Truly biodegradable mulch film: the ideal alternative for a sustainable agriculture

Why agricultural mulching film should be used?

Plastic film for soil mulching are widely used in agriculture, especially in horticulture. Thanks to its benefits on cultural practice, agricultural mulch contributes to a more sustainable agricultural production and to a higher crop quality in several ways:

• reduce weeds growth
• reduce irrigation water consumption
• reduce the groundwater washout of nutrients
• reduce the development of plant disease
• reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides
• provide a better microenvironment for plants to increase the yield and quality of horticultural products
• maintain soil moisture levels
• raise soil temperature

What happens after the crop?

Commonly used mulch films are made by traditional plastics. Generally the lifetime of plastic mulching film is short, it can be used only for one or two crop cycle, then it must be:

•  collected from the field: which can be difficult and costly, due also to the direct contact of mulching film with the soil
• disposed of:  since the recycling of mulching films is expensive and time-consuming, most times traditional plastic mulch films are disposed of in landfill, and sometimes they are even left on the field or burnt uncontrollably, thus  producing the release of harmful substances with a negative environmental impact

A sustainable solution

Biodegradable mulch film has the same mechanical properties and usage characteristics to those of traditional plastic films:

• It is laid and perforated with the same machinery used for traditional plastic film and provides excellent yields as it is very thin
• It allows efficient control of weeds and makes it possible to attain equivalent agronomic yields in terms of quantity and quality to those with traditional plastic film
• It eliminates the production of plastic waste requiring disposal at the end of the crop: it does not have to be removed or disposed of at the end of the crop cycle
• Thanks to its certified capacity to biodegrade when incorporated into the soil, it transforms into organic matter, water and carbon dioxide
• It allows significant reductions in labour costs, eliminating the time required for removal and disposal at the end of the crop cycle
• During biodegradation it does not pollute the soil, which can occur with traditional plastic if it is not correctly removed or disposed of in the field
• It reduces overall greenhouse gas emissions. Savings have been estimated at over 500 kg of CO2 equivalent per hectare of mulch . Moreover, it reduces consumption of non-renewable energy resources by around 80% compared with traditional plastic film.

Is your mulch film truly biodegradable?

Biodegradation in the soil is a natural process due to the action of micro-organisms.

Several different mulching films claimed as “biodegradable” are available on the market, however most of them are oxo-degradable products, composed by traditional plastics material and additives, able to trigger the fragmentation of the films. Fragmentation of oxo-fragmentable plastics is not the result of a biodegradation process but rather the result of a chemical reaction. The resulting fragments will remain in the environment. The fragmentation is not a solution to the waste problem, but rather the conversion of visible contaminants (the plastic waste) into invisible contaminants (the fragments).

If oxo-fragmentable plastics are littered and end up in the landscape they are supposed to start to disintegrate due to the effect of the additives that trigger breakdown. Consequently, plastic fragments would be spread around the surrounding area. As ultimate biodegradability has not been demonstrated for these fragments, there is substantial risk of accumulation of persistent substances in the environment.

International standards such as EN13432 and AS 4736-2006 have been released to recognize truly biodegradable and compostable products and certifications to prove that a product is compliant with these standards are available.  One of the most recognized logo in the world able to prove that mulch film is truly biodegradable is the “Ok Biodegradable in soil”, released by the Belgian accredited and independent certification body AIB Vincotte.

To be sure that the film you’re using for mulching will not cause harmful plastic accumulation in the soil, choose “Ok Biodegradable in soil” certificated materials.