How environment friendly is the new ‘eco-friendly’ plastic bags in the market?

It looks similar to polythene bags but clearly marked as ‘I am not plastic’. Beneath the main message, the text reads- “100 per cent biodegradable, made from plants, made in Bangladesh”.

These white bags were seen in use by customers returning home from the supermarket “Shwapno” located in the Bashundhara residential area of Dhaka ahead of the holy Eid-ul-Fitr.

Recently introduced to the market, these biodegradable plastic or polythene bags claim to be eco-friendly and less harmful than traditional polythene.

The biodegradable plastic bag supplier to Shwapno is Ecospear Private Company Limited. The company has stated that their bags are both biodegradable and compostable, capable of breaking down into soil-enhancing compost.

Their product has reportedly passed the environmental safety tests conducted by the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR). Additionally, it confronts to the voluntary EN 13432 of the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI).

However, environmental organisations argue that these bags are still harmful to both the environment and public health. They urge the government to take measures against them. On 15 September last year, environmental organisations met with Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the interim government’s environment, forest and climate change and the water resources ministries, demanding a ban not only on traditional polythene bags but also on biodegradable plastic bags.

Conventional plastics do not easily degrade and persist in soil and water for hundreds of years, eventually breaking down into microplastics and nanoplastics. As a solution, biodegradable plastics have been developed. These incorporate specific chemicals alongside natural ingredients such as wheat, corn and cassava starch.

Ecospear Private Limited operates factories in Dhaka’s Diabari and Halishahar, Chattogram. Managing Director Rayhan-ul-Islam told Prothom Alo that their bags are manufactured using German technology and are both biodegradable and compostable, disintegrating into compost within 147 days.

He further noted that he initiated efforts to introduce biodegradable plastic in Bangladesh in 2016 and the product later passed BCSIR’s testing.

In August of the previous year, an agreement was made with Shwapno. However, following the July uprising and the fall of the Awami League government, the project saw a temporary halt.

Just before Eid-ul-Fitr, Shwapno purchased 12 tonnes of bags for distribution across their Dhaka outlets. Since 7 April, these bags have also been available in Shwapno outlets in Chattogram. Agreements with other retailers such as Meena Bazar and the Canteen Stores Department (CSD) are currently underway.

EcoSphere is producing four types of bags suitable for carrying products ranging from one to five kilograms. For items like fish and meat, it offers four types of bags without handles, priced between Tk 1.5 to Tk 4.5, while for other products, it sells four types of bags with handles, ranging from Tk 2.5 to Tk 11.

Shahriar Hossain, secretary general of the Environment and Social Development Organisation (ESDO), the organisation working on environmental issues, told Prothom Alo that what is being referred to as biodegradable plastic is baseless. This plastic does not degrade (break down into smaller particles) or decompose in any way. Biodegradable plastics contain special types of chemicals (ranging from 18 to 22 types) of which 12 are toxic.

Additionally, they include some natural components. These two elements may be present 50 per cent each. It has been observed that the natural part of the biodegradable plastic bag’s composition or the 50 per cent decomposes. However, the remaining 50 per cent, which contains polymers, does not degrade. Overtime, it breaks into smaller pieces and becomes microplastics and nanoplastics. Plastics never become compostable.

Shahriar Hossain further stated that, this is harmful to the environment; on the other hand, it blends into the soil and water and enters the food chain. Through plants and animals, these harmful substances enter the human body, obstructing blood circulation. This increases the risk of heart disease, damages the stomach and raises the risk of colon cancer.

Additionally, it can enter the body through inhalation from the air and damage the lungs. Therefore, the notion that replacing plastic with biodegradable plastic can protect the environment is a misconception. It cannot be a viable solution. He called upon the government to ban the use of biodegradable plastic bags.

When the issue of customer dissatisfaction regarding the carrying of wet goods without bags was raised, Shahriar Hossain responded that prior to the introduction of polythene bags, there were traditional methods of transporting items such as fish and meat and those practices need to be revived.

Wrapping wet items in newsprint allows the paper to absorb the moisture. In countries such as Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and certain parts of India, fish and meat are wrapped in banana leaves and other large leaves and then placed in paper bags for carrying. Paper bags are reusable.

On anonymity condition, a scientific officer from the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) told Prothom Alo on Tuesday that, “The sample of biodegradable plastic bag submitted for testing by the company (Ecospear) was found to be biodegradable and environmentally friendly. That was back in 2018. BCSIR is a research institution and as such, it does not have the authority to grant market approval for any product.”

Meanwhile, officials from BSTI stated that a committee titled ‘Rubber and Plastic’ exists under BCSIR. In 2004, this committee adopted the European standard EN 13432 for biodegradable plastic bags as the national standard of Bangladesh.

When the European standard was subsequently updated, the committee revised the national standard in 2020 accordingly. Under the BDS EN 13432:2020 standard, biodegradable plastic products must pass four tests- biodegradability, disintegration during biological treatment, effect on the biological treatment process and effect on the quality of the resulting compost.

BSTI officials further stated that although some companies in the country have applied to BSTI for approval of biodegradable plastic bags, they have not been able to meet all the required conditions and thus failed to pass. Moreover, obtaining a BSTI licence is not mandatory for biodegradable plastic products.

Therefore, companies such as Ecospear, which are marketing bags for carrying goods, are not required to obtain BSTI approval or a licence for those products. Ecospear complies with the BSTI EN-13432 standard (a voluntary standard). As such, according to the law, there is no restriction on them marketing their products.

According to Section 6(a) of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2002, the production, import and marketing of polythene bags are punishable by a maximum of ten years of rigorous imprisonment or a fine of up to Tk 1 million, or both. Furthermore, under Section 6(b), the sale, display for sale, storage and distribution of polythene bags is punishable by a maximum of six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to Tk 10,000, or both.

Biodegradable plastic bags entered the market well after the enactment of this law.

When asked how a ban on such bags could be enforced under existing legislation, Shahriar Hossain said, “We have informed the government that polythene bags were banned because they are single-use and harmful to both the environment and public health. For the same reasons, biodegradable plastic should also be subject to prohibition.”

When asked about the objections raised by environmentalists, Raihan-ul-Islam, Managing Director of Ecospear stated, “Biodegradable bags are used in two sectors - industrial and household. We are producing bags suitable for household use. Regular plastic takes more than 200 years to decompose. BCSIR conducted tests and found that our bag is decomposed within 147 days. It is entirely environmentally friendly. We are exporting this bag to Germany and North America.”

Raihan-ul-Islam further added, “Paper bags are made by cutting down trees. Is that environmental friendly? Environmentalists often cite over a hundred research papers against biodegradable plastic. However, there are also 150 research papers in favour of it.”

When contacted, Kazi Sumon, Senior Chemist (Chemical and Waste Management) at the Department of Environment told Prothom Alo that without comprehensive testing, it cannot be definitively stated whether biodegradable plastic bags are environmentally friendly.