New Specification for Environmentally biodegradable plastic mulch films for use in agriculture and horticulture
1. Scope
1.1 This document specifies the requirements for biodegradable films, manufactured from thermoplastic materials, to be used for mulch applications in agriculture and horticulture.
1.2 This document is applicable to films intended to biodegrade in soil without creating any adverse impact on the environment. It also specifies the test methods to assess these requirements as well as requirements for the packaging, identification and marking of films.
1.3. This document specifies the requirement of pre-exposure at the conditions of anticipated natural environmental weathering for the polymers designed to change their chemical composition upon such exposure. Accelerated artificial or natural weathering can be also used for pre-exposure once the equivalency of produced modification is demonstrated.
1.4. In order to meet the requirements of this document, the mulch film must be tested in its final formulation, including required fillers, colorants and additives.
1.5. In order to meet the requirements of this document, the mulch film must demonstrate each of characteristics found in Section 6:
- Regulated metals and other substances of concern (EN ISO 17294-2 and EN ISO 12846);
- Soil biodegradation (ASTM D5988/ISO 17556)
- Ecotoxicity: higher plants OECD208; earthworms (EN ISO 11268-1 and EN ISO 11268-2); bacteria (ISO 15685); nitrification inhibition with soil microorganisms
- Dimensional, mechanical and optical properties of the films
Keywords
mulch film; environmental biodegradation
Rationale
The proposed Standard addresses limitations of ISO EN17033 and ISO 23517 standards and includes exposure to natural environmental conditions as a requirement for performance and biological degradation of films used in agricultural mulching applications. This standard would expand the family of applicable materials by including those which could be designed to provide better performance, longer shelf life, more consistent biodegradation, positive environmental impact, improved overall sustainability, support regenerative agriculture and be more economically attractive. Proposed standard requires testing of mulch films in their final form and formulation, including all required additives, fillers and colorants rather than base polymers.
