Fact sheet on bioplastics

March 2009

Bioplastics are increasingly in the news in the packaging sphere as they add new features
to the diverse spectrum of plastics materials. Their development is linked to several
factors such as the depletion of petroleum reserves, high oil prices and increased
greenhouse gas emissions.

This fact sheet is meant to give clear and concise information related to bioplastics, the
terminology used and management once they become waste, based on PRO EUROPE
members expertise in the matter.

Main conclusions:
- Under the definition of bioplastics, different aspects are covered; their composition
and end-of-life.
- Misconceptions about the properties, benefits and end-of-life process of bioplastics
are widespread.
- Bioplastics are not currently proved to be more sustainable than petrol-based plastics.
- Technically, bioplastics could be recycled but would then require being part of a
separate collection and having enough quantity of good quality recyclable waste,
recycling infrastructure and sustainable outlet.
- Composting makes less sense from an environmental point of view than the
incineration or gasification of bioplastics with energy recovery.
- Tax exemptions or incentives for bioplastics are not currently justified and would lead
to distortions in the internal market.
- The promotion of biodegradable plastics among consumers should be avoided as it
could lead to an increase of littering behaviours.


About bioplastics

Differentiating bio-based plastics from biodegradable or compostable plastics

The term bioplastics is often used as a collective term for different plastic types. Two aspects of
bioplastics are generally mixed up:

- Its composition: a plastic made of renewable resources.
- Its end-of-life: a biodegradable or compostable plastic

The composition and the end-of-life are independent aspects that should not be confused. The
biodegradability of plastic is independent of its composition:

- Bio-based plastics are not always biodegradable.
- Biodegradable plastics are not always made of renewable resource. Traditional
petroleum based plastics can be biodegradable.

A bio-based plastic is a plastic derived from a renewable source; biomass which is a material of
biological origin excluding material embedded in geological formation or transformed into fossil
fuels. According to the University of Hannover, there are more than 300 types of bioplastics. For
example, bio-based plastics can be made from corn, sugar cane, starch. Many biobased plastics
contain also a significant amount of petroleum, often 50% (for the bags) and sometimes up to
80%.

See ANNEX 1 on bioplastics definitions
1



Differentiating biodegradable and compostable plastics

It is also important to distinguish biodegradable plastics from compostable plastics:

- Biodegradable plastics are degradable due to the action of micro-organisms and
enzymes (such as fungi or bacteria). The mineralisation of organic structures by micro-
organisms converts the bioplastics into carbon dioxide, methane, water and biomass.
- Compostable plastics are degradable due to a biological process occurring during
composting and are converted into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass. There are no
toxic side effects like toxic residue for water, soil, plants or living organisms. They
conform to an officially recognised standards EN 13432.
1


Moreover, it should be noted that not all biodegradable materials are compostable.

Differentiating biodegradable and oxo-degradable plastics

There is a clear distinction between 'biodegradable' materials that undergo degradation by
biological processes and water and 'degradable', often referred to as 'Oxo-degradable'. Those
materials are made of traditional plastic with an additive that initiates degradation under the action
of UV and oxygen. This kind of material could encourage littering, doesnt degrade in landfill, and
is a real danger for marine life (particles are only degraded and will attract the toxins present in
water and become real small bomb).

Differentiating in house and industrial compostability

A distinction needs to be made between plastics that can be composted at home and those which
require an industrial process.

A certain level of temperature, heat, water and oxygen is required by active micro-organisms for
efficient and effective biodegradation. A product is compostable according to the internationally
recognized standard EN 13432 only when specific conditions (temperature, humidity level, time)
are met in the composting system. These conditions are significantly different in home
composting than in industrial facilities. Many products which meet EN13432 in industrial
composting facilities will not do so in home composters.

Misconceptions and negative impacts

Sustainability

Bioplastics are often described as environmentally superior to traditional plastics although this
assumption is not implicitly correct. Being biodegradable or biomass based is not synonymous
with being environmentally friendly or sustainable.

Solution to the litter problem

The biodegradability does not resolve the litter issue. Biological degradation without the required
conditions (micro-organism, temperature and humidity) is very slow and can last several years.

Moreover, bioplastics can potentially add on to the litter problem as the consumer may believe
that they just break down and disappear after disposal. Therefore one most be cautius in
promoting biodegradability of a material among consumers.


1
A European-accepted testing scheme (EN 13432) exists which defines the compostability of plastics. It describes test
methods to determine the biodegradation of polymers in the timeframe of industrial composting systems.
2


Confusion among consumers

Consumers are confused with the different labels describing packaging as biodegradable,
home compostable, compostable, degradable or even biopackaging printed on bags, pots,
trays, films, bottles, etc. They rate them very favourable but mostly ignore their exact meaning,
whether and how they should sort them and which are the most sustainable waste management
options to treat them.

There is a clear need for a regulated communication on both the labels and sorting instructions as
well as their sustainability. Material producers and retailers using these new materials have a
responsibility for introducing them in a responsible and coordinated manner so that previous
education efforts for waste prevention and recycling are not ruined.

End-of-life bioplastics

Once bioplastics become waste, the important question of their collection and recovery arises.

Collection of bioplastics

Bio-plastics can either be collected with other packaging
2
, residual waste, or with organic
waste. The impacts of these three different scenarios are as follows:

- Scenario n1: If the bioplastic complies with the sorting instructions, it will be selectively
collected. Then the possible end-of-life options are :
o Recycling: possible if adapted sorting equipment, enough quantity of good
quality homogenous material, existing sustainable recycling infrastructure and
outlet. It is to mentioned that blend material cannot be sorted apart and that there
is a high risk of contamination of the recycling process of the PET if only 0,1% of
PLA enter the process (both materials have similar appearance).
o Gasification or incineration with energy recovery: better options than
composting. Note that not all bioplastics are biodegradable and that there is a
need for gasification infrastructure in Europe.
o Composting: A possible option if no existing recovery infrastructure. Not all
bioplastics are compostable.
o Landfill: least preferred option

- Scenario n2: If bio-plastics are thrown in the residual waste bin, they will end their life in
landfill (the less preferred option) or being incinerated with energy recovery (better option
than composting). In some countries, residual waste is sorted (same issues as in
scenario 1).

- Scenario n3: Only a small minority of citizens have access to organic waste collection.
For those who have access to it, they are often forbidden to throw plastic packaging in it
since the public authorities fear mistakes and thus a rise of the residue and therefore a
lower quality of the compost. Note that not all the bioplastics are compostable. Two end-
of-life are possible for organic waste:

o Gasification: very few existing infrastructure and not all are adapted to treat
packaging
o Composting: a less sustainable solution than recovery (gasification or
incineration) and few infrastructures adapted to treat packaging (they are filtered
at the entrance of the facility and end up in the residual fraction).


2
Please note that in most of the countries, only bottles are collected separately and not all plastic packaging.
3


Home composting: only a few bioplastics are home compostable. Few consumers use this end-
of-life option.

See a summary of the different scenarios in ANNEX 2

Impact on existing producer responsibility schemes

It is important to recall that the Green Dot fee is only linked to the end of life of materials and aims
at financing the recovery and recycling of packaging waste in order to achieve the EU targets in
an efficient way. The fee is therefore not meant to promote one type of material vis--vis another.
A special treatment applied to bioplastics such as a reduced fee for recovery compared to other
plastics is not justified and would be unfair since bioplastics are not the best technical solution to
protect all product and are not proved to be environmentally superior compared to petroleum-
based plastics.

Case studies

Austria

A recent report
3
(May 2008) prepared by the Higher Technical Education Institute (TGM) in
Vienna draw a series of conclusions on the possibility to sort, recycle and compost biopolymers.

- In automatic sorting plants, bio-plastics can be detected as Non-PET. However, in
manual sorting plants this is not possible since PLA can not be differentiated visually from
PET.
- Even a very small amount (0.1%) of PLA mixed with PET affects the quality of the
recycled product and hence its value on the market.
- When home composting is compared to industrial composting, the degradation is slower
when happening at all. For example, PLA (a biopolymer made from natural sugar
sources) does not disintegrate at all in home-composting.


Belgium

Fost Plus (the Belgian member of PRO EUROPE) has made a study
4
to assess best waste
management options for compostable packaging being industrially compostable in Belgium.

Main conclusion is that, when it comes to industrially compostable packaging, energy recovery
is the most preferred option for the moment (from an environmental, logistical and economic point
of view). Indeed,
- Industrial compostability is less sustainable than incineration with energy recovery.
- Not all the citizens have access to organic collection.
- Most of the composting facilities are not equipped to treat packaging.
- Studies have shown that when there is reference to compostability on the packaging,
consumers tend to believe that they can compost it at home although it is the case only
when it is clearly indicated that it is domestically compostable.
- Communication to the consumer about the compostability of a packaging should
therefore be avoided unless the packaging is home compostable


3
Bericht Recycling und Kompostierung von Biopolymeren Zusammenfassung zu den HTL Diplomarbeiten
Recycling und Kompostierung von Biopolymeren im Auftrag von KK GmbH durchgefhrt am TGM im
Schuljahr 2007/08 by DI (FH) Klemens Reitinger MSc (May 2008)
4
Analyse des effets sur lenvironnement des options de retraitement pour les matriaux : acide polylactique
(pla). Rapport final, An Vercalsteren, Carolin Spirinckx, Ive Vanderreydt (VITO), tude effectue la
demande de Fost Plus Mai 2008
4





France

Eco-Emballages (the French member of PRO EUROPE) has carried out a study
5
in 2006 which
had the objective to compare polymers from different origins and to assess the end-of-life of
plastic packaging.

- Bio-based plastics present an interest in term of green house gas emissions and non
renewable resources consumption. Water consumption appears as a large environmental
stake for those plastics.
- The best end of life of bio-based polymers is incineration with energy recovery.
- In LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), the production stage of bio-based is so important that
the end-of-life has no significant impact.
- Based on the technology currently in application and the end of life system in place, bio-
based products do not present any environnemental interest.


5
Summary of environmental studies on plastics from renewable and fossil sources Studies carried out by
Bio Intelligence Service, December 2007
5


ANNEX 1

100.000 T / year (0,2% of all plastic
Biopackaging - Definitions



Made from
renewable
ressources
Issues :
Not all are compostable
Might contain a % of fossil
resource
No existing standard or
certification
No link with the end of life
Biodegradable term might cause littering
Issues :
Made from fossil
or renewable
resources
Not a common
habit in Europe
No CEN norm
(existing
certification)
Confusion with the
Issues :
Made from fossil or
renewable resources
Existing CEN norm
and certification
Energy recovery is
more environmentally
friendly than
composting as end-of-
life treatment
Very few organic
collection and
composting
infrastructure for
packaging
Compostability
interesting in some
application (agricultural
film, catering
packaging, ...).
Not to be
communicate to the
Industrial
compostable
Oxodegrada
Home
compostable
Issues :
Made from PE with
additives
Degradable with UV
& oxygen (not
biodegradable)
encourage litter
Danger for marine
life & human health
Not degradable in
landfill
Greenwashing
marketing
To avoid


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ANNEX 2



6

6 Analyse des effets sur lenvironnement des options de retraitement pour les matriaux : acide polylactique (pla).
Rapport final, An Vercalsteren, Carolin Spirinckx, Ive Vanderreydt (VITO), tude effectue la demande de Fost Plus
Mai 2008
7