European Bioplastics (EUBP) has welcomed the EU’s inclusion of soil-biodegradable mulch films, coating agents, and water retention polymers in the Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR) 1009/2019, and the key role given to existing standards concerning the biodegradation of mulch films in soil.
The aforementioned items are now classified under the Component Material Category (CMC) 9 ‘Other Polymers’. Notably, soil-biodegradable mulch films have been designated as Soil Improvers, included in the Product Function Category (PFC) 3.
These products may carry the CE mark (from 20 November 2024 onwards for soil-biodegradable mulch films and as of 17 October 2028 for coating agents and water retention polymers), which means that they have been additionally assessed to meet the high safety, health, and environmental protection requirements of the EU, and can be traded on the extended Single Market in the European Economic Area without restrictions.
“The inclusion paves the way for further investments, innovation, and research in this field, which strongly relates to a circular bioeconomy,” said Hasso von Pogrell, managing director of EUBP.
The newly defined biodegradability criteria are strict but scientifically sound, claimed EUBP, and will ‘fully demonstrate that certified soil-biodegradable mulch films are environmentally safe while contributing to soil health and soil fertility’.
“Certified soil-biodegradable mulch films have been applied on agricultural soils for more than 20 years and their agronomical behaviour and end-of-life have been extensively assessed, von Pogrell added. “They are proven to have a similar agronomical efficiency compared with conventional, non-biodegradable plastics, specifically in terms of increase of yield and quality of crops, control of weeds and increase of soil temperature and moisture.”
According to EUBP, certified soil-biodegradable mulch films provide significant benefits when full retrieval and recycling of mulch films based on conventional plastics is not feasible and could lead to potential loss of topsoil, or the accumulation of persistent microplastics.
“Soil-biodegradable mulch films are designed to biodegrade in situ, eliminating the need for post-harvest retrieval, recycling, or disposal. Their inclusion in the FPR marks a significant step towards promoting a sustainable bioeconomy within the agricultural sector, while addressing the issue of persistent microplastics in soils,” von Pogrell concluded.
