Biodegradability is one of the pivotal definition buzzwords in bioplastics and the whole recycling circle. Polymateria and a new UK standard seem to be nudging perceptions about  this Claims about biodegradability – and what it really means – are big in the world of commercial bioplastics. I do a fair bit of work in this rapidly growing field, and there seem to be...

Plastic has rapidly become the elephant in the responsibility room. How can we “relate” to this omnipresent material? Unfamiliarity breeds ignorance Plastic has become an omnipresent, integral part of just about every function, item and service in our society. But it’s also a manky material about which most of us know surprisingly little. I’d challenge most ordinary mortals to explain how plastic is made or...