Why Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics ?

SASO (Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization), a technical governmental body of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has enforced a regulation for degradable plastic products. The new regulation stipulates that certain types of disposable plastic products that are made from PE (polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene) and have a film thickness of less than or equal to 250microns, must be Oxo-Biodegradable. And all degradable plastic products being imported or locally manufactured in Saudi Arabia as a final product must bear the SASO “Oxo-biodegradable” logo as well.

The regulation defines the Oxo-Degradable Plastics as “A plastics type that degrades when exposed to certain environmental conditions, to produce smaller parts of molecular weight (fragment parts). This degradable plastics type can be classified based on its exposure time. This has to be according to the appropriate standard test method” and the definition of Bio-Degradable Plastics as per regulation is “A degradable plastic that when degraded results in water, carbon dioxide and biomass as a result of the micro-organisms that occur naturally”.

Lets understand how exactly Oxo-degradable plastics work. Basically they are based on conventional plastics to which additives are added which cause the plastic to degrade by a process initiated by oxygen and accelerated by light and/or heat, these additives are added at the manufacturing stage through masterbatch technology and these additives are typically metal salts of carboxylic acids or di-thiocarbamates based on cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) or nickel (Ni), with Co being used more for packaging and Fe and Ni more for mulch film.

Most of the scientifically oriented people believe that oxo-biodegradable plastic products are not the answer to the region’s littering problem as the additives used; break up the plastic into tiny particles which then remain in the environment and potentially cause greater long-term damage, hence ‘oxo-degradable’ cannot be considered a realistic method of solving the problem of plastic waste, if that is intended to be. The real solution could be use of 'Compostable Materials' as these materials are disintegrated by microorganisms and yield soil-enriching by-products, over a commercially-viable time.

Respecting the SASO regulation, most of the plastics film manufacturers and users are getting ready to comply the same.

Interestingly under the auspices of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation whose mission is to accelerate transition to a circular economy, approximately 150 different organizations including World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Bio-Based and Biodegradable Industries Association (BBIA) and ten Members of the European Parliament, published an official statement recently calling for an end to the use of oxo-degradable plastic packaging. until further research and testing can be done.

The statement, argues that oxo-degradable plastics are not a solution to plastic packaging pollution and suggests that one of the concerns with these materials is their suitability for effective long-term reuse, recycling, or composting. The statement also asserted that oxo-degradable plastic may breakdown into small pieces, including microplastics, which can accumulate and potentially harm human health and the environment.

There is another organization named Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics Association (OBPA), which is promoting the concept of oxo-biodegrability responded to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s statement as “The debate around the biodegradability of Oxo-Biodegradable plastic is not finalized, but should move forward from the assertion that it merely fragments, towards confirming whether the timeframes observed for total biodegradation are acceptable from an environmental point of view and whether this is likely to take place in natural environments.” OBPA also indicated that some of the organizations that signed the call to ban oxo-degradable plastics are promoting rival technologies. The association also suggests that more microplastic comes from conventional plastics items than from oxo-biodegradable plastic.

Hope the plastic and packaging industry will find the ways to minimize the environmental impact of the plastics.

Do share your opinion, if you have some suggestions.