A scientific team from Blaise Pascal University in France has challenged what it sees as ‘misinformation’ and 'not very expert reports and erroneous information' about oxo-biodegradable plastics.
Jacques Lemaire, Dominique Fromageot and Jacques Lacoste, from the Centre National d'Evaluation de Photoprotection (CNEP), Université Blaise Pascal, contend that The European Commission has no data on non-collectable plastic waste - nor does it appear to wish to obtain any.
The CNEP believes this situation 'does not facilitate the development of biodegradable polymeric materials' and is warning of the dangers of 'erroneous information' regarding oxo-biodegradables.
“It seems that the European Commission plans to deal with the problem of plastic waste only by approaches like recycling, composting or incineration,” the researchers wrote. They argue that non-collectable plastic waste is 'not recognised' by the European Commission, which imagines that plastic waste will totally disappear from 2050. And they note that the European Parliament recently considered banning oxo-biodegradables altogether on the basis of 'not very expert reports and and erroneous information '.
“'Fortunately, this misinformation is effective only in Europe and oxo-biodegradables are experiencing normal development in Turkey, in the Middle East, in Africa, in China, in South America and North America.”
In their paper,Should misinformation about oxo-biodegradables continue?, the writers outline “the principal negative elements (about oxo-biodegradable plastic) which circulate in Europe”, describing them as being at “the base of political reactions, which obstruct the development of oxo-biodegradables in Europe”.
They state that the field of oxo-biodegradation is a field with important potential for the protection of the environment; that scientific research on oxo-biodegradable materials must be able to continue without meeting non-scientific obstruction; and that it is not acceptable to oppose “achieved scientific results with opinions based on little or no fact”.
Michael Stephen, chairman of the Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics Association, has stated his agreement with the researchers’ views, “This briefing paper reaffirms what we have been saying for some time. Oxo-biodegradable plastic is important for Europe since it is the only plastic offering complete, non-toxic degradability to a pre-set approximate timescale, and effective on land or in water. This form of plastic was developed to solve the problem of plastic waste in the environment, which if not collected would lie or float around for decades. Its biodegradability and its relatively short lifespan ensure that it will not be around for very long.”
