The United Kingdom has announced a new standard for biodegradable packing. All plastics that claim to be biodegradable must be tested to see if the plastic breaks down into a harmless wax with no microplastics or nanoplastics, according to The Guardian.
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Europe accounted for around one-fourth of the world's bioplastics production capacity in 2019, with the worldwide production capacity of bioplastics was more than 2.1 million tons.
The overall bioplastics market is set to be worth $25.27 billion by 2027 with a CAGR of 14.9%, according to Emergen Research. With supportive government initiatives and subsides, it sets to help drive the growth of bioplastics.
Such as Japan, which in 2018, announced $45 million in the Japenese Ministry of Environment budget for developing products from bioplastics as well as provide subsides to firms creating paper substitutes to plastic.
Although, non-biodegradable bioplastics contributed to a larger market share of around 60% in 2019, since it is low in cost, durable, and versatile.
Scott Steedman, director of standards at BSI, said, “Tackling the global challenge of plastic waste requires imagination and innovation. New ideas need agreed, publicly available, independent standards to enable the delivery of trusted solutions by industry."
