Sherry talks to WasteMINZ Organic Materials Sector Group Chair, Chris Purchas, on greenwashing. WasteMINZ have recently released a new set of guidelines for businesses and consumers on the advertising of compostable products and packaging. She also asks Chris's views on the response from countries against the offshore shipping of New Zealand recyling. 

The WasteMINZ report recommends products to not state ‘planet friendly’ or ‘eco-safe,’ with pictures of happy seals and polar bears, if not backed up by science, or following an established standard.

The term biodegradable is one of the most mis-used phrases, and companies cannot claim something is biodegradable in landfills as no reliable standards currently exist to measure this. Similarly with degradable, as “the length of time they take to break down can be hundreds or thousands of years and can result in microplastics, which enter the food chain and are harmful to all animals and humans.”

Read the report on the WasteMINZ website.