Greenpeace Thailand’s report “Beyond the Label” critically examines the real-world performance of biodegradable and bio-based plastic packaging widely marketed as eco-friendly. Conducted in collaboration with Burapha University,

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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.

Key Findings:

Key findings from the degradation tests:

Submersion in Simulated Seawater Environment

  • 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.
  • Product fragmentation observed in: Watsons wet wipes, Lotus’s bagasse plates.
  • Only All Café paper cups showed slight degradation.

Submerged in Actual Seawater 

  • Not degradable: Inthanin PLA cups, Smart-R handle bags, AdvanceBIO handle bags, UNI-WARE plastic box, Smart-R plastic box.
  • 100% degraded: Milo paper straws, Watsons wet wipes, Lotus’s bagasse plates.
  • Partly decomposed: All Café paper cups, Mitr Phol sugar bags, Amazon plastic straws.

Buried Under Soil

  • Not degradable: Inthanin PLA cups, Smart-R handle bags, AdvanceBIO handle bags, UNI-WARE plastic box, Smart-R plastic box.
  • Partly decomposed: All Café paper cups, Mitr Phol sugar bags.
  • 100% degraded: Milo paper straws, Watsons wet wipes, Lotus’s bagasse plates. Amazon plastic straws degraded only 2%.

The results of the study found microplastics in 3 environments as follows:

  • Simulated Seawater Environment: Inthanin cups (the color shedding from the packaging), Smart-R handle bags, UNI-WARE plastic box.
  • Actual Seawater: All Café paper cups, Mitr Phol sugar bags, Amazon plastic straws.
  • Soil: Mitr Phol sugar bags, Amazon plastic straws.

False Solutions:

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 “throwaway culture” under a green disguise.

Real Solutions Proposed:

  1. Deposit Return & Reuse Systems: Encouraging consumers to return and reuse packaging to reduce plastic use at the source.
  2. Refill Systems: Promoting consumer practices like bringing personal containers to refill stations.
  3. Innovative Investment: 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.

Policy Recommendations:

Governments must urgently establish clear, enforceable standards and hold companies accountable for misleading or false labeling. Manufacturers and retailers must adopt Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to phase out problematic, Unnecessary, and Avoidable single-use plastics. Consumers should be cautious of misleading claims and shift toward reuse-driven consumption.