Jerzy Luberda
This article defines ecological, biodegradable, compostable, degradable and pseudo-ecological packaging.
You don’t have to read it and still be unaware which packaging are ecological.
There is a lot of fuss in media recently connected with environmentally friendly shopping bags and packaging. This information is presented in different forms e.g. advertisements, websites, posters and by different logos placed on biodegradable products. We hear much about biodegradable bags but do we really know enough about them? If you are interested in saving the environment read this article. When you are a business representative you can benefit financially form getting knowledge about packaging for free.
If you are a consumer you can gain necessary knowledge abut ecological bags. You will not be deceive any more by dishonest shop owners and you can seek to exercise your rights. If you are a media representative use this information to educate others. In order to prove your right quote this article explaining the problem. It is important for the whole country to know true facts about ecological bags because EU directive make us responsible for the environment. Negligence in abiding by EU directive will cost us all a lot of money in the future.
The terms ‘biodegradable’ and ‘ecological packaging’ have been becoming very popular recently in Poland. The negative vision of our planet as a very polluted and destroyed place has been used in promoting ‘pro-ecological’ attitude. This unfortunately results in introducing pseudo-ecological solutions. Consequently, consumers have to pay for shopping bags which supposedly are ecological. However, the truth is that manufacturers and stores break the law by not fulfilling basic rules of ecological or biodegradable law.
The terms ‘biodegradation’, biodegradable materials’, ‘composting ability’ etc. are very common nowadays, unfortunately they are often overused and they are the source of disagreements.
A customer and a consumer very often do not know what the terms ‘ecological’ and ‘biodegradable’ mean. For instance, it happens frequently that bags made from HDPE OR LDPE foil are thought to be environmentally friendly. A consumer is deceived by bags with ecological designs like trees, forest, leaves, green colours etc. In fact these bags are not elocological ones, they are made from plastic. Consumers pay a few grosz for a shopping bag. They believe that a bag they pay for is better than an old one because it is ecological and biodegradable. Unfortunately, more than 90 per cent of shopping bags given or sold in Polish stores are far from being ecological or biodegradable. They are usually the same as traditional shopping bags made from HDPE or LDPE foil which contain 3 per cent of chemicals that accelerate foil decomposition. However, it is not biodegradation but regular decay. The world ‘biodegradation’ originated form two languages - ‘bios’ borrowed from Greek and ‘degradatio’ borrowed from Latin. It means that the process is connected with biodegradable organic matter not with plastic. What is more, instead of donating all money earned on selling shopping bags, stores spend it on their own needs.
Manufacturers which put ecological slogans on their bags deceive their customers. Some put ecological slogans on big posters in front of the stores in order to inform their customers even better. Unaware customers believe that they contribute to environment protection. Unfortunately, there is lack of reliable information about ecology on the Polish market and distinguishing them from advertising gimmicks. This action not only deceives customers but what is worse it leads to unaware environment degradation.
Biodegradable packaging are those which got the certificate accordant with EN 13432:2000 standards. ‘ Requirements for recyclable packaging. A plan for the test and criteria of accepting packaging. ‘
The European Standard 13432:2000 solves this problem by defining products requirements which must be fulfilled in order to called them ‘compostable’. Defining the criteria of ‘being compostable’ is very crucial because materials which cannot be composted ( traditional materials, glass, materials contaminated with heavy metals etc.) can decrease the final quality of compost and make it useless for agriculture and that is why commercially unacceptable.
The European Standard 13432:2000 was quoted in w Official Journal of the European Communities so it must be implemented in Europe at the national level to ensure conformity with European Directive 94/62 EC on packaging and packaging wastes. The European Standard 13432:2000 imposes requirements that mast be satisfied which are :
Biodegradation ability is a transformation from composted materials into carbon dioxide measured with a traditional laboratory method : EN 14046 ( published also as ISO 14855 : biodegradation ability in controlled composting conditions).
The acceptable level amounts to 90% which is achieved in time no shorter than 6 months.
Disintegration- decomposition and the loss of distinction between components in finished compost ( the lack of visible contamination). It is measured by the test conducted in the pilot scale (EN 14045). Samples of tested material are composted with biodegradable wastes for three months. Next this compost is passed through a 2 mm sieve. A mass of the material which remained on the sieve – 2mm should be lower than 10% of the original mass.
Evaluation of ecological packaging
The influence of packaging on the environment should be told on the basis of its durability. Shopping bags should be evaluated on the basis of material they are made from, the way they can be recycled and decomposed. In this evaluation different criteria are taken into account for example natural resources consumption, energy consumption, fumes emission into air, soil and water and the influence of chemicals on human. The most beneficial for the environment are packaging that can be recycled.
Different types of shopping bags on the Polish market :
The most popular shopping bags are made from thin PE-HD foil. They usually are given for free in stores. Shopping bags made from polypropene can be recycled, however, in order to do that they must be clean and without any content. Because they weight very little they are not collected. Manufactures print various ecological slogans and signs on bags in order to convince customers that they are environmentally friendly. So, an ordinary customer takes as much shopping bags as he needs thinking that he/she contributes to environment protection that of course is not true.
Picture The sign informs that ‘a bag is ecological because it does not emit poisonous chemical substances during burning. It can be recycled, what is more, foil and paint do not contain toxic heavy metal.’
More and more stores resign from giving shopping bags for free and make customers buy reusable bags.
Reusable bags are very strong and capacious. They can be fold in rectangular that allow us to carry them in a purse or even in a pocket. You can carry up to 7.5 kilos of products. Reusable bags called Greenbags have been introducing on the market recently. However, we should bear in mind that they are not produced in Poland but imported from Asia. Bags are advertised as ecological ones because they have a sign of tree.
Picture. Reusable green bag made from polypropene and the sign which is supposed to form ecological association- it should be perceived as a promotion logo of some company not as an ecological product.
At the present time different carrier bags made from unknown chemicals are available on the market. Chemical substances added to the bags production are marked as TDPA ( Totally Degradable Plastics Additives) or D2W.
Picture. TDPA sign
This kind of bags are advertised as those that can ‘dissapear’ or as oxy-degradable bags which of course is not true.
The truth is that they cannot be composted (polyethylene is not biodegradable), they do not fulfill requirements of EN 13432:2000 standards, they do not have the certificate composting ability and TDPA substance makes recycling very difficult. These bags are a classic example of deceiving customers.
What is more, adding chemical substances to carrier bags production influences badly the quality of secondary raw materials. As a result, introducing this kind of carrier bags on the market on the big scale does more harm than good.
Packaging made from biodegradable polymers are the most environmentally friendly. We should remember that plastic is also environmentally friendly when it is segregated and reused for new goods production. If we do that we do not have to explore petroleum because we can produce oil from plastic recycling.
Biodegradable bags are completely made from natural raw materials like corn and potatoes. That is why they fulfill international compostable and biodegradable EN 13432:2000 packaging standards. Biodegradation starts with polymer degradation. Next, polymer chain is shortened and some fragments are eliminated. In favorable conditions simple chemical compounds are produced for example biomass, compost, water and gasses like carbon dioxide and methane
Crude oil is exhaustible, what is more it is major material produced from plastic. That is why the most important polymers are those produced from renewable sources.
In order to produce biodegradable packaging a manufacturer has to fulfill EN 13432:2000 standards ( Polish version PN-EN 13432:2002).
Packaging- Requirements concerning packaging that can be composted and degradated. Development and research program. Criteria for ecological packaging.
The certificate granted by Certification Organs in Central Research and Development Packaging Center in Warsaw confirms that a particular company manufactures products according to EU standards . The institution has a right to award a company the international sign ‘compostable’ for ecological products.
Picture. International sign ‘compostable’ Polish version
Biodegradable bag can be reused. You should throw it into a container for organic wastes which are composted.
Containers for organic wastes are bought by ecological bags salesmen.
Using biodegradable packaging changes the image of a company and contributes to environment protection. Replacing plastic packaging with paper ones will not necessary contributes to environment protection because paper is made from wood. Paper packaging are more expensive than biodegradable ones.
I hope that information in this article will change your mind about packaging. Getting more knowledge will help you to make a good choice when shopping. You can also choose our carrier bags. Write to us which product you are interested in and what your expectations are. We will calculate prices and when you accept them we can deliver all products to your company for free,
