RCS - Symphony Environment - Ruling on Biodegradable Plastic Legislation

Symphony Environmental TechnologiesAnnouncement

03/03/2025 07:15

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RNS Number : 9983Y  Symphony Environmental Tech. PLC  03 March 2025

This is a Reach announcement and the information contained is not considered
to be material or to have a significant impact on management's expectations of
the Company's performance.

3 March 2025

Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc

("Symphony", the "Company" or the "Group")

Landmark Ruling on Biodegradable Plastic Legislation

Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc (AIM:SYM), the global specialists in
technologies that make plastic and rubber products smarter, safer, and more
sustainable, is pleased to announce a historic decision by the Supreme Federal
Court ("STF") of Brazil, which upheld Complementary Law 233/2008. This
landmark ruling mandates the use of reusable or biodegradable plastic bags in
commercial establishments in the City of Piracicaba, marking a significant
victory for environmental sustainability and municipal legislative autonomy.

Key Highlights:

1.    STF Ruling:

o   The STF's ruling confirms the validity of Complementary Law 233/2008,
which requires the use of reusable, biodegradable or oxo-biodegradable plastic
bags in the City of Piracicaba (population 440,000).

o   This ruling has national implications, confirming the validity of
similar laws across Brazil.

2.    Background and Legislative Journey:

o   The law was initially challenged by the São Paulo State Plastic
Material Industry Union and held unconstitutional by the São Paulo Court of
Justice (TJ-SP) in 2011.

o   The STF's ruling on Extraordinary Appeal 732.686 reversed this decision,
affirming the law's validity, and emphasising the legislative authority of
municipalities on local environmental matters.

3.    Implementation and Compliance:

o   Following the STF's directive, the São Paulo Court of Justice granted a
12-month compliance period, which expired on 21 February 2025.

4.    Environmental Impact:

o   The law mandates the use of reusable, biodegradable, or
oxo-biodegradable bags in commercial establishments, promoting sustainable
practices and environmental preservation. The fact that it mandates
oxo-biodegradable bags is particularly important, because the main problem
with plastic is that it creates microplastics and can lie or float around for
decades. Oxo-biodegradability solves this problem because it enables the bags
to safely biodegrade much more quickly if they escape into the open
environment.  See
www.biodeg.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/BPA-Position-paper-1.12.24.pdf
(http://www.biodeg.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/BPA-Position-paper-1.12.24.pdf)
. Furthermore. it does not create microplastics, see
https://www.biodeg.org/subjects-of-interest/microplastics/
(https://www.biodeg.org/subjects-of-interest/microplastics/) .

The President of the Piracicaba City Council, stated: "This victory reinforces
the role of cities in protecting the environment and promoting sustainable
practices, while respecting the federative principle enshrined in Brazil's
Constitution."

Michael Laurier, CEO of Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc, commented:
"We are thrilled by the Supreme Federal Court's decision. This landmark ruling
is a significant victory for the environment and underscores the importance of
sustainable practices. We believe this decision will open up new opportunities
for our d2w oxo-biodegradable plastic technology, as it aligns perfectly with
the growing demand for practical answer. Symphony Environmental is committed
to providing innovative technologies that make plastic and rubber products
smarter, safer, and more sustainable. This ruling not only supports our
efforts but also paves the way for wider adoption of our eco-friendly
solutions across Brazil and beyond.

Brazil is a major economy and consumes more than 7.5 million tonnes of plastic
(5 times more than Saudi) and faces significant challenges with plastic waste
management, generating 10.68 million tonnes of waste annually and recycling
only 1.28%. This makes d2w oxo-biodegradable plastic technology an obvious
answer, being low cost and non-disruptive to the supply chain."

 

Enquiries:

Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc  +44 (0) 20 8207 5900

Michael Laurier, CEO

Ian Bristow, CFO

www.symphonyenvironmental.com

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc

www.symphonyenvironmental.com

SYMPHONY'S BUSINESS

Symphony has a diverse and growing customer-base and has established itself as
an international business with over 70 distributors around the world. Products
made with Symphony's plastic technologies are now available in nearly 100
countries and in many different product applications. Symphony itself is
accredited to ISO9001 and ISO14001.

Symphony is a founder-member of The BPA (www.biodeg.org) and participates in
the Committee work of the British Standards Institute (BSI), the American
Standards Organisation (ASTM), the European Standards Organisation (CEN), and
the International Standards Organisation (ISO).

Further information on the Group can be found @SymphonyEnv See also Symphony
on Instagram. A Symphony App is available for downloading to smartphones.

D2W TECHNOLOGY

Symphony has developed over 25 years a biodegradable plastic technology which
addresses the problem of persistent microplastics, by turning ordinary plastic
at the end of its service-life into a waxy substance which is biodegradable.
It is then no longer a plastic and can be bioassimilated in the open
environment in a similar way to a leaf without leaving microplastics behind.
The technology is branded d2w® and appears as a droplet logo on many
thousands of tonnes of plastic packaging and other plastic products around the
world, much of which has been recycled. In some countries, oxo-biodegradable
plastic is mandatory for short-life plastic products.

D2P TECHNOLOGY

Symphony has also developed practical and cost-effective ways to upgrade
plastic products to provide protection against bacteria, viruses, fungi,
insects, odours and fire.  See www.d2p.net.

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