Degradable plastics strengthen: improved technologies enter a growth niche. (Green Chemicals)

Since the Federal Trade Commission fined Mobil Chemical for labeling its garbage bags as biodegradable--they do not break down in sanitary landfills, where much of the product ended up--the industry has stepped back from general environmental claims.

Nonetheless, the degradable market has found a growth niche within the plastics industry, says the Society for the Plastics Industry's Degradable Plastics Council (Washington). Some of the factors that keep the sector growing are the demand for compost bags, flatware, and coated cups and plates that degrade in compost heaps and laws that require degradable six-pack rings that do not harm wildlife. North …