Lahl, Rebecca ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4190-6306, Bleischwitz, Raimund ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8164-733X, Lahl, Uwe and Zeschmar-Lahl, Barbara (2025) Third-generation biodegradable plastics – A complementary strategy to tackle the marine litter problem. Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy, 44 . p. 101925. DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scp.2025.101925.

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Abstract

The amount of plastic produced worldwide has reached 400 million metric tonnes in 2022. Estimated 3–5% of this amount ends up in the environment, where it poses significant threats to ecosystems and biodiversity. Littering, a growing global challenge, requires a combination approach to tackle its causes and mitigate its impact. There are different strategies to combat littering. Plastic waste is a complex subject needing a combination approach to deal with the current littering problem by supporting adequate waste infrastructures especially in developing countries. Consumer behavior and awareness must also be addressed. But even with immediate and concerted action to reduce consumption, more than 700 million tonnes of plastic waste will cumulatively enter the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems until 2040. Waste management systems, even if improved, do not have sufficient capacity at the global level to cope with the huge mass of plastics entering the environment. Especially for plastic, which will foreseeable and inevitably enter the environment, where it can persist for hundreds of years (‘forever’ plastics), a solution is needed. Biodegradable plastics, that meet the criteria of ‘Safe and Sustainable by Design’ (SSbD), offer innovation perspectives and can be a complementary strategy to tackle the marine litter problem. ‘Safe and Sustainable by Design’ is a holistic framework for developing chemicals, materials, and products that prioritizes safety and sustainability at every stage of their lifecycle. The approach aims to create innovations that are inherently safe for human health and the environment while promoting long-term ecological, economic, and social sustainability.
In our view, biodegradable plastics should be used especially for products that are designed to enter the environment (marine or soil) or are inherently difficult to prevent from doing so. The following plastics should therefore - as a first step - be addressed in innovation efforts to become biodegradable:
1.
All microplastics that may continue to be used in consumer products such as cleaning agents, scouring salts or cosmetics and care products (e.g. toothpaste) (in the EU already addressed by Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 (European Commission, 2023a), see Section 3.4.3),
2.
All microplastics that are used in paints, varnishes, coatings and sealants for the construction sector and are subject to intensive weathering,
3.
Rubber articles that are released into the environment as microplastics to a relevant extent during use,
4.
Other plastic articles or fabrics that are subject to intensive abrasion during the use phase (cleaning cloths, sponges, drying cloths, cleaning rags, etc.),
5.
Agricultural plastic products such as seed and fertilizer wrappings, thin mulch films, plant seedings, tree shelter tubes that are not removed from the soil (SAPEA – Science Advice for Policy by European Academies, 2020) (in the European Union already addressed by Regulation (EU) 2019/1009, (2019) and Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 (European Commission, 2023a),
6.
Fishing nets (especially trawls) and other plastic products for fishing/angling (De Domenico et al., 2023),
7.
Textiles for intensive use in water (such as mats, splash guards, swimsuits, etc.)
8.
Small plastic parts such as firework casings (SAPEA – Science Advice for Policy by European Academies, 2020),
9.
Selected volume-relevant food packaging (Cowger et al., 2024),
10.
Other disposable articles (e.g. cigarette butts (Araújo and Costa, 2019).
In view of the difficult political situation regarding the negotiations of a Global Plastics Treaty with upper limits for plastic production (European Commission, 2024), we believe there should be more discussion on whether all packaging that is particularly relevant for littering should also be degradable in the distant future.

Document Type:	Article
Programme Area:	PA5
Research affiliation:	Science Management > Directorate Science Management > Office for Knowledge Exchange
Refereed:	Yes
Open Access Journal?:	No
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scp.2025.101925
ISSN:	23525541
Date Deposited:	07 Mar 2025 12:28
Last Modified:	07 Mar 2025 12:28
URI:	http://cris.leibniz-zmt.de/id/eprint/5598

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