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Bioplastic soothes, especially the Conscience

From the yoghurt Cup on the compost bags to the Znünibox: bioplastic is considered to be a sustainable Alternative to petroleum-based plastic and is now in many

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Bioplastic soothes, especially the Conscience

From the yoghurt Cup on the compost bags to the Znünibox: bioplastic is considered to be a sustainable Alternative to petroleum-based plastic and is now in many products. Those who want to shop environmentally-friendly and climate-friendly, so the message can be used to access the best of our knowledge.

An analysis by researchers at the University of Bonn suggests, however, that a changeover to bio-based plastics less of a positive impact on the climate is likely to have an impact than I thought – at least, if these are manufactured, as is usual today from food crops such as sugar cane or Corn. As the researchers in the "Environmental Research Letters" to write, is likely to increase by a rising use of bioplastics in current state-of-the-art of the global emissions of greenhouse gases, even temporarily.

How can that be? For example, the production of PE (polyethylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or other plastic petroleum materials are replaced by vegetable raw materials, which should contribute actually to the climate protection. After all, go through the production, decomposition and combustion of conventional plastic globally each year, around 400 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere – about eight times as much as the entire CO2 emissions of Switzerland. Bioplastics should be almost climate-neutral. Finally, it is based on renewable raw materials such as Corn, wheat or sugar cane. During growth, the simplified assumption is, these plants just as much CO2 from the air, as in combustion, or the removal of the plastic is free again.

The forest area decreases, the emissions rise

This simple logic of market mechanisms-driven change in the land use, neglected, however, to show researchers Neus Escobar from the Institute for food and resource Economics at the University of Bonn. Escobar and her colleagues have simulated the effects of an increased use of bioplastics under the assumption that the bioplastics-increasing share of the major producers in Europe, China, Brazil and the United States – from roughly one to five percent. In the Simulation, the researchers examined two scenarios for increased use of bioplastics could be achieved: firstly, a tax on conventional plastics and secondly through subsidies for bioplastics.

In both scenarios, the amount of the petroleum-based plastics dropped in favor of the bio-based. Therefore, the emissions decreased greenhouse gas emissions in the tax scenario, global is considered to 0.25 percent. This is true but only if one neglects global land-use change. Because at the same time, the agricultural area increased because of the bioplastics production, partly at the expense of forest area. "So large amounts would go to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," says Escobar.

Although it is a one-time effect. Finally, the forest can be cleared only once. "Nevertheless, it will take according to our calculations, more than 21 years, until the grubbing-up effect is made by the annually by bioplastics savings." Similarly, in the second scenario, in which bioplastics is being promoted.

so we need a long breath until the conversion to bioplastics for the climate pays off. In addition, it is a comparatively expensive measure: Per ton of CO2 would shell out in both scenarios, more than 2000 francs. "Increased use of bioplastics from crops seems to be according to our scenarios, no cost-effective strategy to protect the climate," says Escobar.

bioplastics protects the fossil resources

An advantage of bioplastics have, however, is how the University of Bonn writes: It is beautiful, the scarce fossil resources. Anyone who wants to protect the environment, to choose a different strategy, so the conclusion of the scientists: Meaningful material-saving handling with plastic and a complete Recycling .

According to Rudy Koopmans, Director of the Plastics Innovation Competence Centre in Fribourg, the study is based on a rather limited amount of data. "Nevertheless, from my point of view, a good scientific treatise. The conclusion that bio-based synthetic plastics can only be a part of the solution, is correct." Today, most of the art would be burned materials after a single use. In this practice, bioplastics could achieve little, and even cause new problems.

"What we can do now, is to learn how we can work with these materials after use, be sensible," says Koopmans. For example, plastic products, varieties should be made. The ease of Recycling. In addition, a much better infrastructure for Recycling should be established.

In the recently adopted European strategy for plastic, is weighted Recycling. The plastic-strategy of Switzerland is relatively poor. The Federal Council relies on voluntary measures of the economy. After all, the national Council in December voted in favour of a Motion, according to which economic and policy measures for the reduction of plastic should work. The Council of States must still decide on the Motion.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 20.02.2019, 19:22 PM

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