During a workshop held at Asharqia Chamber, it has been decided that
the Application of the Technical Regulation for Degradable Plastic Products starts Next April
SASO has set mid-April as the start date for the application of the technical regulation for degradable plastic products, for importers and all national factories. The regulation includes (16) products; mail bags, deposit bags and post parcels, in addition to bags used in packaging bread, nuts and sweets.
Director General of SASO's Eastern Province, Mr. Tamis Al-Hammadi, said during an awareness workshop, organized by SASO and entitled "The Technical Regulation for Degradable Plastic Products", in cooperation with Asharqia Chamber Wed. 25th of Jan. 2017, "technical regulations help in facilitating market survey procedures by defining conformity assessment procedures which suppliers must adhere to, in order to ensure the conformity of these products". He also pointed out that the regulation aims to define the powers and responsibilities of relevant authorities, which is necessary for the safety of these products.
Furthermore, he assured SASO's keenness on setting an appropriate period before entering the compulsory implementation phase of the technical regulation, in order to give a chance for SASO and the concerned authorities to review the regulation's requirements in a comprehensive manner. He also stressed on the need for the effective application of the regulation, its requirements and conditions. He pointed that plastic products have high risks, as they are directly associated with the health and safety of the consumer. He added, SASO intends to apply an integrated approach to conformity procedures within a comprehensive program for products' safety, in order to activate control procedures on all products available for consumers.
Moreover, he pointed the absence of technical obstacles in the process of introducing substances that help in degrading plastic products, assuring that such substances are being produced in factories. He also believed that limiting the license, at the beginning of the application, to use the logo on plastic products to one year is to prevent logo forging and to allow SASO to develop the logo through adding electronic codes. He also mentioned the possibility of increasing license validity period after controlling the market.
Quality Consultant at SASO and Executive Manager of the Program of Plastic Products and Box Recycling at the High Commission for the Development of Riyadh, Ms. Ghadah Alkulaib, explained that plastic waste has a long-term impact on the environment, as its decomposition takes hundreds of years. She added, the difficulty of collecting and recycling plastics has exacerbated the size of the problem, noting the high percentage of plastic products' consumption per Saudi individual, which greatly exceeds the consumption rate of individuals internationally, due to availability and low cost.
Ms. Ghadah added, the process of adding a decomposing substance is not expensive. She further clarified, the percentage of the chemical substance used in degradable plastics does not exceed 1%-2% per ton, noting that the process of adding the substance does not require change in production lines. She assured that decomposition takes over (6) months, while it does not affect other products that are not exposed to heat or other environmental conditions, if stored well.
Furthermore, she pointed out that SASO has developed a standard specifically for the substance used in decomposing plastic products, stressing on the permission to import these products once they pass required tests, including (toxicity), in approved national or international laboratories.
Director General of Conformity Verification General Department at SASO, Eng. Abdulaziz Ibrahim Al-Honaihin, said: "the regulation aims to identify the environmental requirements of degradable plastic products, which are within the scope of this regulation, to preserve the environment, consumer and animals health, in addition to facilitate market survey procedures", stressing that meeting the requirements of this regulation does not mean neglecting other technical regulations concerned with the safety of the product.
He added, "the regulation prohibits producing, importing offering or even advertising products non-conforming with this regulation". In addition, he pointed that if a product does not conform with the requirements of the regulation, this will be a sufficient reason for market survey authorities and regulators to judge this product as non-conforming, which may pose a threat to the consumer's health and safety and to the environment. Non conformity includes; incorrect installation of the logo, unavailability or incompleteness of technical documentation and unavailability or incompleteness of explanatory data or usage instructions. Moreover, he said that the fees of logo registration and application review are clearly stated in the regulation.