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Position on Biodegradation-promoting Additives
Position on Biodegradation-promoting Additives
22 March, 2023
Position on Biodegradation-promoting Additives
22 March, 2023

Background

Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned with the environmental impact of the products and services they use, and so there is great demand for products which purport to minimise harm to, or benefit, the environment. This focus on sustainability has led to the proliferation of products with various green claims, however, many of which may mislead consumers and/or exaggerate any environmental benefits. Biodegradation-promoting additives (also referred to as enzyme-mediated biodegradable additives) are claimed to make conventional (typically derived from fossil fuels and non-biodegradable) polymers (such as nitrile) attractive to microorganisms and therefore biodegradable (in landfill conditions) when incorporated with the polymer, thus proposing an end of life solution for non-recyclable polymers (including nitrile gloves). The exact mechanism by which these additives supposedly function is yet

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The new UK Plastic Packaging Tax starting April 2022
The new UK Plastic Packaging Tax starting April 2022
02 March, 2022
The new UK Plastic Packaging Tax starting April 2022
02 March, 2022

In April 2022, a new tax on plastic packaging will be introduced in the UK.With just over a month to go until the Plastic Packaging Tax comes into effect, we have summarised the changes that are affecting our products and the wider industry. At Polyco Healthline we are ensuring our customers don’t have to directly make any changes to their business but we want to make customers aware of the impacts of the new tax.

 

What is the Plastic Packaging Tax?

From 1st April 2022, a new tax will be introduced in the UK to encourage greater use of recycled plastic and to help tackle plastic packaging waste. The tax will apply at a rate of £200 per tonne of plastic packaging manufactured or imported into the UK, containing less than 30% recycled plastic.

 

Who will be affected by the new Plastic

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Plastic Straws, Stirrers and Cotton buds are banned in England from today
Plastic Straws, Stirrers and Cotton buds are banned in England from today
01 October, 2020
Plastic Straws, Stirrers and Cotton buds are banned in England from today
01 October, 2020

Plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds are banned in England from today.

The legislation should have come into force in April but was put back because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the success of the ban on microbeads and the 5p charge on single-use plastic bags, the proposal to increase the ban to additional single use plastic everyday items such as straws, cotton buds and stirrers was fairly straight forward and due to be effective early 2020.

April had been the original deadline for the new legislation but, coming in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and given its impact on supply chains, the government decided to postpone the ban until now.

From today however, it is now illegal in almost all circumstances for businesses to give them out to customers.

The

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