Oxford Analytica, Indonesia, Paper is not the Answer (FREE)

OXFORD ANALYTICA

On 19^th July Oxford Analytica published a paper saying “The world produces plastic, notably single-use material, faster than it can recycle or safely dispose of it.  Annual global production of plastics will reach 475 million tonnes (mt) this year, more than double the 234 mt produced in 2000, according to OECD projections published in June. At 379 mt, the emission of plastic waste will show an increase of almost 250% over the same period. Both growth rates outstripped that of global GDP and are forecast to more than double again by 2050 unless there is policy change.”

The policy change which is really needed is to stop making products with ordinary polyethylene or polypropylene, and to require them to be made with d2w biodegradable technology so that they will rapidly biodegrade leaving no microplastics or harmful residues, instead of lying or floating around for many decades.

Oxford Analytica do not seem to be aware of this technology, or the fact that it is mandatory in the Middle East.

INDONESIA

I have noticed that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Clean Cities, Blue Ocean program, joined Circulate Capital, an impact-focused investment management firm, and Prevent Ocean Plastic Southeast Asia (POPSEA), a plastic recycling company that is developing sorting and collection infrastructure in underserved communities across Indonesia, in announcing a partnership to expand collection and recycling infrastructure in Indonesia to generate high-quality, traceable recycled plastic.

This is all very well, but you cannot recycle plastic unless it has been collected, and despite their best efforts they will not prevent a significant amount escaping into the oceans.  The Indonesian Government needs to ban ordinary polyethylene and polypropylene products without further delay and require them to be made with d2w biodegradable technology.

PAPER IS NOT THE ANSWER

2 Jul 2022 — An article in Packaging Insights said that “As unprecedented heat waves sweep across Europe, putting much of the continent on alert for droughts, experts are warning that the paper packaging industry is inadvertently contributing to one of the most serious impacts of climate change: water loss. 

This problem is caused, in part, by the massive uptick in businesses replacing plastics with fiber-based materials in efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuel-based resources and advertise their carbon emissions reductions. In 2021, Innova Market Insights labelled this trend the “Fiber-based Frenzy.” 

According to the Environmental Paper Network (EPN), the average sheet of A4 paper swallows at least 20 litres of water. In some nations, this takes up 10% of the country’s entire water supply. Over half of the world’s paper supply is used in packaging, and due to the transport and disposal issues, a 2013 EPN study even suggested that paper could produce more greenhouse gas emissions than the aviation industry. 

Tamara Stark, campaigns director of forest conservation network Canopy, told Packaging Insightsthat “companies who are making the necessary shift from plastic but are choosing to replace that with paper packaging are trading one environmental disaster for another.” 

I don’t agree that a shift away from plastic is necessary. Plastic has been found to have the best functionality and LCA https://www.biodeg.org/subjects-of-interest/life-cycle-assessments/ of all packaging materials.  It is necessary only to make the plastic so that it does not lie or float around in the environment for decades.

Michael Stephen

Michael Stephen is a lawyer and was a member of the United Kingdom Parliament, where he served on the Environment Select Committee. When he left Parliament Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc. attracted his attention because of his interest in the environment. He is now Deputy Chairman of Symphony, which is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, and is the founder and Chairman of the Biodegradable Plastics Association.

Earlier Postings in this Column

All articles of Michael Stephen can be found here

• 1/ 1/ 20 – Plastiphobia, Microplastics and A Throw-Away Society
• 7/ 1/ 20 – Recycling, Lab Testing, Bangladesh and the Right Bioplastic
• 14/1/20 – Plastiphobia and Bioplastics Definitions
• 21/1/20 – Composting, the European Union and Unemployment
• 30/1/20 – Plastiphobia, Malaysia and a Case Against Compostables and Paper
• 7/02/20 – Coronavirus, MPs Letter, Montreal, Australia and the Dominican Republic
• 14/02/20 – Oman, MacArthur Foundation, Stifling Innovation, South Africa and Compostable Plastics
• 24/02/20 – Serbia, India, Pakistan and European Bioplastics
• 03/03/20 – Plastic To Protect Health and Common Sense on Plastic
• 10/03/20 – Plastiphobia, Singapore, Compostable Plastics, Doorknobs and Carbios
• 17/03/20 – Greening our Way to Infection, Defra Warns Against Bioplastics and Montreal
• 24/03/20 – Ditch the Plastic Bag Ban and Inn-Probio
• 01/04/20 – The Come Back of Plastic Bags, Compostable Plastic Not Wanted and EASAC
• 16/04/20 – Coronavirus and Agricultural Plastics
• 11/05/20 – Coronavirus, Peru, Barbados and Recycling
• 18/05/20 – Say No to Plastiphobia, False Descriptions and the Recycling Myth
• 02/06/20 – Definitions and More Setbacks for Plastiphobia
• 11/06/20 – BBIA, Food Waste and Testing of OXO-Biodegradable Plastic
• 19/06/20 – Oxo Biodegradation, Independent Reports and Precautionary Principle
• 29/06/20 – Banana Republic, Why Turn Plastic into CO2 and Plastic Waste from Ships
• 13/07/20 – Running Scared, The Daily Telegraph and Market Report
• 20/07/20 – Tipa, Plastics Today and The American Genius
• 27/07/20 – Coronavirus, Plastic Litter, Bahrain and Polymateria
• 17/08/20 – Plastics Europe, Confusing Issues and Paper
• 25/08/20 – Professor Emo Chiellini, Plastics Today, Greenwashing and Coronavirus
• 28/09/20 – Kill the Virus, Marine Degradation, Airports, Brazil Retail, Plastic Growth and Face Mask
• 08/10/20 – Compostable vs Biodegradable, Covid 19 and New British Bioplastic Standard
• 27/10/20 – Power of Lobbying, Paper and Cotton Worse than Plastic
• 02/11/20 – Covid 19 and Five Myths About Plastic
• 09/11/20 – Support for OXO BIO, Westminster Forum, Euractiv and Covid
• 23/11/20 – Toxicity of Bio-based and Biodegradable Plastics, and Covid Scaremongering
• 15/12/20 – Recycling and An Article from Austria
• 21/12/20 – EU Scientific Advisers, China Chose Wrong Bioplastics and Covid Nonsense
• 05/01/20 – EU, Covid Lockdowns, WRAP, British Standards Institution and Polymateria
• 12/01/21 – Intertek and Composting
• 19/01/21 – Recycling and Exporting Plastic Waste
• 22/02/21 – Seaweed Plastic, Orange Peel and Xampla
• 02/03/31 – OXO Biodegradable Plastic
• 08/03/21 – EU Scientific Reports and Paper vs Plastic
• 15/03/21 – India, Australia and Dow Chemicals
• 14/04/21 – Oxomar, UK Government and Microplastics
• 26/04/21 – Plastic to the Rescue of Covid and More News from Brazil
• 04/05/21 – Packaging Digest
• 07/06/21 – Minderoo Report and Korea Herald
• 30/06/21 – Recycling, Is the Use of Biobased Plastics Increasing, Confused Australians and Biodegradable Future
• 12/07/21 – EU Flawed Directive, Thailand and Pakistan
• 21/07/21 – Directors Talk, Confusion, Stir Magazine and Dumping Plastic Waste
• 02/08/21 – Angry Farmers, DEFRA and Substitutes for Plastic
• 06/09/21 – Microplastics
• 13/09/21 – UK Government, Defra and David Newman
• 20/09/21 – Michael Stephen Video Interview on Antimicrobial and Biodegradable Packaging
• 05/10/21 – Freedom of Information and Plastic Waste Solutions
• 14/10/21 – Michael Stephen at Pack4Change Summit
• 22/10/21 – Plastic from Algae and Carbon Dioxide
• 15/11/21 – Defra
• 22/11/21 – Defra, India, Food Service Footprint Magazine and Waste 360
• 30/11/21 – RWM Digital Spotlight and Plastiphobia
• 17/12/21 – Disposal in the Right Way and Defra Consultation Responses
• 04/01/22 – Precautionary Principle, Anti Oxo Campaign and Defra
• 11/01/22 – Microplastics
• 17/01/22 – Michael Laurier, A Saucy Problem and Unilever
• 21/02 /22 – No Alternative for Plastic
• 08/03/22 – Sustainable Agriculture, Canada, Consequence of Banning, United Nations
• 14/03/22 – Plastiphobia
• 04/04/22 – Virgin Mobile, Defra, OXO, Microplastics, End of Life Options
• 11/04/22 – Ellen MacArthur Foundation
• 09/05/22 – Response to Association of Plastic Recyclers
• 16/05/22 – Wrap and More Bad News for Compostable Plastics in UK Parliament
• 30/05/22 – A Threat to Humanity and Market Research
• 13/06/22 – Recycling, OECD and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Interview with Michael Stephen

• Questions and Answers on OXO-Biodegradability

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed here by Michael Stephen and other columnists are their own, not those of Bioplasticsnews.com.