Plastic not fully biodegradable, claiming so may lead to misleading ads: BIS

New Delhi, April 19 The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on Wednesday said that it has advised the Environment Ministry not to certify biodegradability of plastics, since it has not been established and it could be an ideal case of "misleading advertising" if it is claimed by any manufacturer that plastic goods are completely biodegradable.

Addressing a press conference on "Green Standards", BIS Chairman Pramod Kumar Tiwari said that research in India and abroad is still going on to establish whether plastic is completely biodegradable.

He added that though there are some mechanisms, they don't confirm that plastic is biodegradable, and this was conveyed to the Environment Ministry during a recent interaction.

The BIS has urged upon the ministry not to certify claims by certain manufacturers that their plastic products are biodegradable, as it is yet to be proven.

The ministry has agreed to the request, Tiwari told reporters.

He said that in India, the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology (CIPET) has conducted research on this aspect.

Tiwari further added that until the findings are not arrived at, it can't be said that plastic is biodegradable.

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