A number of bio-plastic alternatives

A number of bio-plastic alternatives are gaining traction elsewhere, with versions made from renewable and sustainable corn, soy or jute. The technology, higher price and end result is far from where the industry wants it to be but opposed to bags produced using fossil fuels, they cut down on greenhouse gas emissions when they degrade, are recyclable and compostable.

The UAE's oxo-degradable choice, however, still uses conventional plastic made from petroleum-based polymers. The additives, usually metals, help it degrade faster - to carbon dioxide and water - when exposed to light and oxygen.

As of last year, all of the oxo-degradable bags in the UAE now need to be certified by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma) to make sure they are safe for both the public and the environment. Esma has approved two additives - Reverte and D2W - for use in this process in the UAE and has applied rigorous standards to any company approved to produce the bags - including requiring labels indicating they are oxo-degradable.

The thing is, the perception from a "degradable" label on plastic is that over a period of time, it will disappear into nothing. This is where concerned consumers need to pay better attention and form their own opinions - because the available science, experts say, does not always back up the claim.

The companies that make these bags say they have independent lab tests that prove "biodegradation". Yet a study conducted in 2010 by scientists at Loughborough University in the UK for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the life cycle of the oxo-degradable varieties indicated otherwise.