But both terms are useless unless people understand what they mean and how they work scientifically, Narayan told his audience in his keynote speech at the International Elastomer Conference in Cleveland Oct. 8.
“It is wrong, misleading and deceptive to use ‘biodegradable’ in an unqualified way,” Narayan said. In fact, careless use of the term in advertising is forbidden by the Federal Trade Commission and the State of California. The latter fined Amazon $1.5 million for advertising bogus “biodegradable” products on its website, he said.