And so it begins. Environmental Leader reports today that greenwashing lawsuits are up, and so is climate change deception by companies to position themselves in front of policy decision makers. Then there is news from The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) calling for restraint in the use of degradable additives in PET products.
Specifically, NAPCOR states in their press release from May 28th that no data has been made publicly available to substantiate or document: 1) the claims of degradability of PET resin products containing degradable additives; 2) the effect of degradable additives on the quality of the PET recycling stream; 3) the impacts of degradable additives on the products made from recycled PET; and 4) the true impact on the service life of these products.
Points 1 & 4 are the major concerns when looking at the market as a whole. With the increase in “green” product claims, and an increase in deception by companies marketing “green,” it serves the plastic PET industry right by getting out in front to ensure customers and brand owners are getting/providing what is being marketed.
Degradable plastic and Bio-degradable plastic are two different products, and the inputs are different at their core. Degradable = Petrochemical. Biodegradable =Agri-chemical. Both are organic, but one is renewable feedstock. I’m not saying one is better than the other. We’re saying we need truth in labeling when consumers are making a purchasing choice. A very wise and respected plastics professional/professor summed it up, “You don’t know what the impact is if there happens to be a lead colorant in the product. Where does that lead end up?”
Point being, we just don’t know what are in these products when marketed as degradable or biodegradable. Yes there are standards both here in the U.S. and the European market, but how do I really know that a credit card marketed as biodegradable is truly degradable? Especially when they have not gone after USDA or BPI certified?
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