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February 2010 |
A recent decision by SA's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to
disallow SA's largest bread baker, Albany Bakeries (owned by Tiger
Brands) from using the word "biodegradable" on its plastic bread bags
apparently represents a victory by SA plastics recycling bodies [the
Plastics Federation of SA (PFSA), the Plastics Converters Assoc (PCA)
and SA Plastics Recycling Organisation (SAPRO)].
These bodies want to "chase indiscriminate use of additives which claim to result in plastics biodegradability, and especially where we believe that there is greenwashing taking place," according to David Hughes, executive director of PFSA.
In the ASA case, which was decided on documents only, Albany adduced a considerable body of evidence about the efficacy of the d2w additive (made by Britain-based Symphony Environmental Ltd), which is used in its bags to induce hastened biodegradability. However it did not give direct proof that the Albany bag itself was in fact biodegradable.
In its ruling, the latter direct evidence - the "nexus" between the additive and the Albany bag's biodegradability - is what the ASA said it wanted.
However the plastics recycling bodies' victory may prove short-lived because the ruling makes provision for the lack of evidence to cure this narrow point to be provided by the end of this week. Albany is understood to have this evidence and is likely to present it by then.
The ASA ruling mirrors decisions throughout the world by advertising standards authorities when they deal with claims on packaging: they require companies to prove and justify the exact claims they make on packaging.
Hughes says the SA plastics recycling bodies brought the case "since we have been unable to get the proof that oxo-biodegradable plastics (generally, plastics to which additives promoting biodegradability are added - editor) are not harmful to our recycling industry".
The bodies oppose the use of additives like d2w because they believe that it weakens the quality and strength of plastics materials in the recycling stream, which corrodes the confidence of end users about the strength of recyclate plastic.
In SA, this results in, for instance, waste sorters in the pioneering, extensive municipal separate-at-source scheme in Cape Town being specifically instructed to remove Albany bags from the waste stream. A similar large separate-at-source scheme is currently being set up in Johannesburg.
Hughes says the bodies brought the ASA case in order to "non-aggressively put the issue back into the public domain" - after, for instance, the high-profile marketing of the Albany bags bearing the "biodegradable" claim - and to put any company making this claim to the proof thereof.
Tiger acknowledges the problem of the recyclers but believes that "biodegradability is better than recyclability".
Of course, the ASA is not concerned - and will not decide on - the biodegradability versus recyclability debate. For more on this debate, search for "d2w" on www.developtechnology.com .
Hughes says that if companies like Albany can provide substantiation in forums like the ASA so that they can make the "biodegradable" claim on packaging, the plastics recycling bodies would still want them to also give consumers instructions which will assist with "separation at source" (for instance, perhaps printing "Send to landfill" on bags to improve the effectiveness of separation at source and waste management).
Says Hughes: "With the advent in major metropolises of separation at source it is going to be critical that the consumer is properly informed about the plastic packaging disposal route."
Of course the plastics recycling bodies can only challenge the claim of recyclability (or compostability) where it is made. But such claims are normally (though not always) made because the primary commercial motive for adding additives which hasten biodegradability is marketing.
Compostable packaging - for instance, corn-based packaging - may in the long term be a much greater threat to plastics recycling in SA than oxo-biodegradable plastics. However, compostable packaging is still very rare in SA.
Coincidentally, Albany redesigned its bread bags late last year, retaining the "biodegradable" claim on them, although in much smaller print than when it first launched the biodegradable bags in early 2008.
Even though the victory of the plastics recycling bodies may be short-lived, they will have achieved their aim of making Albany and the others that claim that their plastic packaging is "biodegradable", think again.
The bodies also plan to put other companies to the proof of their "biodegradable" claims at the ASA, Hughes says.
He says the bodies are further educating consumers via leaflets distributed by Pikit-Up (the municipal collector in Gauteng) and others not to accept "biodegradable at face value.
Hughes says another objective is to seek regulation to emulate some regimes overseas which require packaging producers to state on their packaging that they have been tested by authorised testing authorities for the quality that is being claimed.
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