At the end of 2008, the Emirates Authority for Standards and Metrology (ESMA) recommended that oxo-biodegradable (OBD) plastics were the best solution to the problem of plastic waste which gets out into the environment, and that a standard should be adopted. OBD plastic is a polyolefin plastic to which has been added very small amounts of metal salts. These salts catalyse the natural degradation process to speed it up so that the OBD plastic will degrade when subject to environmental conditions to produce to water, carbon dioxide and biomass.

A standard became mandatory in the UAE on January 1, 2010. It will be phased in between June 2010 and December 2013, starting with plastic bags, with an extension to other products including bread bags, frozen food bags, shrink wrap and plastic bottles over time.

The adoption of this standard is a significant step forward for the UAE and is an example to the region, where a number of other countries are considering similar measures. UAE-based Eco-Polymers has been at the forefront of the effort to build awareness of the plastic waste problem in the UAE. It is promoting the use of UK-based Symphony’s d2w additve, which can be added to a polymer prior to extrusion to make the resulting plastic an OBD plastic, as the most economical and environmentally-friendly solution. It is doing this via a wide range of promotional and educational events.

Eco-Polymers are proud to be the exclusive distributors for d2w, the world’s leading OBD brand, and have managed to secure about 80% of the UAE market. The d2w droplet logo can now be seen on shopping bags and other plastic items across the UAE, in leading supermarkets and department stores including, Abu Dhabi Co-op, ADNOC, Choithram and Sons, Etihad Airways, Jashanmal, Lulu Hypermarket and many others.

For the future, Eco-Polymers will continue to cooperate with the UAE ministry and ESMA to ensure that the production and use of OBD plastics are properly regulated. Eco-Polymers expects to see significant growth of the business across the Middle-East over the next three years, as the mandatory standard is progressively applied to all disposable plastic items.