Oxo-degradable additives

The European Treaty of Lisbon lays down that the European Union should aim at the improvement of the quality of the environment and not only protect it. New technologies are the one way to achieve the above mentioned objective. Nonetheless - according to analysis carried out by EuPR (European Plastics Recyclers) - some technologies bring more drawbacks than advantages for certain uses. This is the case of the oxo-degradable additives used in plastics for several reasons. Firstly, plastics are like an energy bank. Once the energy is stored by polymerisation, it can be converted into stable products. Depending on the product cycle the waste produced can be mechanically recycled or energy recovered to recuperate the enclosed energy. Therefore, in both cases the plastic has an energy value. On the opposite the use of oxo-degradable additives will completely destroy the stored energy of the material. It is an economic and environmental nonsense to destroy this value. Moreover, it is the most unsustainable - together with landfill - way to use the valuable oil transformed in plastic. The claim that greenhouses gases are being saved by the use of oxo-degradable additives is not a proven fact. Regarding plastics mechanically recycled several values can be discussed but all studies show clear emissions savings. Secondly, the joint efforts done by all the stakeholders in order to achieve the European recycling targets is currently at risk. The oxo-degradable additives will jeopardise mechanical recycling as they will pollute the existing waste streams. As a matter of fact, the consumer will not differentiate the types of plastics and will throw everything in the same bin.