What is PAS 9017:2020 about?
Plastic pollution and littering is a huge problem globally, for which to date biodegradability has not been a viable solution. However, that’s now partly changed with the development of a technique that allows polyolefins to degrade in the open air on land. To quickly disseminate this technology across the plastic packaging value chain, a coalition that included industry, government, and academic experts wrote PAS 9017:2020. This document specifies the requirements that enable the biodegradability of polyolefins in an open-air terrestrial environment.
Who is PAS 9017:2020 for?
- Plastic or plastic technology manufacturers looking to make claims about the biodegradability of their polyolefin-based plastics in an open-air terrestrial environment
- Test houses looking to test conformance to the PAS (though note that certification is out of scope and a PAS cannot require the use of independent third-party certification for claims of conformance)
- Standards agencies, national laboratories, or academic research groups which could use the test method described in the PAS as a universal baseline methodology for evaluating the biodegradability of new material discoveries within plastics and polymer production
Why should you use PAS 9017:2020?
This PAS specifies requirements for the biodegradability of polyolefins in an open-air terrestrial environment. It covers:
- Polyolefin composition targeted at biodegradability
- Degradation towards biodegradability from weathering, including:a) Criteria for the level of chemical transformation to be achieved by weathering in a simulated open-air terrestrial environment and appropriate test methodsb) Method of chemical analysis to be used to yield quantifiable measurement of chemical transformation
- Biodegradation, including criteria for the level of biodegradation to be achieved and appropriate test methods
- An assessment of terrestrial eco-toxicity from weathering
- Claims of biodegradability by manufacturers of end-products or by brands using polyolefin-based packaging for industry and end-markets that the additive based end-products conform with the criteria within this PAS
The PAS does not cover:
- Freshwater, marine, landfill, and anaerobic environments of biodegradation
- The effect of marine pollution, such as bioaccumulation of plastics and its effect on biodiversity
- Pre-testing to determine at what point biodegradation is triggered
- A larger concept for the end of life scenarios for plastics and potential recycling pathways
- Assessment of origin of used polyolefinic material and therefore potential resulting biodegradability
- Industrial composting, home-composting, or related end of life scenarios for polyolefin-based products
- Compatibility of biodegradable additive-based polyolefin end-products with recycling
- The life-cycle assessment analysis of the end-product, its manufacture, its conversion to packaging, and end of life scenarios including littering or leakage from waste management streams
- Claims made by brands or manufacturers to end consumers about polyolefinic end products
NOTE: Claims related to the end products by brands or manufacturers should be made according to ISO 14021.
PAS 9017:2020 contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 on ensuring sustainable consumption and production, and Goal 15 on the protection and restoration of terrestrial ecosystems.
1. What does this standard seek to do?
As set out in the scope, the PAS standard intends to specify the requirements for the biodegradability of polyolefins enhanced with technology that imparts biodegradability in an open-air terrestrial environment. The protocols for testing include those that ensure no hazardous substances are present. It is intended to be used by plastic or plastic technology manufacturers, and test houses when measuring the biodegradability of polyolefin plastic.
2. Is the PAS designed for a specific technology?
No, all standards are technology agnostic. This PAS will be used for any polyolefinic material to demonstrate its ability to fully biodegrade under specified conditions.
If required, due to its pass/fail criteria on proof of full biological decomposition, the PAS could be used as a method to demonstrate that technology would not fall under any proposed bans contemplated by Directive (EU) 2019/904.
3. Is PAS 9017 a standard for oxo-degradable plastics?
No. Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council* states that oxo-degradable plastic means “plastic materials that include additives which, through oxidation, lead to the fragmentation of the plastic material into microfragments or to chemical decomposition.”
PAS 9017 takes an outcomes-based approach and includes a set of pass/fail criteria to determine that polyolefinic materials enhanced with technology that imparts biodegradability have been fully proven to have achieved biological decomposition to carbon dioxide, biomass, and water (not chemical decomposition, as in the EU definition) under soil conditions and at ambient temperatures. Using the approach set out in the PAS, materials have to prove that they do not break down into micro fragments, or ‘microplastics’.
The full suite of experience of the technical committee was utilized to understand what would be the physical and chemical changes necessary in order to achieve a proven biological consumption of the carbon in the material.*Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment (Text with EEA relevance)
4. Are the test methods relatable to real-world conditions?
Yes. The technical committee reviewed data showing real outdoor weathering performance relative to the stated test specifications as part of their due diligence on setting the testing procedures. This data was part of the recent publication seen in the Society of Chemistry and Industry “C&I” magazine (https://www.soci.org/chemistry-and-industry/cni-data/2020/10/weather-dependant-plastics).
5. Will this PAS standard encourage people to litter plastic?
No. The act of littering itself is illegal alongside being a complex behavioral issue and no single standard will be able to control how a member of the public acts.
The aim of PAS 9017 is to provide plastic manufacturers with the means to obtain data on the performance of the biodegradability process of polyolefinic material and deliver testing laboratories with a standardized protocol for evaluation. Claims made by manufacturers to consumers about polyolefinic products are outside of the scope of PAS 9017. Such claims should be made according to ISO 14021, which is referenced in PAS 9017.
6. If a plastic meets with the biodegradability criteria in PAS 9017, can it still be recycled?
The compatibility of innovative polyolefin packaging entering the market and its current recycling streams is covered by relevant industry recycling protocols. The onus remains on the plastic manufacturers to evidence if and how they can meet such requirements.
7. How was PAS 9017 developed?
As with all standards, the principle of consensus was fundamental to its development. Unique to PAS standards is the 7-step development process.
When BSI was approached about the need for a standard relating to biodegradation of plastics in the open-air environment, it conducted research which identified that there was a standardization gap before work on the scope of the PAS began.
A steering group made up of key stakeholders, including representatives from the plastics industry, academia and government, reviewed the first draft of PAS 9017. A second draft was then subject to public consultation. Once consensus was reached between the group members, the final PAS standard was published.
8. Does this PAS have a legal status?
No. PAS standards are voluntary, meaning that there is no obligation to apply it or comply with it, unless, exceptionally, its application is directly demanded by regulatory instruments. It is a tool devised to help define best practice, particularly in areas of emerging innovation. In itself, a PAS standard has no particular legal status although it might be used as a component of, or the basis of, an agreement that does (e.g. a contract).
