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2 July 2014 | 11h12

Carbios stresses the need for the biodiversity bill in the French Parliament to promote all biodegradable plastics, and not just bio-based ones

Carbios focuses on the recycling of all plastic wastes to minimize their environmental impact and advocates a sustainable circular economy model

Carbios (NYSE Alternext in Paris: ALCRB), an innovative green chemistry company specializing in the development of breakthrough technologies for the recovery of plastic waste and the production of bio-polymers, supports the inclusion last week of an amendment to the biodiversity bill currently under review by the French Parliament. Promoted by Ségolène Royal, France’s Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, the amendment would ban single-use plastic bags that are not biodegradable from supermarkets, beginning January 1st, 2016[1].

If the bill passes, it will halt the use of disposable plastic bags, free or for sale, that retail outlets use to package customers’ goods, unless these packages are home compostable and entirely or partially made of bio-based materials.

While this new measure is consistent with Carbios’ strategy, the company would like the amendment to adopt a more holistic approach and expand its aim to all types of biodegradable plastic materials, whether they are made from petroleum or plants. Indeed, the innovative process developed by Carbios allows for the full degradation of petrochemical and/or bio-based plastics into simple molecules, which can be assimilated by all living organisms in the environment.

Although Carbios supports the development of bio-based plastics, the company wishes to point out that bio-based materials account for only a very small portion of today’s European plastics market (less than 1%). Additionally, all bio-polymers are not necessarily compostable. In the absence of a stronger stance to promote a truly disruptive technological breakthrough, the amendment, in its current form, will create tensions in the markets and negatively affect employment and household consumption.

In this context, the bioprocesses developed by Carbios offer a growth perspective halfway between the traditional plastics industry, based on fossil fuels, and the bio-based plastics industry envisioned by Ségolène Royal.

“Carbios fits into this virtuous trend, with our ambitious and sustainable technologies aiming to achieve biodegradability for all types of plastic polymers, without creating any costs or daily-use distortions. This is a huge environmental and economic challenge! In Europe alone, 25 million tons of plastic waste are produced every year,” said Jean-Claude Lumaret, CEO of Carbios.

[1] Voted on June 26, 2014, by the French parliamentary commission tasked with reviewing the biodiversity bill, which aims to strike a better balance between human activities and biodiversity, the amendment was introduced by Ségolène Royal as a way to reduce the impact of plastic waste on the ecosystem and marine life. The objectives of this new measure are not only to foster and support consumers’ responsible behaviors, but also to promote the companies that produce biodegradable and compostable bags, known as bio-based plastic bags.

 

  • Carbios stresses the need for the biodiversity bill in the French Parliament to promote all biodegradable plastics, and not just bio-based ones

    2 July 2014 | 11h12

    Carbios focuses on the recycling of all plastic wastes to minimize their environmental impact and advocates a sustainable circular economy model Carbios (NYSE Alternext in...