PLASTIPHOBIA - Symphony Environmental Warns California Bill Would Ban All Plastic Shopping Bags at Grocery Stores at huge cost to the environment

News provided by

Feb 14, 2024, 12:25 ET

Under a new Bill announced last week, California would ban all plastic shopping bags by 2026.

LONDON, Feb. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A decade ago, California became the first state to ban single-use plastic bags, ushering in a wave of plastiphobia from coast to coast. Now, California legislators are back for more, hoping to pass a law that closes loopholes and in effect bans all types of plastic shopping bags from being offered at the checkout.

However, Symphony Environmental, a company at the forefront of environmental packaging technology, is clear that banning single-use plastic is not the solution. Symphony provides viable alternatives that enable people to continue using plastic products – which are often the best materials for the job - without harming the planet.

Michael Laurier, CEO of Symphony, said: "It is crucial to note that regular plastics may take a hundred years to break down, damaging the natural world and increasing environmental pollution, but there is no need to ban them – just upgrade them. If single-use plastics were made with our technology, it would significantly accelerate the biodegradation process and reduce the accumulation of the plastic waste. This would be a fantastic way to address this problem. The technology is called d2w® and has been used globally for the past 15 years.

It is important to note that this is not "compostable" plastic, so it does not need to be taken to a composting facility. Paper and cardboard packaging is no better as it requires more than four times the energy to manufacture, as well as using more land and water. It is also heavier and bulkier, which means transportation costs are higher. Manufacturing paper uses land, water, fertilizer, and energy resources, and paper is not the best material for protecting food from contamination, especially when wet.

Laurier added: "Selecting d2w biodegradable materials can be a great way to tackle these problems and work towards a more sustainable future. Everything from grocery bags to food packaging and takeout containers can be made from d2w biodegradable materials."

"Biodegradable plastics are the only realistic solution to modern packaging waste. It needs no special environmental conditions – all it needs is oxygen. The bacteria and fungi then do the hard work - using the material as a food source and leaving only carbon dioxide, water, and humus behind."

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Symphony Environmental Technologies plc

www.symphonyenvironmental.com

Symphony has a diverse and growing customer-base and has established itself as an international business with over 70 distributors around the world. Products made with Symphony's plastic technologies are now available in nearly 100 countries and in many different product applications. Symphony itself is accredited to ISO9001 and ISO14001.

Symphony is a founder-member of The BPA (www.biodeg.org) and actively participates in the Committee work of the British Standards Institute (BSI), the American Standards Organisation (ASTM), the European Standards Organisation (CEN), and the International Standards Organisation (ISO).

Further information on the Group can be found at www.symphonyenvironmental.com and twitter @SymphonyEnv See also Symphony on Instagram. A Symphony App is available for downloading to smartphones.

SOURCE Symphony Environmental