Not one of the 49 products marketed as biodegradable met the minimum requirements to be considered biodegradable, and more than 90 percent were oxo-degradable fossil plastics that fragment into microplastics rather than break down. Shoppers paid an average premium of 125 percent over conventional equivalents for the claim.
Researchers from the Institute of Marine Sciences at the Federal University of Sao Paulo visited 40 supermarkets across Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and analysed 49 products — plates, cutlery, cups, straws, trays and partyware — that manufacturers marketed as biodegradable. The study quantifies how widespread greenwashing is on retail shelves.
