January 26th, 2012
by EPI Media / EPI News, Products
Vancouver, Canada – (January 26, 2012) – On January 18th, 2012, EPI Environmental Products Inc., of Vancouver British Columbia, launched its new line of OxoGreen oxo-Biodegradable Plastic Products.
Even after more than 20 years of being in the oxo-biodegradable plastic industry, EPI felt there needed to be more 100% degradable and bio-degradable products available to consumers globally.
For this reason, the OxoGreen line of products was created.
This year in Canada, not only will OxoGreen produce 100% degradable garbage bags but whenever possible, these bags will also be made from 100% recycled materials.
OxoGreen will be establishing relationships with its current TDPA licensees to become partners in the manufacturing and distribution of the OxoGreen products initially for the North American market and thereafter will proceed to move forward on a global initiative.
EPI is the Pioneer of the Oxo-Biodegradable Plastic Additive, TDPA (Totally Degradable Plastic Additive), which when added to the manufacturing of plastic, makes them degradable.
Although the Environmental Protection Agency of Canada has been pressuring municipalities to recycle plastic bags, less than 7% were being recycled due to low participation and lack of suitable facilities.
Unfortunately recycling plastic bags is not the total solution. It is too costly of a proposition as per the following example as quoted by Jared Blumenfeld, the Director of the Department of Environment in San Francisco, “After 10 years, the recycling rate for plastic bags in San Francisco – which is pointed to as a model nationwide – is 1 percent, so 99 percent failure”.
Recycling Position (San Francisco, Dept of Environment director) for 1 ton of recycled plastic bags:
· Recycling and processing cost: US$4,000 / ton
· Resulting value of the recycled material: US$32 / ton
For this reason, using an OxoGreen Oxo-Biodegradable product is making the right choice.
Sandy MacLean has joined the EPI team to head up our OxoGreen Division.
For more information, please visit OxoGreen at http://www.oxogreen.com
Source:
Arnoldy, Ben. “Seldom Recycled, Plastic Grocery Bags Face Bans in S.F.” The Christian Science Monitor. Christian Science Monitor, 29 Mar. 2007. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. <http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0329/p01s03-ussc.html/(page)/2>.
About EPI Environmental Products Inc.:
January 6th, 2012
by EPI Media / EPI News
Vancouver, Canada – (December 21, 2011) – EPI Environmental Products Inc. is pleased to announce the receipt of a ‘Certificate of Conformity’ from the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), authorizing EPI to supply their TDPA® oxo-biodegradable plastic additives and products in the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE Government has recognized the potential detrimental implications of plastic pollution on the environment. Nevertheless, a complete ban on plastic products is undesirable, while attempting to recycle all discarded plastic is impractical. The Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) has been mandated to enforce compliance of all new plastic bags with the bio-degradability requirements specified in the UAE Standard 5009/2009.
Effectively, all new plastic bags must be 100% degradable; thus, if discarded in the environment, the plastic must degrade without causing any harmful contamination. Therefore, the manufacture and supply of plastic products in the UAE is strictly contingent on their degradability credentials having been approved by the ESMA. Quality control is further ensured by periodic independent testing. EPI’s TDPA® oxo-biodegradable plastic products have been accredited by the ESMA to conform to the relevant standards. As they are 100% degradable and recyclable, when discarded, they will bio-degrade into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass, which are all inherent constituents of the natural environment.
Indeed, as the pioneer in the development and commercialization of oxo-biodegradable plastic additives, EPI is well-positioned to enter a collaborative partnership with the UAE Government to achieve our shared ambition of achieving sustainable and eco-friendly means of utilizing plastic products. Through a corporate philosophy of innovation and rigorous scientific validation of its technology, EPI remains the industry leader, as demonstrated in the superior degradation performance of EPI’s TDPA® oxo-biodegradable plastic additives compared to those of competitors.
The problem of pollution caused by degradable plastic waste is immediately apparent; moreover, if timely action is not taken, it represents a future environmental calamity. EPI applauds the UAE for their initiative in taking such positive action in dealing with this very real problem, and would like to thank all those involved in the certification process, for their dedication to a cleaner, healthier tomorrow.
About EPI Environmental Products Inc.:
Established in 1991 in Canada, EPI Environmental Products Inc. (EPI) with its UK subsidiary EPI (Europe) Ltd. has become a world leader in the fight against plastic waste. EPI licenses proprietary technology that causes plastic to degrade. Plastic bags, plastic film, plastic packaging and other single-use plastics can remain in the environment for decades. When these products are manufactured using EPI’s additives, they will degrade and subsequently biodegrade when discarded in soil, in the presence of microorganisms, moisture, and oxygen.
November 29th, 2011
by EPI Media / EPI News
Vancouver, Canada – (November 29, 2011) – EPI Environmental Technologies Inc. (“EPI”), the global leader of Oxo-biodegradable plastic technology continues expansion into the Middle East with the signing of an exclusive distribution agreement with REDA Chemicals for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
“Environmental Concern has been growing in the Middle East and some countries have started legislations banning the use of regular plastics” says Sam Garwani, EPI Business Development Manager responsible for the Middle East and Africa. “Our partnership with REDA, a leading distribution company in the region, is a strategic move that will enhance our reach to provide high quality Oxo Biodegradable additives to the thriving GCC markets. We are very pleased to start work with REDA’s outstanding team” concludes Sam.
Daniel Saikali, REDA’s Marketing and Development Director added: “REDA’s partnership with EPI will allow plastic manufacturers in the GCC region to benefit from EPI’s Oxo-Biodegradable technology; this is a recognized solution to the plastic waste problem. With this technology, plastic is degraded and absorbed back into the ground, protecting the environment for a sustainable future.”
REDA’s Core business is focused on supplying manufacturing industries with their need of specialty and industrial chemicals. REDA Chemicals is part of the REDA Group, which is a member of a large privately owned investment group that provides financial support and governance to REDA’s growth, continuity and commitment to best practices in the chemical industry.
About EPI
Established in 1991 in Vancouver, Canada, EPI Environmental Technologies Inc. (“EPI”) has become a world leader in the fight against plastic waste. EPI licenses proprietary technology that causes plastic to degrade. Plastic bags, plastic film, plastic packaging and other single-use plastics can remain in the environment for decades. When these products are manufactured using EPI’s additives, they will degrade and subsequently biodegrade when discarded in soil, in the presence of microorganisms, moisture and oxygen.
October 5th, 2011
by EPI Media / EPI News, Industry
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Industry Response to DEFRA Report
Vancouver, Canada (October 5th, 2011) - In March 2010 the UK Department of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published a report, EV0422, ‘Assessing the environmental impacts of oxo-degradable plastics across their life cycle’ written by researchers at Loughborough University with no expertise in oxo-biodegradable (“OBD”) plastic technology. Its publication raised a number of concerns for those who specialize in the technology. In particular:
- The industry was not given appropriate opportunities to comment and to supply supporting data during the development of the report.
- The report gives inaccurate descriptions of OBD technology and mechanisms.
- The conclusions drawn for OBD plastics in relation to recycling, biodegradation and other issues are not supported by the evidence.
The report places considerable weight on European standard EN13432 and ASTM standard D6400 as standards for specifying biodegradability of plastics. This is a fundamental error, as these standards are for biodegradation in the special conditions found in industrial composting, according to a timescale required by industrial composters.
A Ministerial statement was also made on 11th March 2010 by the then Government, which was not supported by the evidence and has not yet been retracted. A scientific dossier was therefore compiled by the industry, and submitted to DEFRA through the British Plastics Federation in April 2011, comprising evidence from peer-reviewed academic literature and from studies in independent laboratories, which prove the degradability, biodegradability, recyclability, and non-toxicity of OBD plastics.
The most recent published work [Jakubowicz et al “Kinetics of abiotic and biotic degradability of low-density polyethylene containing prodegradant additives and its effect on the growth of microbial communities” Journal of Polymer Degradation & Stability Vol. 96 (2011) 919-928], shows 91% conversion to carbon dioxide (EN13432 requires 90% and ASTM D6400 and D6954 require 60%). It is significant that higher levels of biodegradability were obtained in a soil environment at 23 ºC than in a compost environment at 58º C.
The purpose of oxo-biodegradable technology is not for composting, but to deal with the problem of plastic waste which escapes into the open environment, by automatically converting the plastic at the end of its short useful life into a material which is inherently biodegradable and which will be bio-assimilated in the open environment in the same way as a leaf.
This is a highly successful technology now widely used around the world, where it confers significant environmental benefits. It is much less expensive and more versatile than the bio-based alternatives, and in the Middle East governments have already legislated to make its use compulsory. The British Standards Institute has now published a Standard for Oxo-biodegradable Plastics (BS8472).
We have decided to publish the scientific dossier on our website in the interests of informed debate and to deal with the confusion in the marketplace which the report has caused.
For the Industry Response to DEFRA Report, click Industry Response to DEFRA Report EV0422 Sept 2011.
September 1st, 2011
by EPI Media / EPI News
Vancouver, Canada (September 1, 2011) – The group that refers to itself as Californians Against Waste (CAW) recently reported on the Tesco (a UK retailer) decision to discontinue the usage of oxo-biodegradable plastics (OBP). The CAW newsletter article, with the headline “Retailer Ditches Oxo-Degradable Bags Because They Don’t Break Down”, placed particular emphasis on the flawed UK government DEFRA report on OBP. In doing so, CAW is perpetuating the misinformation and misconceptions about OBP. In the article, CAW also associated green washing with OBP and stated that OBP do not meet the existing standards and may even cause harm to marine life. EPI is particularly offended by the CAW comments, which are made without the full understanding of OBP technology.
With regards to the DEFRA report, a critical review of the report conducted by EPI’s International Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) revealed severe deficiencies, both in the authors’ review of available information and in the reasoning behind the conclusions drawn. The conclusions of the report were based on an inadequate review of the available scientific literature and the erroneous assumptions used by the authors. It was also quite apparent that Bioplastics proponents had guided the authors and the report suffered by being influenced by the opinions of the Bioplastics industry.
The use of composting standards as biodegradation specifications is a tactic that is commonly used by the Bioplastics industry to attack OBP technology. That this approach was selected by the DEFRA report authors for assessing OBP biodegradation spoke to the fact that the authors had no background or experience in polymer degradation or biodegradation and likely relied on guidance from outside sources. The authors were ill-equipped to take on such a project and were certainly not qualified to render any conclusions regarding degradation and biodegradation, based on the limited scientific literature review that they conducted.
EPI Environmental Products quickly voiced its condemnation of the report conclusions. With the British Plastics Federation (BPF) acting as an intermediary, DEFRA agreed to listen to the OBP industry response to the DEFRA report findings. EPI led the preparation of the rebuttal document, which included a complete review of current OBP technology. The BPF recently submitted the document to DEFRA for review, on behalf of the OBP industry.
CAW has mistakenly interpreted composting standards such as ASTM D6400 as being a measuring stick for biodegradability, when in fact, such standards are only applicable to industrial composting facilities. EPI has tested its OBP in accordance with ASTM D6954 in order to assess degradability, biodegradability, and non-ecotoxicity. EPI does not claim compostability and categorically denies engaging in green washing, as all of its OBP claims are validated by testing and the vast body of research reported in scientific literature that has been presented in peer-reviewed journals.
Furthermore, there is absolutely no evidence that there are any toxic effects on the environment posed by degrading OBP, as CAW claims. EPI recommends that CAW review the science before making ill-informed conclusions.
About EPI Environmental Products Inc.:
Established in 1991 in Canada, EPI Environmental Products Inc. (EPI) with its UK subsidiary EPI (Europe) Ltd. has become a world leader in the fight against plastic waste. EPI licenses proprietary technology that causes plastic to degrade. Plastic bags, plastic film, plastic packaging and other single-use plastics can remain in the environment for decades. When these products are manufactured using EPI’s additives, they will degrade and subsequently biodegrade when discarded in soil, in the presence of microorganisms, moisture, and oxygen.
