ReviewRoyal Society open science2018
Biodegradability standards for carrier bags and plastic films in aquatic environments: a critical review.
Review in Royal Society open science, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Emerging investigator series: microplastic sources, fate, toxicity, detection, and interactions with micropollutants in aquatic ecosystems - a review of reviews.Environmental science. Processes & impacts · 2022Pooled it
- Influence of temperature and inoculum composition on standardized biodegradation tests of bioplastics in freshwater under aerobic conditions.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Life cycle design of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA).National science review · 2025Review
- Biodegradation in Freshwater: Comparison Between Compostable Plastics and Their Biopolymer Matrices.Polymers · 2025Article
- Biodegradability of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolyesters in nature: a review.Biodegradation · 2025Review
- An Analytical Workflow to Quantify Biodegradable Polyesters in Soils and Its Application to Incubation Experiments.Environmental science & technology · 2025Article
- A life cycle assessment approach to minimize environmental impact for sustainable printed sensors.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Microbial degradation of polyethylene polymer: current paradigms, challenges, and future innovations.World journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2024Review
- Biodegradable plastic formulated from chitosan of Aristeus antennatus shells with castor oil as a plasticizer agent and starch as a filling substrate.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Article
- Review
- Article
- Removing microplastics from aquatic environments: A critical review.Environmental science and ecotechnology · 2023Review
- Microbial colonization patterns and biodegradation of petrochemical and biodegradable plastics in lake waters: insights from a field experiment.Frontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
- Degradation of Cellulose Derivatives in Laboratory, Man-Made, and Natural Environments.Biomacromolecules · 2022Review
- Article
- Methodologies to Assess the Biodegradability of Bio-Based Polymers-Current Knowledge and Existing Gaps.Polymers · 2022Review
- Rigid bioplastics shape the microbial communities involved in the treatment of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
- Microbial biodegradation of plastics: Challenges, opportunities, and a critical perspective.Frontiers of environmental science & engineering · 2022Review
- Assessment of Toxicity and Biodegradability of Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Based Materials in Marine Water.Polymers · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Plastic litter is encountered in aquatic ecosystems across the globe, including polar environments and the deep sea. To mitigate the adverse societal and ecological impacts of this waste, there has been debate on whether 'biodegradable' materials should be granted exemptions from plastic bag bans and levies. However, great care must be exercised when attempting to define this term, due to the broad and complex range of physical and chemical conditions encountered within natural ecosystems. Here, we review existing international industry standards and regional test methods for evaluating the biodegradability of plastics within aquatic environments (wastewater, unmanaged freshwater and marine habitats). We argue that current standards and test methods are insufficient in their ability to realistically predict the biodegradability of carrier bags in these environments, due to several shortcomings in experimental procedures and a paucity of information in the scientific literature. Moreover, existing biodegradability standards and test methods for aquatic environments do not involve toxicity testing or account for the potentially adverse ecological impacts of carrier bags, plastic additives, polymer degradation products or small (microscopic) plastic particles that can arise via fragmentation. Successfully addressing these knowledge gaps is a key requirement for developing new biodegradability standard(s) for lightweight carrier bags.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.