The European Plastics Converters Association (EuPC, Brussels / Belgium; www.plasticsconverters.eu) has voiced its concern over statements being made that bio-based plastic bags are more sustainable than traditional oil-based ones. The organisation said a lot of attention has been paid recently to the issue of plastics waste in the environment. The European Commission, which has issued a Green Paper – see Plasteurope.com of 12.03.2013 – on plastics waste, recently held its conference on plastics waste on 30 September. EuPC said when considering a material’s sustainability, factors such as the resources used in production, including land-use and water consumption, must be considered; for bio-based plastics, the sustainability of the biomass used must be taken into account.

End-of-life solutions also play a crucial role in determining a material’s sustainability, the association said. It believes Europe needs to focus more on better separation and collection to ensure the correct end-of-life solution for different plastics and increase recycling towards a circular economy.

Compostable and biodegradable plastics must stay out of traditional waste streams to avoid a detrimental impact on recycling quality, EuPC said. Last month it called on European legislators to separate collection of biodegradable plastics – see Plasteurope.com of 13.09.2013. The organisation will shortly publish further test results on the negative impact of bioplastics on plastics recycling.

EuPC added that bioplastics are not a solution to marine litter, a fact it said had been recognised by the European Commission.