<
https://theconversation.com/what-biodegradable-packaging-really-means-and-3-key-questions-to-ask-about-it-283881>
"“Biodegradable” has become one of the most reassuring words in modern
packaging. It appears on coffee cups, shopping bags and food containers,
implying a promise: this product is better for the environment because nature
will eventually take care of it.
However, biodegradability is not a simple yes-or-no property. It exists in
shades, which we can measure.
Biodegradation is a complex process. Microbes and molecules present in an
environment such as soil attack a material and digest it, much like what
happens to food in our gut.
A material is typically defined as biodegradable if it is digested “well” by
the environment in which it is placed. The more mass the material loses during
digestion, and the more carbon dioxide it produces, the more biodegradable it
is.
Different environments digest materials in different ways. Temperature,
sunlight, oxygen, moisture and microbial diversity all influence how quickly
materials degrade.
Even the most rigorous testing cannot fully capture the complexity of the real
world – but it can help guide our choices."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
