So Do You Know What "Biodegradable" Really Means

Plastic, cheap, sterile and convenient, has changed our lives. But this technological marvel got a little out of hand. Plastic has saturated our environment, it has invaded the food we eat, it is now entering our bodies, and we have produced about 8.3 billion tons of plastic since its invention. We don't pay too much attention to these facts and think that plastic bags just appear and disappear. Unfortunately, this is not the case, it takes 500-1000 years for plastic to break down. We need to use eco-friendly materials to protect our homes.

If you're interested in starting an environmentally sustainable business, you'll have to think about whether your products or packaging are biodegradable. For such a common term, though, there is plenty of confusion about what it actually means.

So, what does it mean for something to be biodegradable? In basic terms, the definition is simple: If something is biodegradable, then, given the right conditions and presence of microorganisms, fungi, or bacteria, it will eventually break down to its basic components and blend back in with the earth.

For example, when a plant-based product might break down into carbon dioxide, water, and other naturally occurring minerals, the substance seamlessly mixes back into the earth, leaving no toxins behind.

In terms of environmental benefits, the best biodegradable material will break down quickly rather than taking years. It leaves nothing harmful behind and saves landfill space. Unfortunately, not everything that's advertised as "biodegradable" meets these criteria. If you're going to run a green business, you should know how to make sure the materials you use are safely and efficiently biodegradable, as well as accurately labeled.

What Materials Are Biodegradable?

Some items are obviously biodegradable. Examples include food scraps and wood that hasn't been treated with chemicals to resist bugs and rot. Many other items, such as paper, also biodegrade relatively easily. Some products will biodegrade eventually, but it may take years. This includes steel products, which eventually will rust through and disintegrate, and some plastics.

However, conditions are important to encourage biodegradability. Products that will biodegrade in nature or in home compost heaps may not biodegrade in landfills, where there's not enough bacteria, light, and water to move the process along.

Biodegradable ≠ Compostable

Many organic companies use biodegradable packaging for products or produce organic biodegradable products, but the items may not be as biodegradable as customers think. To make matters more confusing, many items are labeled as "compostable."

Compostable products are all biodegradable, but they are specifically intended for a composting environment. In the right setting, these products break down even more quickly, usually within 90 days, and they leave behind a nutrient-rich organic material called humus, which creates a healthy soil environment for new plant growth.

Whether an item is compostable or simply biodegradable, it needs to be placed in an environment that facilitates its breakdown. Compostable products require composting environments. But, even some biodegradable items need to be degraded in a controlled composting environment or facility.

For example, PLA, a popular biodegradable material for green companies, will only decompose into carbon dioxide and water in a controlled composting environment, not in a backyard composting arrangement, according to standards developed by the Biodegradable Products Institute.

But now we use PBAT, PLA and Corn starch materials to produce totally new polymers, which have perfect biodegradable properties and possess the physicochemical properties of the original macromolecular materials.And Suitable For Home Composting.After the end of the working life, it will effectively degrade under the conditions of composting and will be eaten by microoganism. No harmful chemicals are released into the environment during decomposition, only water, carbon dioxide and biomass.