The Gray Area Behind Green Packaging

        2024 The latest survey of international environmental protection organizations shows that the global market for biodegradable materials has reached $22 billion, but 42% of these products have false environmental protection propaganda. What is even more alarming is that the microplastic pollution caused by these “pseudo-biodegradable” materials is 3-5 times higher than that of traditional plastics.

The first big shady secret: laboratory data ≠ real performance

The trio of data falsification

Temperature cheating: claiming “degradable” but need 60℃ industrial composting environment (can never be reached in the natural environment)

Shrinking time: labeled “6 months degradation” is actually fragmentation rather than complete decomposition

Hidden conditions: does not state that specific degradation bacterium must be added

Typical case:

A brand of PLA tableware is labeled as “180 days degradation”, but the actual Tests show:

Industrial composting (60℃): 92% degradation in 6 months

Natural environment (25℃): only 7% degradation in 18 months

The second black secret: ingredient adulteration has become the industry’s “unspoken rule”

Common adulteration techniques

Claimed ingredients Actual additives Identification methods

Pure PLA mixed with 30% PP Black smoke when burned

Starch-based mixed with PE plastics Stratified after soaking in water

Marine degradation Ordinary PBAT No TÜV certification

State of the industry:

China’s AQSIQ 2024 found that 68% of “fully degradable” shopping bags are adulterated with traditional plastics

EU RAPEX Early Warning System: Pseudo-degradable product notifications increase by 217% annually

The third big black curtain: the certification mark is arbitrarily stolen

Comparison of real and fake certificates

✅ Features of real certificates:

Official website search number (e.g., OK Compost certificate number)

Specific standards (e.g., ASTM D6400)

Applicable conditions (industrial/home composting)

❌ Characteristics of fake certificates:

Self-created patterns such as “green leaves,” “earth” and so on

Vague expressions such as “certified by the international certification”

Unable to provide the test report

Shocking Data:

83% of the “degradation certificates” on the market cannot be found on the official website of the certification body

Fake certificates reduce the cost of the product by 35%, with a profit margin of 200%.

The Fourth Shady Act: Deliberate Destruction of the Recycling System

The Triple Chain of Harm

Polluting Traditional Plastic Recycling: Degradation of Whole Batches of Recycled Materials

Clogging the Composting System: Extra Sorting Required, Increasing Costs by 40%

Ending Up in Incineration: Increasing Carbon Emissions by 15%

Field Research:

A Waste Treatment Plant Sorts 2.3 Tons of Pseudo-Degradable Plastics Every Day

Annual Expenditures on Disposing of this “Eco-Waste” Reaches $1.8 Million