EPI: CAW Lacking All the Facts
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.