The latest eco trend to hit the shops of Latvia is the "bio-plastic bag” – an allegedly biodegradable plastic bag that is not in fact made of plastic at all.

Green-minded shoppers must beware, however, as there has been a recent controversy over the question of whether or not these bio-bags are truly biodegradable. In Latvia, there are significant tax breaks for companies using biodegradable bags and this has led some producers to take short cuts.

Some are creating bags which are not in fact truly biodegradable, but appear biodegradable to the untrained eye.

"We have to be careful with the word ‘biodegradable,’ because it should refer only to materials which are consumed by bacteria, consumed by a [living] organism. But some companies use the word incorrectly – they just add some materials to plastics to make them turn to powder more quickly under light,” Doctor of Chemistry Gastons Vereskuns told The Baltic Times.

Thus, while it would appear that the plastic bag has disappeared, it has merely transformed to a fine dust, which will nevertheless never disappear from the earth’s surface.

Many consumers without an understanding of chemistry could be seriously duped, left believing that their un-plastic plastic bags are good for the environment – when really, using reusable cloth bags, or even paper bags, would be a better solution.

Some bio-plastic bag companies may be more legitimate than others. Baltic Bioplastics, a leading producer of biodegradable plastic shopping bags in Latvia, meets the "EN 13432” industrial standard. This internationally accepted designation requires biodegradation of 90 percent of the materials in a commercial composting unit within 90 days.

Commercial composting units are specially designed to aggressively compost materials in a short period of time. In a home composting unit, most bio-plastic bags will not compost nearly so quickly.

Baltic Bioplastics is the first bio-bag company in Latvia to produce biodegradable shopping bags with a Latvian flare. Their stylish bags are emblazoned with the words "think green, live green” and "I am not a plastic bag,” in the Latvian language. The map of Latvia is also printed on the white-and-green checkered bags, in a cheerful shade of green.

The Baltic Bioplastics shopping bags cost just under 10 santimes each (14 euro cents), plus PVN. The minimum purchase is 1,000 plastic bags. The bags are made exclusively of unmodified corn starch, which is also lead-free.

These bags are useful for carrying products home from the store – however, they should not be used to hold household garbage for more than one week, as decomposition could begin, leaving a very unpleasant mess. These bags should also not be used to store liquids, as they are not impermeable.

Bioplastics are a form of plastics derived from renewable bio-mass sources, including vegetable oil, pea starch and corn starch. Normal plastics are derived from petroleum. Some plastic bags that are labeled as "compostable” do not in fact comply with the strict, EU accepted EN 13432 standard.

The "compostable” designation can also be used on products which meet the requirements of the significantly less strict "ASTM 6400” standard, which is the regulatory standard used in the United States. This designation sets a threshold of 60 percent biodegradation within 180 days, within commercial composting conditions.
Plastic bags sold in Latvia which carry the logo "compostable” could thus be composed of 40 percent non-biodegradable materials. Buyers beware!