DEFRA
Readers of this column will recall that the UK Dept for the Environment (DEFRA) and the Dept. for Business (BEIS) claimed in their response to their 2019 consultation on Standards for Bio-based, Biodegradable and Compostable Plastics, that “There was a clear consensus in relation to plastics containing prodegradant agents aimed at aiding the biodegradation process, which was that such technologies are unproven and likely to be a source of microplastic pollution.”
I suspected that there was no such consensus, so I requested copies of all the submissions which DEFRA had received. I have read all the responses, including the 134 documents which DEFRA refused to disclose until they were ordered to do so by the Information Commissioner, and it is clear from this that there was no such consensus and that they had misled Parliament.
The Government were still withholding five of the responses, and on 15th August 2022 I was informed that the Information Commissioner had served notice on DEFRA requiring it to provide its submission and the withheld information within 30 days. I was also informed that if DEFRA failed to comply, it could be found in contempt of court.
DEFRA have now disclosed four of the five remaining responses, and I am insisting on disclosure of the fifth, because if a policy decision is to be made, it is essential to ensure that it is based on sound science and is not just a response to lobbying and/or ill-informed comment.
These are the four responses:
- BNT. Force Biodegradable Polymers Private Limited
No evidence about plastics containing prodegradant agents aimed at aiding the biodegradation process, except in support of their own proprietary product.
They do however comment on bio-based plastics as follows: “among other shortcomings is their inability to be recycled. The limited sizes of their products and their exorbitant cost and complex production procedures. They produce a Bio- based Resin which we are told is often required to be blended with conventional plastic.”
- University of Reading
No evidence about plastics containing prodegradant agents aimed at aiding the biodegradation process, but they think it necessary to remove the need to reinforce bio-composites with synthetic or oil-based derivatives.”
They say “Novamont – one of the leading manufactures of biomaterials – state that 500g of petroleum is required for every 1kg of starch-based bioproduct, and the process consumes almost 80% of the energy required to produce a traditional polyethylene polymer.”
“Due to an ever-increasing global awareness of environmental problems, societal concern, and depletion of fossil fuels, the demand for the development of biocomposites – independent of oil-based resources – is higher than ever. Thus far, scientific progress has fallen short on this front; the field being content to settle for sub-par biocomposites with little or no environmental superiority over their oil-based counterparts.”
“It is predicted that, if current trends continue, ~12, 000 million tons of plastic waste will be in the natural environment by 2050 – an order of magnitude higher than present. The main environmental threat of conventional plastic arises from their low rate of degradability, causing both macro- and micro-plastics to persist in soil and water long after use. Reducing the use of plastics is insufficient to deal with the scope of the problem, instead viable alternatives to plastics, that are 100% biodegradable, need to be created.” This is exactly the problem which oxo-biodegradable plastics are designed to address.
- Braskem
No evidence about plastics containing prodegradant agents aimed at aiding the biodegradation process, but they are against “compostable” plastics. They say: “currently compostables do not provide any solution to littering or marine plastics” and “We have evidence to suggest that producers of compostable plastic actively seek to mislead consumers” and “many compostable plastic packaging products are still ending up in recycling streams” and “bio-based plastics score worse than fossil when it comes to water use, eutrophication, land use etc” and “we do not believe that compostable plastics provide an answer to many of the challenges facing plastics right now.”
- Hi-Cone
They are in favour of plastics containing prodegradant agents aimed at aiding the biodegradation process in the open environment. They say “Until the infrastructure exists to enable complete compliance with reuse and recycling, some plastic will inevitably end up in nature. Until such time that there is a viable route to reuse in all areas, biodegradable materials can serve as a stop-gap linear option that has shorter persistence than existing materials.”
On reading these four responses, it is clear that the responses provide no evidence to support the Government’s position that there was a consensus against oxo-biodegradable plastic, and they support my view that there was more of a consensus for banning bio-based plastics – especially of the type marketed as “compostable.”
Reviewing these four responses confirms my suspicion that DEFRA had misled Parliament.
The Information Commissioner has made it clear that “when any individual or organisation attempts to influence the future direction of a particular public authority, there is a pressing need for transparency so that the public can see who is trying to influence policy and why. This acts as a deterrent for anyone wishing exercise, or to accept, undue influence.”
Readers will be aware that I have been trying since 9 May 2021 to obtain copies of all the submissions which DEFRA claimed had supported its position, and their refusal to disclose these documents has been overruled three times by the Information Commissioner.
I will be calling for an investigation of the government officials responsible for this obstruction and for advising Ministers to make a false statement which has misled Parliament and the public.
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
- 27/06/22 – Recyclass, Unilever, UK Plastic Packaging Tax
- 04/07/22 – Korea, Carbon 13 Study, Defra, Food Shortages and Biobased Plastics
- 09/08/22 – Oxford Analytica, Indonesia, Paper is not the Answer
- 16/08/22 – Video, Canada, The Guardian, Food Waste, Recycled vs Virgin Polymer
- 22/08/22 – Defra and Plastics in Agriculture
- 30/08/22 – Recycling and Food Waste
- 07/09/22 – Microplastics, Environmental Footprints and Coffee Waste
Interview with Michael Stephen
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed here by Michael Stephen and other columnists are their own, not those of Bioplasticsnews.com.