2012 0121 platt bioplastics101 uscc jan212

Compostable Plastics 101:
Overview & Issues

Brenda Platt
SBC Co-Chair
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
January 21, 2012
USCC Conference, Austin, TX

www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

Overview

 Introduction to biobased products
 Definitions:
 biobased vs biodegradable
 biodegradable vs. degradable
 biodegradable vs compostable
 Standards
 Biobased content or compostability alone ≠ sustainable
 Challenges and common points of confusion
 Labeling
 Compost for organic markets cannot process bioplastic
 Compostable Plastics Task Force


First Bioplastics

http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object.cfm?key=35&objkey=18
Copyright Smithsonian National Museum of American History,
• Collodion (cotton-derived
cellulose nitrate)
– dentures and buttons
• Celluloid (cotton-based)
– photography/film
• Cellulose acetate – apparel
• Cellophane – first film
plastic
"Made in 1868 of Cellulose Nitrate,
Celluloid. The Year John Wesley Hyatt
Gutta Percha Discovered This First Plastics Resin."

Shellac


• 1930s – 1st injection molding
machines made plastics from
cellulose acetate
• 1941 – Henry Ford’s biological
car
• late 1940s – crude oil drops to
>$1/barrel
• by 1975 – no ethanol in our fuel
tanks and bioplastics virtually
disappear


Pendulum Swings Back


The Good News on Biobased Products

• Variety of resins and products available
• Performance improving
• Experience and R&D growing
• Growth expected
• Programs such as the federal biobased
procurement will open up new markets
• Standards in place
• Price competitiveness improving
• Demand increasing


Degradable Vs. Biodegradable

Degradable Biodegradable
– May be invisible to – Completely assimilated into food
naked eye and energy source by microbial
– Fragment into smaller populations in a short time
pieces period
– No data to document – Meet biodegradability standards:
biodegradability within  ASTM D 6400 – biodegradation of
one growing season plastics in commercial composting
– Migrate into water table systems
– Not completely  ASTM 6868 biodegradation of plastic-
coated paper in commercial
assimilated by microbial composting systems
populations in a short  D 7081 – biodegradation in the 1989 Cover of Environmental Action
time period marine environment
 D 5988 – biodegradation in soil
 D 5511 – biodegradation in anaerobic
digesters

Source for definitions: Dr. Ramani Narayan, Michigan State Univ.


Compostable Plastic
Plastic that undergoes degradation by biological
processes during composting to yield CO2, water,
inorganic compounds, and biomass at a rate
consistent with other known compostable materials
and that leaves no visible, distinguishable, or toxic
residue.

ASTM Standard D6400, 2004, “Standard Specification for Compostable
Plastics,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2004, DOI:
10.1520/D6400-04, www.astm.org


Biodegradable Products Institute
238 certified products
130 global companies

Note:
Some BPI-certified
resins have zero
biobased content


BPI-certified Products (sample)


Biobased ≠ biodegradable

Mass of biobased carbon in the product
÷
Mass of total organic carbon in the product

Non-biodegradable biobased plastics are here


USDA Biopreferred Program
Q. What are biobased products?
A. A biobased product is a product that is determined by the
USDA to be a commercial or industrial product (other than
food or feed) that is composed, in whole or in significant
part, of biological products, including renewable domestic
agricultural materials forestry materials, and marine and
animal materials. Biobased products do not include motor
vehicle fuels, heating oil, electricity produced from
biomass, or, since the program is designed to stimulate
markets for new biobased products, any "mature market"
products. Mature market products are those biobased
products that had significant national market penetration in
1972. Examples of mature market products include cotton
shirts or towels, paper plates, and wood furniture.


Market drivers & new developments
Biobased content - The amount of biobased
carbon in the material or product expressed
as a percent of weight (mass) of the total
organic carbon in the material or product.
Biobased content is determined using
ASTM Method D6866, Standard Test
Methods for Determining the Biobased
Content of Natural Range Materials Using
Radiocarbon and Isotope Ratio Mass
Spectrometry Analysis.


Biobased content varies


Biomaterial – Wonder Material?
• “renewable”
• “green
• “eco-friendly”
• “sustainable”
• “environmentally neutral”
• “safe and better”
• “easy on the environment”
• “return to nature without a trace”
Compostability alone ≠ sustainable


Not All Bioproducts Created Equal

 Biobased content  Additives and blends
 Material feedstock type  Recyclability
 Feedstock location  Performance
 Biodegradability  Products
 Commercial compost sites
 Home composting
 Marine environment
 Anaerobic digestion

Biobased content alone ≠ sustainable


Survey Data:
feedstock types and sources
• China • India
– Bulrush – Fallen palm leaves
– Bagasse • Thailand/Vietnam
– PSM (Plastarch Material) – Tapioca starch
– Grass fiber
– Corn
– Bagasse
– Chinese PLA • Malaysia
– PHBV* – Palm fiber
– PBS** • USA
– Cornstarch – NatureWorks Ingeo (PLA)
– Mirel PHA
– “Natural total chlorine-free pulp”
– Recycled wood fiber

*polyhydroxybutyrate-polyhydroxyvalerate
**polybutylene succinate (petrochemical + succinic acid)


Path from Field to Producer

“The source product is from Brazil,
then turned into cornstarch in China,
then the starch is used in
our manufacturer’s facility.”

“Feedstocks grown in Midwestern US.
Manufacture the resin
in Hawthorne, CA today,
but plan to manufacture
in Seymour, IN shortly.”


Challenges with Biobased Products

Concern over genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
Desire for sustainably grown biomass
Need to develop adequate composting programs
Concern with nanomaterials and fossil-fuel-plastic blends
Inconsistencies in and lack of
adequate labeling
Concern over contamination
of recycling systems
Confusion in terminology
ASTM may not reflect composters’ needs


Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative:
Market-based tools
 Sustainable feedstocks /
Sustainable agriculture
 Green Chemistry /
Clean Production
 Closed Loop Systems /
Cradle to Cradle /
Zero Waste

“Just because it’s biobased, doesn’t make it green”


Purchasing Specifications for Biobased
Compostable Foodservice Ware
• Bid specs for
purchasers

• Presents baseline
mandatory criteria

• Bidders can earn points
for products meeting
beyond baseline
desirable criteria.


Common Points of Confusion
• False claims of compostability or
biodegradability: Many available products
carry misleading, deceptive or
unsubstantiated claims of biodegradability or
compostability. Buyer beware!
• Compostability of plastic-coated paper:
Research now shows that polyethylene-coated
paper products are bad for composting
operations and the quality of compost.


“Biocompostable” cutlery


Confusion

Source: www.ensobottles.com


Oxo-degradables


“Biodegradable” PVC


Better than paper claim


Ultra Green but single-use


Biobased content labeling
inconsistent too
Biobased content
based on ASTM
D6866 ~20%


FTC Green Marketing Guide
Example 3:
A manufacturer makes an unqualified
claim that its package is compostable.
Although municipal or institutional
composting facilities exist where the
product is sold, the package will not
break down into usable compost in a
home compost pile or device. To avoid
deception, the manufacturer should
disclose that the package is not suitable
for home composting.

Source:
http://ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.h www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

San Francisco: Aiming for Zero Waste


Seattle: Compostable Foodservice Ware


CA AB 1972 and AB 2071
• AB 1972 (DeSaulnier)–Solid Waste: Plastic Bags: Food and
Beverage Containers (effective 1/1/09)
This bill modifies two chapters in current law: one on biodegradable
and compostable plastic bags and one on plastic food and beverage
containers. In both programs, the sale of an item labeled
"compostable" or "marine degradable" is prohibited, unless the
item meets specific ASTM Standard Specifications, or in some cases,
a standard adopted by CalRecycle. (Chapter 436)
• AB 2071 (Karnette)–Plastic Bags: Plastic Food and Beverage
Containers: Enforcement (effective 1/1/09)
This bill establishes penalties for failure to comply with labeling
requirements for compostable, biodegradable, and degradable
plastic bags and plastic food and beverage containers sold in
California. (Chapter 570)


CA Senate Bill 567
The Truthful Environmental Advertising in Plastics Law
• SB 567 expands the scope of
current California law beyond
plastics bags and food
packaging to all plastics
products.

• Approved by Gov. Brown, Oct.
8th, 2011

• Effective January 1st, 2013


Bioplastics and Organic Certified
Compost
• USDA’s National Organics Program ensures credibility of USDA
Organics label
• One rule requires compost feedstock to be free of non NOP-
authorized synthetics
• The Organic Materials Review Inst. determines which input
products are allowed for use in organic production/processing.
• OMRI has ruled that compostable and biodegradable products are
not acceptable.
• The Canadian Organics program and the European Organics
program both accept biodegradable plastic in their feedstock.
• BPI is developing and executing a plan to seek NOP approval for use
of plastics that meet ASTM D6400 and D6868.
• Meanwhile, composters will be bound by restrictions placed on
them by certification organizations.


2011 USCC
Compostable Plastics Track
1. Identification/Labeling
Challenges
2. Enforcement/Legislation
3. ASTM Standards Need
Refining
4. Consumer Education
5. National Organics Program
(NOP) Impacts

http://compostingcouncil.org/compostable-
plastics-symposium/


Contact Info

Brenda Platt
SBC, Co-Chair
Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Co-Director
bplatt@ilsr.org
202-898-1610 ext 230

www.sustainablebiomaterials.org www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

2012 0121 platt bioplastics101 uscc jan212

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