The "Biodegradable" Myth of 2025：
What Manufacturers Didn't Tell You

Driven by the global anti-plastic movement, a new cohort of items has entered our lives: all manner of "eco-friendly tableware." Some even claim they can return directly to the earth, with "biodegradable plastics" being lauded. Every time you hold one, you likely feel you are doing your part for the planet. You believe these plastic alternatives are the perfect solution to our environmental woes—the pathway to sustainability. However, If I told you this concept is merely a carefully crafted environmental myth, would you still believe it ?

If I told you that these so-called eco-friendly disposables — polished, praised, and packaged as “planet-saving” — may actually hide deeper environmental harm beneath the glossy marketing, would it still surprise you? Today, we take you beneath the surface to uncover the true life cycle behind these products. From the origin of chemical processing to the end point of recycling issues, Step by step, we’ll reveal the secrets these products never told you. Are you ready? This journey will challenge everything you thought you knew about “eco-friendly.”

I. Misleading Labels：Stop Letting “Natural” and “Degradable” Words Fool You

Before we dive into the truth about "biodegradability" , we must first clarify several concepts that have been intentionally conflated.

• Biodegradable Plastic : Some of these plastics can, in fact, be broken down by microorganisms, but only under specific conditions (such as the high heat and humidity of an industrial composting environment). The keywords are "specific conditions", which means they cannot effectively decompose in general natural environments, such as oceans or soil.
• Plant-based Straw : This word is most likely to mislead consumers. It is often used as a general term for all plant-derived straws, but its essence falls into two categories：
  • Truly Natural Plant Straws ：Such as Sedge Grass Straws, which use natural, additive-free materials and processes, allowing them to return directly to nature.
  • Hybrid Plant Fiber Straws ：These products are made by mixing agricultural waste, such as tea dregs, coffee grounds, with PLA , PBS plastic and other similar biodegradable plastics. Their essence remains plastic.Though their appearance is natural, their essence remains "plastic.".

II. he Hidden Cost of Manufacturing：The "Industrial Production" in Sheep's Clothing

Many people assume biodegradable plastics come from plants, with a process that is entirely natural and harmless. However, it's precisely where the propaganda runs deepest.

• Essence is still chemical processing : The manufacturing process for biodegradable plastics like PBS and PLA is far from being as simple as growing a plant. These raw materials require complex industrial production, a process which involves chemical processing and solvent refining. For instance, the two main raw materials for PBS are succinic acid and butanediol . Their production processes generate significant wastewater and greenhouse gases. The high energy consumption of their manufacturing stands in stark contrast to their supposed "eco-friendly" image.
• The Environmental Cost of Raw Material Sourcing : Traditionally, succinic acid and butanediol are primarily sourced from the petrochemical industry, and their production process generates significant methane and other greenhouse gases, exacerbating climate change. While some succinic acid can now be produced via bio-fermentation, this remains a complex, high-energy process requiring industrial scale, and it still generates environmental challenges related to post-processing.
• Unidentified Chemical Additives and Human Health Risks : To achieve the necessary toughness and durability required of plastic products, these materials are often compounded with various chemical additives and binders. The ingredients of these chemicals are frequently non-transparent. Not only can they potentially leach out during the use phase, affecting human health, but they also contribute to microplastic pollution during the degradation process, posing a long-term environmental threat.

It is worth noting that butanediol itself exhibits low toxicity, and at high doses, it may potentially harm the kidneys or nervous system. However, when used as an ingredient in cosmetics, its safety is relatively high due to differences in dosage and exposure. Yet, when it is used as a raw material for single-use products, the massive industry and chemical pollution are the real environmental price.

III. The Terminal Disposal Dilemma："Degradable" Plastics That Don't Degrade

Even if consumers diligently attempt to recycle biodegradable plastics, these products, when processed in still face enormous challenges at the terminal disposal stage.

• Stringent degradation conditions : The first issue is that these products require strict degradation conditions. With few industrial composting facilities in Taiwan, most end up as general waste in incinerators or landfills, where poor decomposition in anaerobic conditions makes them effectively the same as conventional plastic.
• Recycling system disruption : Since biodegradable plastics are indistinguishable from conventional plastics in appearance. They are frequently misclassified during the recycling process. Once mixed into the traditional plastic recycling system, they severely compromise the quality of the recycled materials, thus undermining the very solution the recycling process is meant to provide.

IV. Conclusion：The Hidden Truth — A Marketing Ploy

The core of Greenwashing is to leverage human intuitive association to achieve the goal of misleading consumers.

1. Pollution from raw material production ：Manufacturers only emphasize the plant origin of the raw materials while avoiding any discussion of the chemical pollution generated during their industrial production process.
2. The ratio of plant fiber to plastic ：Some products claim to contain plant fibers but deliberately avoid mentioning the true ratio of the plastic components, leading consumers to mistakenly believe the product is purely natural and additive-free.
3. The Undegradable Truth ：The vague term “degradable” hides the fact that the product only decomposes in industrial composting.
4. Misleading Marketing Tactics Through Terminology ：This is the most critical propaganda trap. Manufacturers utilize words like "natural", "biodegradability" to lead consumers to believe that these products are harmless and can return directly to nature. However, the fact is biodegradable plastic is still plastic.

如何辨別真正的永續替代品

在綠色環保迷思充斥的時代，我們需要重新定義永續。真正的永續產品，必須經得起全生命週期的檢視，從原料、製程到最終處理，都對環境友善。

下次當你面對這些塑膠替代品時，可以試著問自己幾個問題：

• 成分是否公開透明？
• 它真的能回歸自然嗎？
• 它是否需要特殊的處理才能分解？

選擇"grass straw" 這純天然、無化學添加，並能自然分解的產品，是跳脫一次性思維的有效方式。這不僅是個人的環保習慣，更是對品牌真實永續承諾的投票。

我們的蒲草吸管，不只經得起化學與環境的雙重檢視，更是一個能為地球創造正面價值的解決方案。它能吸收空氣中的碳，幫助生態環境，並透過公平的收購，支持農村經濟再生。這一切都清清楚楚地寫在我們的報告中。它不僅是環保，更是實質的「利他」選擇。