Biodegradation is the natural decomposition process of organic matter, caused by the enzymatic action of microorganisms present in the soil. Depending on its thickness, a product made from BIOPLAST degrades 100% into water, carbon dioxide gas and biomass in less than 180 days. All biomass residues are totally non-toxic for the environment. BIOPLAST resins comply with international standards such as EN 13432 and ASTM 6400.
It is also important to consider that the biodegradation properties of a material do not depend on the vegetal origin of its carbon atoms. For example green PE is completely biobased. It is still chemically identical (“drop-in”) to fossil PE. As a result it is not biodegradable.
Oxo-fragmentation is not biodegradation.
Oxo-fragmentation should not be mixed with certified biodegradation. Oxo-fragmentation is merely a fragmentation of non-biodegradable plastics into microscopic particles under the effect of heavy metal additives. Unlike biodegradation, there is no change in the chemical structure of the material, so fragmented particles remain in the environment.
Oxo-fragmentable plastics do not comply with any standard of biodegradable bioplastics. For more information about the differences between oxo-fragmentable and biodegradable plastics