Spending More For 'Greener' Degradable Products Is Not Helping The Environment

A reminder has been issued by sustainability experts that consumers should be careful of packaging when trying to make greener choices at the check-out.

While a lot of focus on this topic has concerned the use of reusable plastic bags, another issue has come to light concerning labelling on 'green' products.

RMIT's sustainability expert Simon Lockrey has said it's important for consumers to know the difference between degradable products and biodegradable products.

"Degradable means it will degrade, but not necessarily in a natural way," he said.

"Biodegradable refers to something breaking down to become a part of the natural system."

While this may seem like a minor distinction, it becomes a big issue when companies are ramping up their prices for 'environmentally friendly' options that turn out to still be harmful for the environment.

This is because while degradable products do break down to a certain extent, they only form tiny plastic particles which will still be around long after we are gone.

This is in stark comparison to biodegradable products, which break down into the environment.