Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment the Government has made of the potential benefits of options for sustainable alternatives to non-plastic polymers.

We have conducted reviews into plant or fungi-based plastic alternatives to fossil derived plastics and bio-based (plant derived) plastics. These reviews identified several potential issues with such alternatives from a sustainability perspective, including issues with land use, nutrients and water.

Further research is required to demonstrate bio-based plastics lead to a better environmental outcome overall when compared to conventional plastics across a whole life cycle.