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    ‘We sold you a lemon’: Abel & Cole announces U-turn on compostable plastic packaging

    Image: iStock

    Veg box enthusiasts Abel & Cole, leaders in sustainable shopping, has announced via a new national ad campaign that it will scrap all compostable plastic packaging from its range, after research has cast serious doubt over just how compostable it actually is. “‘Compostable” plastic has been removed from all core Abel & Cole fruit and vegetable boxes, effective immediately, and the online grocer is working with suppliers to remove compostable plastic entirely from its offering by the end of 2023. Abel & Cole is now calling on other retailers, and decision makers across the food industry, to follow suit.

    Supported by research from University College London, Abel & Cole’s decision is based on evidence that compostable plastic only breaks down under certain conditions. The research highlights that this is not happening properly and consistently, across local authority facilities or in home compost heaps.

    Abel & Cole also cited how compostable plastics are also currently responsible for some recyclable material ending up in landfill every year. The research from UCL stated that “Compostable plastics are a growing contaminant in the plastics recycling and some food waste collection systems, which are not able to process compostable plastics. There is currently no working technical solution to the automatic separation and sorting of compostable plastics,” meaning that despite its best intentions, compostable plastics aren’t fulfilling their promises and could be making things worse.

    The global market of biodegradable plastics (which includes compostables) set to grow to 2.62 million tonnes next year.

    “Until recently we thought compostable plastic ended up as compost. Growing evidence shows that’s not always the case,” said Hugo Lynch, Sustainability Project Manager at Abel & Cole.

    “It turns out that compostable plastic only breaks down under certain conditions. And unless your local authority has access to the right equipment, compostable plastic behaves a lot like regular plastic.

    “That’s why we’ve made the decision to remove compostable plastic in our core Fruit & Veg Boxes. And we’re working hard with all our suppliers to completely remove it from our range by the end of 2023.

    “But we can’t fix the problem of compostable plastic pollution alone. We’re calling on decision makers in the food industry to join us too.”

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