Business
d2w Update
d2w Update.
About this update from Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n \nRNS Number : 9507I Symphony Environmental Tech. PLC 23 June 2011 \n \n\nSYMPHONY ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES plc\n(\"Symphony\")\n \n \nFour major advances for d2w oxo-biodegradable plastic\n \nSymphony Environmental Technologies Plc is delighted to announce today four major industry developments.\n \nSymphony's CEO, Michael Laurier commented \"Public pressure to ban plastic is driven by the fact that plastic litter can last for hundreds of years in the environment. It is now clear that there is no need to ban plastic - just use d2w oxo-biodegradable technology to control the life of the plastic at little or no extra cost. It can still be re-used and recycled during its service-life, and can be safely incinerated and landfilled. \n \nIn view of these four important developments the supermarkets and other commercial end-users can now move forward with confidence to adopt d2w technology for all their short-life plastic products made from polyethylene, polypropylene or polystyrene.\"\n \nBRITISH STANDARD 8472\n \nOn 20th June 2011 the British Standards Institution (\"BSI\") published BS8472, which provides tests for biodegradation in soil and simulates the real-world behaviour of plastic products which get into the environment and cannot realistically be collected. \n \nThis is the first and only Standard in Europe for biodegradability of plastic litter in the environment - a major breakthrough for d2w oxo-biodegradable plastics in Europe and around the world. BS8472 is the result of more than five years work in the Committees of BSI, in which Symphony played a leading role.\n \nUntil now, the only Standard in Europe by which biodegradable plastics could be tested was EN13432 - for plastics which biodegrade in the special conditions found in industrial composting, but compostable plastic can obviously not address the problem of plastic litter as it must first be collected. \n \nMuch confusion had been caused by allegations that a plastic could not be described as biodegradable unless it complied with EN13432 or its equivalents (American Standard D6400, Australian 4736 and the corresponding ISO Standards). This confusion is now at an end.\n \nEU COMMISSION\n \nFor the first time the EU commission have expressly recognised the problem of plas...