energy is Used in Their Production

With biodegradable plastics, we no longer need to go through the lengthy process of finding hydrocarbons (in the traditional case, crude oil). We no longer have to use expensive and devastating processes when it comes to extracting, transporting and refining.

This means we are consuming less energy in the production stage. More importantly, we are burning less fossil fuels.

If we add in the energy to clean and recycle plastics, biodegradable alternatives offer a less energy-intense route.

3. Biodegradable Plastics = Less Waste

It's estimated there are over five trillion pieces of plastic in our oceans. Plastics also make up 13% of our current waste, which translates as roughly 32 million tons each year.

If current trends remain stable, there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans by - especially as we use plastic in everything. Even our clothes. Think of the packaging and trims your garments comes with. All those small bits of plastic add up.

Depending on the method of breakdown, a piece of biodegradable plastic can either fully biodegrade or be reduced by a significant portion of size in 18 to 36 months. Traditional plastic can take up to 1,000 years to fully biodegrade, so this represents a huge improvement.

Brands are now beginning to look into eco-friendly business practices. There are many brands out there that practise them and create beautiful garments and accessories, such as Citizen Wolf, STORY mfg and GRAMMAR, amongst hundreds of others.

The company is the world’s best biodegradable starch resin supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

Tags, trims and labels are an important part of any brand. Finding ones that are made from recycled and eco-friendly material is a small change in your production, but makes a significant difference to your environmental impact.

Here at Weavabel, we're branding specialists who continue to invest time and money in sustainable practices. We've developed a range of eco-friendly tickets, labels, tags and packaging that you can explore to get a feel for what less waste truly looks like.

4. Petroleum Will Eventually Run Out

In , 93 million barrels of oil were used everyday globally. That's an incredible statistic. Petroleum is a finite source. There's only a certain amount hidden under our feet and it won't last forever.

Growing crops to create biodegradable plastics can theoretically last forever, if there is good farmland available.

Combine this with renewable energy use and you have a winning combination for environmentally friendly production.

5. Biodegradable Plastics Can Decompose Quickly

Under the right circumstances, bio-polymers can decompose fast. For things to break down properly, you need warmth and moisture so that natural processes can get to work.

If these conditions are met, some biodegradable plastics can breakdown within just a few weeks. You can even add some to your garden compost bin.

This means biodegradables won't sit forever in landfills or clog up waterways. It's a win-win situation.

6. Say Goodbye To Harmful Chemicals

Over the cycle of their decomposition, traditional plastics can release pollutants such as methane or bisphenol A (BPA), which can harm both the environment and human health.

This isn't the only chemical present in types of plastic. We're also talking phthalates such as BBP, DBP and DIBP. These have been classified as harmful to human health.

Bio-polymers don't contain these chemicals and so when they biodegrade, our environment and our health aren't affected.

7. Sustainable Business Practices are Popular

Biodegradable products are usually seen as a key part of sustainable business practices. Sustainability is the keyword on everyone's lips. Organisations that have adopted sustainability practices, such as using biodegradable plastics, in their products are favoured by customers over organisations that don't.

Including eco-friendly materials and biodegradable plastics in your products and packaging means you stand to gain the benefits from customers who resonate with your sustainability practices.

That being said, sustainability is more than a trend. It's an idea backed by science and can help to change the world. The change towards sustainability is a change you need to action.

Say Yes to Sustainable Business Practices and Involve Them in Your Processes

If you're looking to make your fashion brand more sustainable, issues like biodegradable versus traditional plastics can be important to consider.

To answer your questions, we've created a handy guide for brands that are wanting to make the transition to sustainable production methods. It has everything from how the world-leading fashion brands are reacting, and what the current customer trends are when it comes to looking for sustainable products.

Download your free useful guide today! Fill in the form to receive a FREE copy of the eBook and kick start your journey to becoming a sustainable brand.

MAKE FASHION SUSTAINABLE

Join brands such as MANGO, Zara, Stella McCartney and many more when it comes to sustainable fashion. The fashion industry has had a disastrous impact on the environment, and for many brands the time to change is now!

To help you start your journey to becoming an eco-friendly brand we've created a guide all about:

How to Make the Transition to an Eco-Friendly Manufacturing and Production Process

In the eBook you will learn:

What impact the fashion industry has had on the environment
How consumer trends in sustainability have evolved
What the world-leading fashion brands are doing right now
How production processes can be more eco-friendly
How to make the transition to becoming a more sustainable brand

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit starch based biodegradable plastic bags.

123

Comments

All Comments (0)

Compostable versus Biodegradable Packaging

The Truth About Biodegradable & Compostable Retail ...

Guest Posts

If you are interested in sending in a Guest Blogger Submission,welcome to write for us!

Your Name:(required)

Your Email:(required)

Subject:

Your Message:(required)

0/2000