http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/oct/31/biodegradable-plastic-oxodegradable-bags-bioplastic-ftc-warning

Feds warn plastic bag makers over misleading biodegradable claim

The FTC has warned 15 ?bio-friendly? plastic bag companies over
deceptive advertising ? but will it have any impact on the dubious
disposable plastics industry?

Greg Harman
Friday 31 October 2014 14.23 GMT

?Eco-friendly.? ?All natural.? ?Biodegradable.?

Store aisles are littered with nebulous descriptors of vague
environmental claims. Increasingly, however, the US Federal Trade
Commission is asking these companies to show the science behind their
adjectives ? or keep mum.

After launching detailed recommendations for environmental marketing in
2010, the FTC brought a raft of enforcement actions against plastic and
paper companies last year, alleging deceptive marketing in the use of
the term ?biodegradable?.

Last month, the FTC sent warning letters to 15 additional marketers,
informing them that their claims ?may be deceptive?. The FTC also
requested ?competent and reliable scientific evidence proving that their
bags will biodegrade as advertised?. This time, the term of offense is
?oxodegradable?, implying the bag will break down in time when exposed
to oxygen.