Plastic production has been rising steadily for several years now. Since the 1960s, it has multiplied by 20, reaching 311 million tonnes in 2014. Forecasts by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) even predict a record 2 billion tonnes of plastic produced by 2050 if nothing is done to limit production.
Measures have already been put in place to curb this growth. In France, the use of single-use plastic bags that are not 100% biodegradable has been banned since January 1. er July 2016 and will gradually be extended to other disposable items, also not 100% biodegradable, such as plastic cutlery. The aim is to reach 30% of plastics from plant-based resources by 2017, then 60% by 2025.
Although this represents only a tiny fraction of plastics production (around 5%), the sector is growing fast, and production capacity is constantly increasing. It has tripled in the space of three years, from 1.5 million tonnes in 2013 to 4.1 million tonnes in 2016. One of the main reasons for this is the fall in production costs, which are gradually coming into line with those of plastics derived from petroleum resources.
However, the end-of-life issue has not yet been fully resolved , as not all bioplastics are biodegradable. Nevertheless, they accounted for 20% of the market in 2016, and their growth continues to increase. The environmental impact of these materials will therefore be reduced.
So that the degradation of these non-biodegradable polymers is as harmless as possible for nature, and in particular for the oceans, which are invaded by millions of tonnes of plastic.
It is therefore necessary to create channels dedicated to the recycling of these biomaterials, even if this represents a major investment, particularly in financial terms.
SOURCE: http://thegoodlife.thegoodhub.com/2016/10/10/bioplastics-worst-solutions/