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.
Furthermore. it does not create microplastics,
see 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.
