Is biobased, made from corn compostable bags still made from a petroleum derivative?
Yes. Don’t be fooled by clever marketing even in the green business world. Many ‘made from corn’ bags still contain a high mass of petroleum derivatives that are compostable, often in the form of polyester. Even if the petroleum derivative is only 1% of the ingredients (i.e. 1 out of 10) and 90% of the ingredients are biobased, it is possible that the amount of petroleum mass used to make the bag is higher than the mass of biobased ingredients. It is important to remain informed and hold compostable bag companies accountable for how they are marketing their product. If the bag is ASTM certified for compostability the petroleum derivative will fully break down into carbon and water leaving no contaminants in the soil. Compostable bags are great because they can be re-used and at the end of their lifecycle take a waste and turn it into a resource. They also reduce our reliance on petroleum derivatives. However, ‘Made from corn’ does not mean petroleum free unless it says made from 100% b
