Policy and reports

Following an inquiry into food waste in England, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee published its report, recommending that the government take greater action on food waste, introducing a national reduction target and work closely with local authorities to ensure that separate food waste collections are offered to as many households as possible within the UK.

Produced by David Pimentel and Michael Burgess from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University and published in the Agriculture journal, this study finds that soil erosion is one of the most serious threats facing world food production. Each year about 10 million ha of cropland are lost due to soil erosion, reducing the cropland available for world food production. Overall, soil is being lost from agricultural areas 10 to 40 times faster than the rate of soil formation imperiling humanity’s food security.

This scoping paper focuses on the potential of the significant volume of organic waste flowing through the urban environment. The aim is to highlight the opportunities to capture value, in the form of the energy, nutrients and materials embedded in these flows, through the application of circular economy principles. The objective of this scoping paper is to present an initial exploration of the circular economy opportunities for the biocycle economy. It presents the first steps towards a deeper understanding enabled by a more comprehensive analysis.

This background paper produced by European Bioplastics, an industry association representing the interests of bioplastics including bioplastics that are certified as biodegradable/ compostable, explains why it distances itself from additive-mediated conventional plastics, such as so-called “oxo-degradable” plastics, and what issues such materials can cause, as well as supporting consumers, retailers, and the industry in identifying unsubstantiated and misleading product claims.

Launched and adopted in February 2012, Europe’s Bioeconomy Strategy addresses the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into vital products and bio-energy. Under the lead of DG Research and Innovation, the Strategy was co-signed by several other Commission departments namely DG Agriculture and Rural Development, DG Environment, DG Maritime Affairs, and DG Industry and Entrepreneurship.

its Implications for the Collection and Treatment of Organic Wastes
Prepared for the International Solid Waste Assocation (ISWA) by the Working Group on Biological Treatment of Waste, this paper aims to provide an overview of the different types of biodegradable plastics, their properties and their role in the management of organic wastes. The ISWA Working Group concludes that there is a need for biodegradable plastics to be clearly labelled, so to enhance consumer awareness and help distinguish compostable plastics from other non-compostable
polymers. There is the possibility to develop a globally recognised label based on the ISO standard.

The International Solid Waste Association published a special edition of its magazine Waste Management World in August 2016 on the role of bioplastics in waste management.

From 5 October 2015, all retailers employing more than 250 full time equivalent employees in England must charge at least 5p for a lightweight plastic carrier bag. BBIA has created guidance for members regarding the charge and what it means for compostable carrier bags.

This report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) finds that Europe’s ecosystems face increasing pressure to stay healthy amid rising pollution, overexploitation, urban sprawl and the effects of climate change. gives a snapshot of current ecosystem health in Europe. It identifies key gaps in data which are essential to properly assess the health of Europe’s many ecosystems. The report concludes improved mapping and assessments are needed in order to understand the problems faced by Europe’s ecosystems and to restore these key life-sustaining systems to better health. This understanding is vital for policymakers to come up with suitable responses.

Applying circular economy principles to global plastic packaging flows could ‘transform’ the plastics economy and ‘drastically reduce negative externalities’ such as leakage into oceans, says this report by the World Economic Forum and Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
The report uses analytical support from American consulting firm McKinsey & Company to create a vision of a closed-loop global plastics economy and suggests steps that could be taken to bring about the systemic shift needed to make the vision a reality.

Bio-degradable plastics were originally developed in order to solve specific waste issues related either to agricultural films or collection and separation of food waste. Oxo-degradable plastics are claimed to provide a potential solution to littering issues. As this is a very complex topic with various parameters such as raw materials, application sector and end-of-life questions and to avoid confusion and add clarity to the terms “biodegradable” and “oxo-degradable” plastics, PlasticsEurope commissioned OWS to carry out a comparative literature study on the “benefits and challenges of bio- and oxo-degradable plastics”.

A first extensive macro-economic study commissioned by the Bio-based Industries Consortium and carried out by the nova-Institute. It concludes that the total European Bioeconomy amounts to 2.1 trillion EUR turnover, and includes the food, feed and beverages sectors which are responsible for roughly half of the turnover. Bio-based industries – chemicals and plastics, pharmaceuticals, paper and paper products, forest-based industries, textile sector, biofuels and bioenergy – contribute with 600 billion EUR.