"100% Biodegradable" Straws? 76 Out of 80 Manufacturers Receive Correction Orders

Consumer Agency's Survey on Biodegradable Product Advertising Practices and Awareness
All Surveyed Products Recommended for Correction Due to Misleading Advertising

As social interest in eco-friendly consumption has recently increased, the number of consumers purchasing biodegradable products is rising; however, a survey revealed that inaccurate information related to these products requires caution.

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 3rd that after investigating the advertising practices and consumer perceptions of biodegradable products, all 80 products surveyed provided inaccurate environmental information. The agency recommended corrective actions to the manufacturers and sellers of these products.

Eco-friendly paper straw (photo unrelated to the article content)

Biodegradable products refer to plastics that are completely decomposed into water and carbon dioxide by microorganisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, or decomposition enzymes under certain conditions. Major products include food waste sink strainers, plastic bags, pet waste bags, and straws.

The notification on the management system for environmental labeling and advertising prohibits the use of broad environmental terms or expressions without objective and scientific evidence that could mislead consumers. However, all biodegradable products surveyed either advertised in a way that could mislead consumers or did not present test reports or certificates on their sales pages.

Regarding types of false advertising, 54 products used expressions such as "naturally biodegradable," "100% biodegradable," or claimed "oxidative biodegradation" as biodegradation, despite being certified only for decomposition in separate composting facilities. Seven products advertised incorrect disposal methods, such as "can be disposed of with food waste." Additionally, 41 products did not provide scientific evidence such as test reports or certificates on their sales pages. Among the 80 manufacturers of biodegradable products, 76 responded to the Korea Consumer Agency’s corrective recommendations with plans to improve their misleading advertisements.

Meanwhile, a survey of 500 consumers conducted by the Korea Consumer Agency found that 431 respondents (86.2%) recognized biodegradable products as helpful in solving environmental problems. Among these 431 respondents, 380 (88.2%) expressed willingness to purchase biodegradable products, and 342 (79.3%) said they would buy biodegradable products even if they had to pay more than for regular products. On the other hand, 74.6% of survey participants pointed out that information about the characteristics of biodegradable products and disposal methods after use is insufficient.

In South Korea, biodegradable certification is granted only to products that do not decompose naturally in the environment but decompose in composting facilities with specific conditions. However, there is no system in place to separately collect used biodegradable products for composting, so they must be disposed of as general waste in volume-based waste bags.

The Korea Consumer Agency plans to share the survey results with relevant government departments and request strengthened monitoring of biodegradable products distributed in the market, as well as enhanced promotion of the environmental labeling and advertising system for manufacturers and sellers of biodegradable products. The agency also urges consumers to check for the environmental label certification mark (EL724) and related test reports or certificates when purchasing biodegradable products, and to dispose of used biodegradable products as general waste in volume-based waste bags.