Delayed Biodegradability

The UK government has committed to planting 1.5billion trees by 2050 in order to meet ambitious Net Zero targets. The majority of this planting will be funded by the UK taxpayer and undertaken by organisations such as Forestry England, Woodlands Scotland and the Woodland Trust.

Currently plastic treeshelters are used to protect the tree for the first five years of its life. Without the shelter 70% of trees are likely to die before they can mature. The shelter requires to protect the tree for five years, before it is removed, collected and disposed of. While plastic treeshelters are relatively cheap (£1/unit), the collection can cost as much as £2, leading to a lifecycle cost of £3\.

Many companies have developed biodegradable alternatives, however in order to gain biodegradable certification they must degrade within 90 days of being placed in their intented environment. As a result, the shelters degrade far too quickly, leading to premauture failure and lower tree yields. There is not currently a route to certification for "delayed biodegradability"

This project brings together NexGen, who have developed a treeshelter which is designed to start degrading after 5 years before biodegrading into the forestry environment. The product is patent and feasibility testing shows it is biodegradable. The Sustainable Certifications Group will work with NexGen and Impact Solutions to develop and write a new certifications scheme, with Impact providing the technical evidence pack to allow the scheme to be ISO17065 accredited and gain international recognition.

As a result of this project NexGen, and others, will be able to prove their biodegradable claims in a forestry environment, and allowing the UK taxpayer to save \>£1billion in collection and disposal costs over the next 30 years.