Knowledge measures

The biodegradation issues of bioplastic materials in a marine environment should be considered. If an item is a consumable or lost frequently, it must be biodegradable. Biodegradable means that it is made of natural materials, not containing plastic in any form.

Materials and design Materials and design

Photo: Pla Photo: Pla

See also the UNEP (2015) study about biodegradable plastic, concluding that these materials cannot be a solution for the marine environment.

Relevant type of aquaculture:

Fish Shellfish Seaweed

Relevant sea basin:

North

Relevant stage:

Prevention and reduction

Related Barriers:

  • There is a lack of alternative materials for the aquaculture sector that have the same properties as what is currently used but don’t contain any plastics, e.g. for buoys.

  • Additional incentives from the government to invest in more durable materials and alternative solutions are lacking.

  • At EU level, there is currently no accepted scientific standard (e.g. CEN) on marine biodegradability, which highlights the urgency for developing such a separate standard

Related Good Practice:

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