Danish judge condemns calling PLA plant pot biodegradable

Can you call a pot biodegradable when it only compost under very specific consideration , like in an industrial composting plant life ? No , enjoin a Danish jurist . They forbid the Danish company PlantPaper to advertise one of their PLA products as amply biodegradable , since it only decomposes in an industrial composting flora .

TrialThe verdict was judge last week . The tribulation was take off by a competitor of PlantPaper / Sungrow , who claimed the company was informing their client incorrectly . The PlantPaper U1 mathematical product was advertised as leave nothing behind but air and water supply and not provide any visible microplastics in the soil . However , they did not add that this was only the example when put in an industrial composting flora .

PLAWith the manipulation of charge card being under pressure , there has been an ongoing search for alternative materials . Since sustainability is a blistering item in the industriousness , there have been mix - ups of the terms of biobased and biodegradable / compostable .

Also in this causa also the words biodegradable and compostable were used to push a PLA merchandise : Ingeo . However PLA , myopic for Polylactic Acid , means that a product is made from renewable resources like corn whiskey amylum or refined sugar cane . This does not mean that a product is biodegradable in all circumstances . In this fount the intersection only composts in a recycling installation . If it is not reprocess in this installation , the materials will stay in the dirt .

" If only Sungrow say the material demand industrial composting , customers could decide for themselves whether or not to purchase the mathematical product . Now they think that it is biodegradable and compostable , but when put in the ground this is not the case . It will contaminate the soil until it is removed and put into an industrial compost works " , the accuser explained in this specific test . " This is information a buyer should have a go at it . "

inform customersThe judge agreed with this vision and sound out that the merchandise can not be market as follow :

100 % biodegradable- Fully biodegradable- 100 % compostable- Leaves behind nothing but air and water- It does not leave any invisible microplastic in the soil- Will leave nothing behind

It can only be marketed as above when it also states that this is only the example when put in an industrial compost plant .

Biobased fiberAccording to Carsten Storgaard , chief executive officer with PlantPaper , the finding of fact is not against the intersection , but on how to commercialize it . He says it is more an issue that this type of cloth , the PLA , does n’t fit into any stock " box " of today . " Our Cartesian product Plantpaper U1 is made of a fresh and innovative material called Ingeo . Ingeo are many thing . But shortly told it is a 100 % biobased fiber that can be “ designed ” for different end - uses . " He believes the outcome of the trial is founded on the want of relevant certifications for this type of product in the market . " We actually see this effect as a momentarily setback for the whole manufacture and not only for our way of communicating our intersection towards our customers . "