Bio-polymer biodegradability: State-of-play and examples from practice

Samenvatting

Biodegradability can be a desirable product characteristic; sometimes as a useful functional property, in other cases it may provide a sustainable end-of-life option. But how is biodegradability measured or demonstrated, when is biodegradation complete and how long can the biodegradation process acceptably take? In this presentation, the key aspects of measuring biodegradability of polymers and plastics are addressed, including some common misconceptions and current issues. They will further be discussed these in relation to standardization of evaluation methods, certification of biodegradable products and policy development (e.g. the European plastics strategy).