Agricultural Film and Global Plastic Treaty (FREE)

Agricultural Film

I have been reading an article in “Nature Communications” by some researchers in Zurich who say “Using biodegradable instead of conventional plastics in agricultural applications promises to help overcome plastic pollution of agricultural soils.

I would agree with that, and recall taking part in some successful trials of d2w mulch film on a farm in Wales Pembroke Mulch Film Trial Report

The Zurich researchers say that analytical limitations impede the understanding of plastic biodegradation in soils, and have found that they can use carbon 13 isotopes to quantify mineralization to ¹³CO₂ during soil incubations and, thereafter, to determine non-mineralized material remaining in the soil. 

This is what the Oxomar researchers in France did in 2021 with d2w oxo-biodegradable plastic.  Their conclusion was “The biodegradation of 13C-Oxo-LDPE and 12C-Oxo-LDPE showed positive results, as the Rhodococcus bacterium was able to growth on both materials. The use of 13C labelled polymers confirms the biodegradation and the ultimate mineralization of such material. A substantial incorporation of 13C from polymer was recorded in the CO₂ produced by the bacteria and collected during experimentation.”

Global Plastic Treaty

As we all know, the UN is promoting a global plastics treaty.  Some organizations like Greenpeace are demanding a “strong” global plastics treaty that matches the scale of the plastic crisis. The biggest challenge to an ambitious plastics treaty, they say, will be some governments, and the lobby of companies that they call “big oil,” who will try to weaken this ambition.

I think however that the biggest challenge will be lobbying by zealots like Greenpeace, who seem to have an almost visceral hatred of plastic, and wish to deprive as many people as possible of their plastic products.

There is a “plastic crisis” not because plastic is found as litter – paper and other materials are also found as litter – but because it will not biodegrade rapidly and will lie or float around for decades.  If this problem could be solved there would be no need to ban short-life plastic products – which are vital to protect food and water from contamination and wastage and for many other applications  -especially for the poorest members of society. 

The problem can be solved, by using d2w technology, but I suspect that this would have no effect on the anti-plastic ideology of some NGOs, who do not want the wheels to come off their bandwagon. They would continue to claim that it does not biodegrade, that it contains heavy metals, and that it produces persistent microplastics – which it does not.

Plastic is not being banned because it is made from fossil-resources. In fact it is made from a by-product of refining oil for fuels which used to be wasted – so, until the day arrives – if ever- when fossil fuels are no longer required, it makes sense to use this by-product instead of using scarce land and water resources (and fossil fuels) to grow and polymerise crops to make “bio-based” plastic.

Recovering and recycling all plastic waste in the near or even the foreseeable future is simply not realistic, so unless the technology behind the manufacture of short-life plastic products changes, “sticking-plasters” in the form of recycling or awareness-raising campaigns, and refillable containers won’t resolve this issue. Plastic will continue to accumulate in the oceans, either in its original form or as microplastics, and the anti-plastic NGOs will still be in business and attracting massive amounts of money to their funds.

Short-life plastic products must themselves be made sustainable by design. The UN must promote technologies which act as a safeguard, so that if plastic does end up in the environment it causes as little harm as possible. 

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
• 21/09/22 – DEFRA

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.