Australia's Upcoming National Plastic Plan for the Next Year

Starting in July 2022 Biodegradable Plastics Must be Certified According to the International Standard EN 13432 to be Used in Australia

According to the Australian National Plastics Plan 2021 published by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment of the Australian Government, plastic packaging labeled ‘biodegradable’ that does not meet the compostable standards of EN 13432, AS4736-2006, or AS5810-2010 will be phased out.

In their collaboration with the industry, plastics that are not eventually biodegraded under industrial or home compostable conditions into carbon dioxide will not be legal starting July 2022. According to EN 13432, at least 90% of the original plastic mass must be disintegrated into biomass within 3 months. Thereafter, at least 90% of the original plastic mass must be biodegraded by microorganisms into carbon dioxide within 6 months. In addition, the amounts of heavy metals in plastics must be strictly limited and the materials must not have ecotoxicological effects on plant growth. Consequently, the so-called oxo-plastics which may be degraded into microplastics will be banned in Australia. The 50% minimum content of organic material in plastics is also required according to AS4736-2006 and AS5810-2010 standards.

SMS has committed to advance sustainability through Bio-Circular-Green Economy. Our products are made from renewable cassava starch and circulated back to nature at the end of products’ lives. TAPIOPLAST®TPS is a thermoplastic starch resin made from natural tapioca starch, thus it is 100% organic material and certified as compostable material by DIN CERTCO (Germany) according to the international standards EN 13432:2000-12 and ISO 17088:2012. TAPIOPLAST®TPS is specially designed for blending with common biodegradable resins to make biodegradable products with faster compostable rates, more bio-content (organic material), and more affordable price.

Encouraging the new-normal lifestyle toward environmental sustainability.