Several countries have over the last year taken monumental steps towards banning the use of conventional plastic bags. In light of mounting evidence demonstrative of the severe environmental impact of improperly disposed single-use plastic bags, the European Parliament in April 2015 passed a law mandating that EU member states will need to cease the free distribution of single-use plastic bags to consumers by 2018, or meet the alternative target of reducing the annual consumption of lightweight plastic bags (thickness below 0.05 mm) from the present average of 198 bags per capita to 90 bags per capita by 2019 (The Guardian). EU nations are expected to abide by these requirements in striving towards further lowering annual single-use plastic bag consumption to 40 per person by 2025.
Other international markets have shown signs of taking a similar course of action. Australia, which already enforces a ban on thin HDPE bags in half of its territories, through its Department of the Environment has publicly discussed plans to “enforce an Australia-wide ban” (Sydney Morning Herald). The USA, meanwhile, has seen California become the first state to restrict the use of single-use plastic shopping bags at grocery stores, subject to a public vote scheduled for 2016.
This international move away from conventional plastic bags is predicated on a better understanding of the damage inflicted on the environment as a result of mismanaged disposal. A report published by Science in February 2015 found that 5 to 13 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the world’s oceans every year, where the material fragments into harmful microplastics easily ingested by a full spectrum of marine organisms.
Amidst growing concern surrounding the use of conventional plastic bags, opportunities are emerging for manufacturers of eco-friendly alternatives to plastic. ENVIPLAST®, as Indonesia’s pioneer of unique bio-based polymer compounds, stands among the companies ready to meet global demand for environmentally-responsible bags that have a proven track-record in being able to be broken down without forming microplastics. ENVIPLAST® is particularly well-positioned to serve the aforementioned developed markets through its representatives in Europe, Canada and Japan, and encourages entities interested in learning more about its bio-based pellets, film and final products to contact the company directly.
