In an open consultation, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs are asking expert advice on:
- the overall sustainability of bio-based and biodegradable plastic products in comparison with those made from other materials. This could include all aspects of a product’s life-cycle and will help in assessing whether technical standards or other related options are suitable mechanisms to add value for such products;
- existing relevant plastic degradation standards and how, or if, they might be promoted without any adverse effects to the environment and disposal routes;
- the design and implementation of standards for biodegradable plastics to ensure that they fully biodegrade in a reasonable time-frame in specified environments.
Views from any interested party are welcome, but in particular:
- environmental scientists interested in the movement of plastics and their interaction with natural ecosystems, working on biodegradable polymers, marine bio-degradative processes, and freshwater, marine, and terrestrial biologists;
- bioscience or biotechnology practitioners working on the development or application of bio-based or biodegradable plastics;
- standards authorities and those with standards committee experience;
- manufacturers, waste processors, and other stakeholders in industry;
- consumers and producers of biodegradable, compostable, and bio-based plastic products;
- certification authority experts, social scientists, NGOs, retailers and plastics re-processors.
More information can be found on the UK Government website. The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 14 October 2019.
