The EU officially recognizes biodegradable mulch, what is the market usage?
In October 2024, the EU included certain soil biodegradable products in the Fertilizer Products Regulation (FPR) 1009/2019. These products include soil biodegradable mulch, coating agents and water-retaining polymers, which are classified into component material category (CMC) 9 "other polymers". It is worth noting that soil biodegradable mulch has been designated as a soil conditioner and is included in product functional category (PFC) 3. From November 20, 2024, soil biodegradable mulch will obtain the CE mark, and from October 17, 2028, soil biodegradable coating agents and water-retaining polymers will obtain the CE mark, which means that they have been additionally evaluated and meet the EU's high safety, health and environmental protection requirements, and can be traded without restrictions in the extended single market of the European Economic Area (EEA). The CE mark is a safety certification mark and a pass for products to enter the EU for sale.
1. 950,000 hectares of agricultural soil in Europe are contaminated by plastic residues
In Europe, more than 720,000 tons of agricultural plastics are used each year, of which only 24% are recycled. The main way to dispose of this plastic is still landfill. It is estimated that about 34,000 tons of plastic materials are burned in the fields each year. Finally, about 950,000 hectares of agricultural soil are contaminated by plastic residues.
Mulch, wire and clips are the most complex agricultural plastic applications to collect and process because of the large amount of soil and other green waste that is inextricably linked to these products at the end of their service life in the field. In Europe, mulch accounts for the second largest proportion of plastic films used for crop production, at 83,000 tons/year. And these mulch films are stained with 166,000 tons of mud (see the first column on the left of Figure 2).
2.What is the market situation of biodegradable mulch films for soil in Europe?
The most commonly used materials in certified soil biodegradable agricultural and horticultural applications are polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), polybutylene adipate/terephthalate (PBAT), polybutylene succinate (PBS), polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA), and starch. About 8% of global bioplastic production capacity in 2022 is certified soil biodegradable for agricultural and horticultural applications. This share is expected to reach 9% by 2027. The use of PHAs and PLA in these applications has increased, while other polymers have remained relatively stable.
In Europe, production capacity for biodegradable materials has grown from about 200,000 tons in 2011 to nearly 390,000 tons in 2022, and is expected to reach more than 610,000 tons by 2027.
In Germany, about 129 tons of certified soil biodegradable mulches are used in agriculture each year (compared to about 1,691 tons of conventional mulches). In other countries, certified soil biodegradable mulches are already more common. For example, Spain uses 1,500 tons per year and Italy uses 2,000 tons per year.
