Sinopec and Tsinghua University Release Joint Research Report on Biodegradable Plastics
On September 26, according to the Sinopec News Office, the “Research Report on Environmental Impact Assessment and Policy Support for Biodegradable Plastics,” jointly conducted by Sinopec and Tsinghua University, was officially released. This study mapped China's material metabolism diagram for biodegradable plastics, proposing for the first time an evaluation system for biodegradable plastics centered on degradability to compare with traditional plastics. It also analyzed the feasible application pathways for biodegradable plastics from multiple socioeconomic dimensions.
Biodegradable plastics refer to materials that decompose into environmentally harmless substances under specific natural conditions after use. To address the growing pressure of plastic pollution management, measures including biodegradable plastic substitution are gaining global attention.
The report addresses pressing issues in the biodegradable plastics sector, such as whether biodegradable plastics offer superior environmental benefits compared to conventional plastics, whether substitution solutions can effectively control plastic leakage into the environment, and suitable application scenarios for biodegradable plastics.
The report identifies structural contradictions in current biodegradable plastic product usage, emphasizing the need to realistically assess application scenarios and optimize production capacity allocation. Key efforts should focus on scenario-specific applications to reduce high-cost deployments, misuse of application scenarios, and inefficient application development. The use of biodegradable plastic products should be concentrated in areas directly prone to environmental leakage.
The report proposes that within existing end-of-pipe treatment facilities, biodegradable plastics exhibit little difference in environmental impact compared to conventional plastics. It calls for establishing a “white list” of approved application scenarios for biodegradable plastics, making the use of plastic products in scenarios with direct environmental leakage a prerequisite for local governments to formulate and implement biodegradable plastic substitution plans.
The report recommends revising biodegradation time metrics for biodegradable plastics based on actual operational durations of China's industrial composting and anaerobic digestion processes. The biodegradation time for industrial composting should be adjusted to 30 days, while the degradation limit for anaerobic digestion should be set at 40 days. Furthermore, considering that the practical effectiveness of biodegradable plastics lies in addressing environmental leakage issues, it is recommended that regions lacking a mature recovery system for plastic mulch residues (or unable to implement efficient, low-cost, large-scale mechanical recovery of mulch) prioritize the promotion of biodegradable plastic alternatives where suitable degradation conditions exist.
