~ A three-part Bikey Wipes article series ~

Wet wipes have long been used as a convenient and high-quality alternative to the household staple- the paper towel. In the cycling industry, market research has found that baby wipes are used commonly for cleaning bicycles for ease, convenience, and a misplaced trust in the waste management system for biodegradable wipes. To mass produce these products, wet wipes often contain microplastics, harsh chemicals and can cause serious management & waste complications in landfills.

However, how do we truly know whether wet wipes are good for your bike and good for the planet? Aren’t ‘biodegradable’ wipes a sustainable and ethical choice? What difference do compostable wipes make in comparison?

To answer these questions, we will explore the following topics in a three-part series:

The need-to-knows and definitions of terms commonly used in the cycling industry for sustainable products
The misconceptions of labelling products as biodegradable and the differences in post-consumer life cycle compared to compostable wipes
The negatives of trusting companies which use ‘green marketing’ tactics for biodegradable wipes and its variation, flushable wipes, and how this fares with the life cycle of compostable wipes

This first article explores the myths of the term ‘biodegradable’ and other commonly used terms seen in product marketing, including our own.

It has long been known that all natural things will once again return to the Earth as primary elements. Whilst this is true for the most part, there are multiple factors which prevents products and items from being completely reabsorbed by Nature. Unfortunately, this principle has been falsely applied to the term ‘biodegradable’ for all marketed products across e-commerce, fashion, cleaning, food, retail, sports and various other industries.

For many years now the term ‘biodegradable’ has been used haphazardly and at times, interchangeably with ‘sustainable’, ‘environmentally friendly’, ‘natural’, ‘eco-conscious’, or even ‘compostable’. Consumers have been manipulated to accept that ‘biodegradable’ can mean the same as any or all the aforementioned terms, and despite the materials of the product in question, stamping the term on a product and its packaging has cemented the belief that it is an item that no longer harms the Earth post-consumer.

But what does it mean when a product is marketed as ‘biodegradable’?
Are such products contributing to pollution post-consumer in any shape or form?
Critically, why should consumers care whether a product is biodegradable or compostable – what difference does it make?

Firstly, we need to be clear on a few definitions:

Means an item, product or substance that is composed of organic and/or natural materials which can be broken down by living organisms over a period of time back into the natural environment. Organisms which can break down materials can be bacteria, fungi, water or other microorganisms and reverts materials into water, minerals, carbon dioxides and other gases. Natural materials can be wood, polymer, paper, cardboard or cotton.

By this definition, most materials on Earth, even bioplastic, can be considered as biodegradable, even bioplastics. In this case however, there are distinctions of bioplastics and the specific conditions required for it to biodegrade.

Wipes which typically are composed of biological cellulose-based fibres and low-degradable synthetic fibres (1). Common materials for biodegradable wipes are cotton, wood pulp, viscose rayson or bamboo.

These wipes break down into smaller components, however depending on the material composition, the disposal site and other external variables, biodegradable wipes can take anywhere from 30, 90 days or 100+ days to break down (2).

Refers to materials that are natural and typically organic or contains no harsh chemicals and preservatives. Compostable materials are those that not only naturally decompose under controlled conditions but contribute valuable nutrients to the soil during this process. Materials are usually split as 'greens' or 'browns', where the former consists of fruits, vegetables, eggshells, grass clippings or coffee grounds. Whereas the latter typically consists of dry leaves, plant twigs, shredded non-glossy plain paper, shredded cardboard, untreated wood chips.

**It is important to note that all compostable materials are biodegradable however** **all biodegradable materials are not compostable.**

Composting is the aerobic (oxygen-required) process by which organic and natural, chemical-free materials are decomposed in controlled conditions in an appropriately sized container or space (3). It can be processed at home or at municipal or agricultural (industrial) scales. Materials and organic matter in a compost pile/container are decomposed by way of human intervention and the addition of appropriate levels of green or brown materials, as well as timed actions to aerate (turn over) the compost pile (3).

Composting is the sped-up, human-controlled version of biodegradation which ensures that there is a closed-loop (no waste) system. It is also a reliable form of carbon sequestration.

From these definitions it can be said that wet wipes which are marketed and sold as biodegradable are not able to fully decompose unlike compostable wipes. As ‘biodegradable’ is not interchangeable with ‘compostable’, regardless of whether waste is managed at the home or at an industrial level, the possibility of biodegradable wipes fully breaking down compared to its compostable alternative is timely, costly and at times, uncertain.

The ambiguity around the post-consumer life cycle of biodegradable wipes is used by businesses to manipulate customers’ trust and their limited understanding of industry knowledge in waste management, circularity, and sustainable practice. The term itself refers to very broad processes in waste and post-consumer steps; it is therefore “ripe for misunderstanding and corporate greenwashing” (4).

But how can the everyday customer avoid falling into greenwashing and marketing tactics for items that are common, like wet wipes?

Understanding the differences between ‘biodegradable’, ‘compostable’ and ‘composting’ is the start of grasping the sustainability landscape of cleaning goods – in our case, wet wipes – and how aspects of the market has been cleverly manipulated by corporates and businesses which rely on consumer complacency. In the cycling world and indeed for many other industries, the more informed the customer, the more empowered and knowledgeable they are to make informed decisions of their purchases, and that too to a standard that transcends the manufactured reality of ethical consumption.
As a company that is committed to sharing knowledge and being transparent with our sustainability practices, we will be exploring the full scope of biodegradable greenwashing and the benefits of composting through a three-part article series. The next article (part 2) will explore the differences between biodegradable and compostable wipes across its full life cycle.

List of references:

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969723035350

2. https://trugrade.com.au/biodegradable-vs-compostable/

3. https://www.britannica.com/technology/biodegradability

4. https://www.zerowaste.com/blog/biodegradable-vs-compostable-whats-the-difference/