{"id":60938,"date":"2025-05-07T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/?p=60938"},"modified":"2025-05-14T19:05:40","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T11:05:40","slug":"beyond-the-label-debunking-the-biodegradable-plastic-myth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/report\/60938\/beyond-the-label-debunking-the-biodegradable-plastic-myth\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Label: Debunking the biodegradable plastic myth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-cta\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-malaysia-stateless\/2025\/05\/061adae6-gp_eng_beyond-the-label-report.pdf\">Download the Report<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-malaysia-stateless\/2025\/05\/061adae6-gp_eng_beyond-the-label-report.pdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"894\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-malaysia-stateless\/2025\/05\/9e200e08-screenshot-2025-05-13-201628.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60939\" style=\"width:350px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-malaysia-stateless\/2025\/05\/9e200e08-screenshot-2025-05-13-201628.png 630w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-malaysia-stateless\/2025\/05\/9e200e08-screenshot-2025-05-13-201628-211x300.png 211w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-malaysia-stateless\/2025\/05\/9e200e08-screenshot-2025-05-13-201628-240x340.png 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p><strong>Greenpeace Thailand\u2019s report<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8216;Beyond the Label&#8217; critically examines the real-world performance of biodegradable and bio-based plastic packaging widely marketed as eco-friendly. Conducted in collaboration with Burapha University, the study tested 11 single-use plastic products under three environmental conditions: simulated seawater, actual seawater, and soil burial. The research aimed to assess their decomposition rates and potential to generate microplastics.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Findings:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p>Key findings from the degradation tests:<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Submersion in Simulated Seawater Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Products that did not degrade: Inthanin PLA cups, Smart-R handle bags, UNI-WARE plastic box, AdvanceBIO handle bags, Mitr Phol sugar bags, Milo and Amazon plastic straws, and Smart-R Plastic Box.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Product fragmentation observed in: Watsons wet wipes, Lotus\u2019s bagasse plates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Only&nbsp;<em>All Caf\u00e9<\/em>&nbsp;paper cups showed slight degradation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p><strong>Submerged in Actual Seawater&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Not degradable: Inthanin PLA cups, Smart-R handle bags, AdvanceBIO handle bags, UNI-WARE plastic box, Smart-R plastic box.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>100% degraded: Milo paper straws, Watsons wet wipes, Lotus\u2019s bagasse plates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Partly decomposed: All Caf\u00e9 paper cups, Mitr Phol sugar bags, Amazon plastic straws.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p><strong>Buried Under Soil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Not degradable: Inthanin PLA cups, Smart-R handle bags, AdvanceBIO handle bags, UNI-WARE plastic box, Smart-R plastic box.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Partly decomposed: All Caf\u00e9 paper cups, Mitr Phol sugar bags.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>100% degraded: Milo paper straws, Watsons wet wipes, Lotus\u2019s bagasse plates. Amazon plastic straws degraded only 2%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>The results of the study found microplastics in 3 environments as follows:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Simulated Seawater Environment:<\/strong>&nbsp;Inthanin cups (the color shedding from the packaging), Smart-R handle bags, UNI-WARE plastic box.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Actual Seawater:&nbsp;<\/strong>All Caf\u00e9 paper cups, Mitr Phol sugar bags, Amazon plastic straws.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Soil:<\/strong>&nbsp;Mitr Phol sugar bags, Amazon plastic straws.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>False Solutions:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p>The report debunks the notion that switching from fossil-based plastics to bio-based or biodegradable plastics is a false solution. It reveals misleading marketing and labeling practices. Many materials labeled as biodegradable, bio-plastic, or bio-based plastics require industrial composting conditions, not found in natural settings, to break down effectively. This misconception promotes a&nbsp;<strong>\u201cthrowaway culture\u201d<\/strong>&nbsp;under a green disguise.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Real Solutions Proposed:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Deposit Return &amp; Reuse Systems:<\/strong>&nbsp;Encouraging consumers to return and reuse packaging to reduce plastic use at the source.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Refill Systems:<\/strong>&nbsp;Promoting consumer practices like bringing personal containers to refill stations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Innovative Investment:<\/strong>&nbsp;Supporting businesses that develop innovative alternatives to replace their reliance on single-use plastics by focusing on redesigning systems and packaging to reduce unnecessary plastics.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Policy Recommendations:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p>Governments must urgently establish clear, enforceable standards and hold companies accountable for misleading or false labeling. Manufacturers and retailers must adopt&nbsp;<strong>Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)<\/strong>&nbsp;to phase out problematic, Unnecessary, and Avoidable single-use plastics. Consumers should be cautious of misleading claims and shift toward reuse-driven consumption.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-cta\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-malaysia-stateless\/2025\/05\/061adae6-gp_eng_beyond-the-label-report.pdf\">Download the Report<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greenpeace Thailand\u2019s report\u00a0\u2018Beyond the Label\u2019 critically examines the real-world performance of biodegradable and bio-based plastic packaging widely marketed as eco-friendly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":60939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[131,126],"tags":[117,22],"p4-page-type":[101],"class_list":["post-60938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate-and-pollution","category-policy-and-justice","tag-greenwashing","tag-plastics","p4-page-type-report"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60938"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60948,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60938\/revisions\/60948"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60938"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=60938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}