Another source of trouble for trade
WHAT FUTURE FOR THE SHOPPER?
Since January this year, non-biodegradable ones are (theoretically) illegal. Replace them with biopolymers or bags are more practical alternative, cheaper and with less environmental impact
The problem The problem of non-biodegradable shopping bags created by Law 296/06 (the "financial" 2007, launched by the Prodi government) that, in paragraphs 1129, 1130 and 1131 prohibited since 1 January 2011, the marketing of the envelopes to take away the goods are not biodegradable. The source of this prohibition is a long war in the environmental world, or a part thereof, against the proliferation of unnecessary packaging (shoppers - many believe - may be validly replaced by reusable bags or nets), in particular against the plastic packaging (because it is the material that, for the problems its collection and selection of polymers, it is more resistant to the recycling and ends in large part to fuel incinerators, however, having a calorific value than oil, and higher than all other waste), and especially against the " bags "which, in addition to all other problems, when they end up in the sea or rivers, are causing the suffocation of many species ittiche, che li scambiano per prede. Tutte cose sacrosante, ma che andrebbero affrontate in una prospettiva più concreta.
Nessuna misura ambientale senza adeguate politiche industriali
Innanzitutto la formulazione della norma è molto generica e gli operatori interessati (praticamente tutte la aziende di commercio al dettaglio e tutti i produttori di shopper) si attendono giustamente dei chiarimenti da parte delle autorità competenti. In secondo luogo, il divieto, una volta entrato in vigore, è destinato a “spiazzare” i produttori di shopper non biodegradabili: le aziende che li producono – verosimilmente insieme ad altri articoli simili – contano circa 4mila addetti e, according to the Director General of Unionplast, now have three quarters of the workforce in layoffs. It is not a sufficient reason to authorize the continuation of a production that is considered harmful. But if it is considered important or essential to ban, it would be a good idea to prepare project proposals and incentives to open businesses and workers hit the road for a redirection of production. It 'a rule that should accompany all environmental policies, so as not to make them unpopular and unacceptable to the people that it should benefit. The case of the shopper is a small example, that of the polluting plants, the arms industry, or other areas to scale, are clearly much more important, but the rule applies to everyone and if you do not begin to adopt it in the simplest cases, like that of the shopper, it faces a disaster in all areas where the return of production and consumption within the parameters of sustainability risks to require far greater sacrifices.
do not know if the Prodi government, which was launched this rule would then be to bring more determination in the enforcement decrees, both to field conversion measures for workers and businesses affected by the ban. The fact is that the new government that succeeded him, while confirming and maintaining a ban has not done anything and everything, to meet the pressing demands of operators, the Ministry of Environment has been limited, last December, promising to "monitor the industry," to see whether the market will stabilize on its own, or if you require specific measures. For the moment it is limited to fixing two different extensions of the entry into force of the ban, closer to mass retailers and more left for the minute detail: to allow the distribution system to dispose of stocks, no extension, however, for those shoppers who produce them. That would have been wise if, in the three years that was already in office, the Government had tried to address the problem, which was not.
Non si sa se il divieto è destinato a durare
Per questo diverse associazioni, tra cui Unionplast e il consorzio CARPI, hanno già imbracciato il fucile e impugnato la legge alla Corte di Giustizia Europea sulla base del fatto che una norma del genere, prima di diventare effettiva, deve essere sottoposta a un giudizio di conformità con la normativa comunitaria da parte dei competenti uffici della Commissione Europea; il che non è stato fatto. Tanto più che un analogo provvedimento, varato nel 2006 dalla Francia, era stato poi ritirato dopo un giudizio sfavorevole della Corte. A queste obiezioni il Ministero ha risposto che la normativa europea sulla protezione dell’ambiente giustifica ampiamente misure di carattere limitativo come those recruited and that the withdrawal of the rule by France had been a unilateral, voluntary, not forced.
outcome of a legal dispute of this probably will return in future issues, when they will be more clarified terms. Here we limit ourselves instead to address some practical problems raised by the prohibition of non-biodegradable shopping bags, which are of great importance both for our daily routines, both for the organization of work, both for environmental sustainability in general. The three questions are: What
shopper?
E 'must first distinguish four different types of envelopes used for removal of goods: shopper's true, those funds are distributed to supermarkets, shops and markets of food and various goods, the thin bags used to collect and weigh fruit and Versuri in supermarkets, small bags used for ' removal of small items in pharmacies, stationery stores, hardware etc.. Plastic bags large and sometimes very strong, which are often packed the clothes and that, theoretically, can be reused, even if they have the same characteristics of canvas or plastic bags in supermarkets as shoppers reusable. Referring to the next step the problem of biodegradability, the fact remains that, while all the remaining types of "bags" are also commercially viable substitutes and disposable paper or cardboard, the whole organization of many supermarkets and stores self-service has been built serving the availability of lightweight bags for collection and weighing fruit and vegetables, for which the substitution of equivalent transparent paper bags - cellophane - is highly problematic. Moreover, these bags are just reading the material more dangerous not only because hardly reusable for other purposes, such as the provision of rubbish, but because they are easier to disperse and more dangerous per la fauna e per la flora quando raggiungono l’alveo di un fiume o il mare. I paesi dell’Asia, dell’Africa e dell’America Latina sono letteralmente infestati da questa tipologia di rifiuto abbandonato un po’ ovunque, tanto da spingere molti di essi, ben prima di noi, a proibirne l’utilizzo, ormai diffusissimo nella vendita al dettaglio di alimenti.
Che cosa vuol dire biodegradabile.
Biodegradabile non vuol dire compostabile. In base alle norme UNI sono compostabili, cioè adatti ad essere trattati insieme agli scarti organici, soltanto i sacchetti composti da biopolimeri derivati dall’amido - come il materB – le cui molecole si decompongono in presenza di humidity over a period not exceeding six months (in composting plants, in a time much less). But are considered biodegradable, compostable, but not even the so-called oxo-biodegradable plastics, which are traditional plastic film oleofinica source - usually polyethylene or polypropylene - treated with additives that facilitate the decomposition upon contact with oxygen in the air but in no less than a year. Are considered to be poorly biodegradable plastics with addition of a substance called ECM (MasterBatch pellets), which take longer than one year of decomposition, and not more than 50 percent of the material, against the producers of this material, presented in his time as a biodegradable, have been recently imposed sanctions by the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) for misleading advertising.
In any case, if the bags are delivered for biopolymers in plastics recycling, or recovered from the fraction of undifferentiated plant selection manual and mechanical, they are not recyclable plastic and can also create problems. Conversely, if the oxobiodegradabile plastic bags, which are recyclable, are being delivered to a composting plant as containers for organic waste, and may impede the process, however, compromise the result. The first case was a waste of material, in accordance with a possible degradation of the compost. Undoubtedly the adoption of reusable shopping bags (bags and fills), cellophane bags or reusable containers flexible and certified for the removal of fruit and vegetables from supermarkets could eliminate both problems. But it would take an agreement with all the exercises of the distribution network, as part of an industrial policy oriented towards sustainability which for now can not see the track.
But biopolymers are environmentally friendly?
The last major issue concerns not only shopper in biopolymers - Orai distributed to major supermarkets to replace non-biodegradable, and are imported mostly for their lower cost, from China, and in which it was also denounced the presence of additives are not permitted and dangerous to health - but all the disposable products made from organically grown: first of all the dishes that give a note MaterBi "green" parties and public events where there is much use of disposable products. I'm really green?
No. Certainly not more so-called biofuels - or, more properly, "agro fuels" - promoted, sponsored and largely funded by several governments - including the European Union - as an alternative to fossil fuels, but which are now under charge for several reasons: fleeing acqua e suolo alle colture alimentari in un mondo che ha sempre più fame; fanno salire alle stelle i prezzi delle derrate alimentari proprio a causa della concorrenza delle cosiddette colture energetiche lautamente sovvenzionate; sono all’origine della distruzione di molte foreste primarie in diversi paesi tropicali; sono ricavate da colture che fanno larghissimo uso, con conseguente degrado del suolo, di fertilizzanti e pesticidi sintetici ricavati dal petrolio, che fanno ampio ricorso a macchinari, impianti e attrezzature alimentate con combustibili fossili sia sul campo, in fase di coltivazione, che nella lavorazione, in fase di trasformazione; talché il bilancio finale delle emissioni climalteranti presenta spesso, rispetto ai combustibili fossili, a very small or no surplus. Unfortunately, what holds true for biofuels is even more true for biopolymers used in disposable products. The technology offers viable substitutes: mobile services, rental of supply and wash reusable dishes. Some municipalities not take charge. In others you should obtain some private enterprise. But it is a sector with a secure future.
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