Single-use plastic bags which remain in the environment for centuries have moved rapidly to the top of the green agenda. About 13 billion single-use plastic bags are given out to UK shoppers every year and they can take hundreds of years to decay.

Environmental concerns over plastic packaging and carrier bags have grown in recent years, which is why CFN Packaging has developed a new degradable polythene additive called Biothene which degrades in 12 to 18 months.

Biothene can be used for any products as an alternative to ordinary polythene, and we have also developed Biothene+ which uses 30% less energy in its manufacture.

Degradable material

Biothene is a material that starts to degrade upon exposure to sunlight, a process which is accelerated by heat. Once the material has been broken down into small particles these degrade biologically into a non-toxic residue within 12 to 18 months.

Biothene already accounts for around 20% of all the carrier bags produced by CFN Packaging and our aim is to significantly increase that proportion in the future.

The original idea was first developed in the 1970s by the Royal College of Forestry in Stockholm and in the last five years it has been developed further to make it more widely available worldwide.

Biothene promotes not only the wider use of degradable products but also a more detailed approach to sustainable packaging. Among the key benefits are:

• multi-use heavy duty packaging promoted over single-use disposable packaging
• litter education promoted to reduce the environmental impact on wildlife
• manufacturers of Biothene are encouraged to reduce their carbon emissions in its production and where possible Biothene is manufactured in or near the country of destination.