SIRC – Media Watch 22-10-99
Green Card
The BBC, on September 28 reported that Monsanto had successfully managed to manufacture biodegradable plastics from genetically modified cress and rape crops but this too was seen by some as a method of ingratiating the press. The ubiquitous argument that genes from the novel crops may spread to other non-GM sites was once again utilised to denounce this development. Would they have us believe that the hedgerows of rural Britain may suddenly sprout a range of pastel tuppaware? The abstract of the research, published in Nature Biotechnology, says: "Money may not grow on trees, but one day plastic credit cards just might." Manufactured from this material, Greenpeace's own card really could be eco-friendly. Imagine, one day the expiry date may actually coincide with the card's biodegradation. Yves Poirer of the University of Lausanne, commenting on the research said: "There is a growing awareness that petroleum is a finite resource and that the indestructibility of plastics can be more of a nuisance than a benefit." Dismissing this work on the basis of it being simply a PR exercise is surely denouncing a technology that may address issues close to the heart of any environmentalist.
