What is the difference between degradable plastic bags, biodegradable plastic bags and compostable plastic bags?

Environmental protection is more and more attention by the public, the traditional plastic bags lead to the environment of white pollution is becoming more and more serious, the country began a ban on plastic, people recently often talk about biodegradable plastic bags, biodegradable plastic bags and compostable plastic bags and so on these material terms, so that a lot of manufacturers are puzzled, they are similar to each other and there is a difference. So what exactly is the difference between them?

No 3. Degradable plastic bags

Degradable plastic bags include those that can be degraded by physical and biological factors (light or heat, or microbial action). So-called aerobic degradation (i.e., degradation accelerated by catalysts or activators at high temperatures) or photodegradable starch-polyethylene plastics can create some environmental problems. These degradable plastic bag materials do not degrade as quickly as compostable plastics and may leave behind debris. The water-repellent debris formed by these degradations has a large surface area and may migrate to groundwater and soil, where it adsorbs and retains some water-repellent, highly toxic substances, such as PCBs and DDT, on its surface, resulting in toxicity levels of up to 1 million times the background level, which is sufficient to act as a delivery system for toxic substances in the environment. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the product is fully biodegradable within a very short period of time as determined by the treatment facility.

NO 2. Biodegradable plastic bags

Biodegradable plastic bags are those that can be fully digested by the microorganisms in the treatment system as food for energy (into the food chain). This complete microbial digestion/utilization is determined by testing whether the carbon element of the test plastic can be completely converted to CO2 through microbial processes occurring in the cells.

NO 1. Compostable plastic bags

In addition to being biodegradable by microorganisms, there is a time requirement that must be met in order for a plastic bag to be called a "compostable" plastic. For example, the standards ASTM 6400 (Specification for Compostable Plastics), ASTM D6868 (Specification for Biodegradable Plastics for Surface Coating of Paper or Other Compostable Media), or EN 13432 (Compostable Packaging) state that these materials should biodegrade in an industrial composting environment in less than 180 days. An industrial composting environment means that the specified temperature is approximately 60°C and microorganisms must be present. According to this definition, compostable plastics do not leave fragments in the residue that are present for longer than about 12 weeks, do not contain heavy metals or toxic substances and can sustain plant life.

All bags produced by Huawei New Material Company are 100% degradable and compostable, and can be customized according to customer's needs, including color, style, material, thickness, logo, and other needs, welcome domestic and foreign customers to negotiate and visit our factory.