A few decades ago, when it was already noticeable that more and more plastic waste was appearing as litter in nature, the plastics industry developed "biodegradable" plastics. It cost quite a lot of money to build up their production capacity. Recently, the EU has banned the use of biodegradable or compostable plastics in a new directive to restrict single-use plastic products. Manufacturers are now feverishly looking for applications in which to sell their products.