Page 57 - Plastics News February 2025
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IN THE NEWS
requires extensive water usage along with sub- environments. These materials survive extended
stantial energy. Loosely derived biodegradable periods because seawater conditions remain
plastic raw materials sourced from crops like too cold for industrial compost processing to
sugarcane and corn affect land management occur and therefore threaten ocean organisms.
practices and create competition for agricul- Marine biodegradable promises are frequently
tural food production. All environmental impacts exaggerated or misunderstood by consumers.
caused by these products need comprehensive
evaluation. Myth 5: Biodegradable and Compostable Are
the Same
Myth 3: Biodegradable Plastics Solve the Plastic
Waste Problem Fact: Carbon-based materials labeled biode-
gradable and compostable constitute different
Fact: The sustainability potential of biodegrada- waste degradation types. Plastics designed for
ble plastics remains limited because they provide composting need to decompose into discrete
solutions to address just a few aspects of the natural components that meet specifications for
wider plastics waste problem. At landfills the ab- both industrial and home composting systems.
sence of composting conditions prevents these The decomposition process of biodegradable
plastics from breaking down effectively despite plastics extends beyond standard times yet
inadequate waste management systems. Any generates leftovers that might create health
successful sustainable waste management ap- problems after decomposition.
proach requires both plastic recycling systems
and decreased plastic product usage. The Role of Biodegradable Plastics in the Future
Myth 4: Biodegradable Plastics Decompose in Biodegradable plastics possess moderate po-
Oceans tential for ecological waste management sys-
tems although they fail to act unambiguously as
a definitive solution. Here are key areas where
their future impact can be realized:
1. Innovations and Research
The biodegradable plastics shows growing mo-
mentum as scientists together with companies
embrace evolving materials and technological
improvements. Innovations include:
♦ Algae-Based Plastics: Plastics derived from
renewable resources show higher speed of
breakdown and lower CO2 impact than tra-
ditional petroleum-based products.
♦ Microbial Solutions: Science has created en-
Fact: Very few biodegradable plastics exhibit ef- gineered bacteria which produce environ-
fective degradation when submerged in marine
February 2025 PLASTICS NEWS 57
