26 September 2023

SYMPHONY ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES PLC

("Symphony" or the "Group")

Yemen Enforces Oxo-Biodegradable Plastic Law

Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc (AIM:SYM), the global specialists in technologies that make plastic and rubber products smarter, safer and more sustainable, is pleased to announce that the Republic of Yemen has commenced the enforcement of legislation that was passed in 2010 but delayed due to the civil war.

We are advised by our local representatives that this announcement was made on the 13^th September by the Standards Authority, Ministry of Industry, Customs Department, Ministry of Health and other Yemen authorities. Manufacturers were informed by the Environment Authority that with immediate effect they will only be allowed to produce oxo-biodegradable plastic bags only and their operating license will not be renewed if they are found to be non-compliant. The customs authorities will ensure that only oxo-biodegradable bags are imported, and letters have been issued to commercial banks, shopping malls and other commercial enterprises, warning them not to purchase or use non-oxo-biodegradable plastic bags. A team of inspectors will be deployed to ensure compliance by all the relevant parties, and they will be using Symphony's d2detector in this effort.

The National TV channel recently broadcast the announcement, which was made by Abdul Malik A Gazali, President of the Yemen Environmental Authority, at a conference which was attended by 220 manufacturers, environmental and standards authorities. A recording of the broadcast can be found at d2w update in Yemen - YouTube.

In summary the legislation bans all non-biodegradable plastic bags and requires the immediate use of oxo-biodegradable plastic in accordance with an industry standard based on ASTM-6954, which has also been adopted by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and the UAE.

The plastic market in Yemen is estimated at 4 million tons of polymers and there are about 500 manufacturers.

Michael Laurier, CEO, Symphony, commented:

"This is a very positive step forward for our d2w biodegradable plastic technology in one of the largest plastic producing and consuming areas in the Middle East. It builds on a continual process of change throughout the region towards plastic products that are scientifically proven to be better for the environment than ordinary plastics or other alternative materials. Plastic products made with d2w have the lowest Co2 emissions and environmental impact of all the current alternatives and we believe that the adoption of our type of low cost, non-disruptive technology will continue to build globally."

Yasser Nasser, Managing Director of Ahmed Plastic Factory (Symphony's distributor in Yemen) commented:

"We welcomed this new and very positive development, and our local team are working closely with government and the industry to support and implement this important and large initiative. This will bring a much-need benefit to the environment of our country, as plastic which escapes into the environment will no longer create microplastics and lie or float around for decades.

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About Symphony Environmental Technologies plc

www.symphonyenvironmental.com

Symphony has developed a range of additives, concentrates and master-batches marketed under its d₂p® ("designed to protect") trademark, which can be incorporated in a wide variety of plastic and non-plastic products so as to provide protection against many different types of bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae, moulds, and insects, and against fire.  d₂p products also include odour, moisture and ethylene adsorbers as well as other types of food-preserving technologies. For an overview see www.d2p.net   Symphony has launched d₂p anti-microbial household gloves and toothbrushes and "Symfresh" food-packaging and is developing a range of other d₂p finished-products for retail sale.

Symphony has also developed a biodegradable plastic technology which addresses the problem of persistent microplastics, by turning ordinary plastic at the end of its service-life into a waxy substance which is biodegradable. It is then no longer a plastic and can be bioassimilated in the open environment in a similar way to a leaf without leaving microplastics behind. The technology is branded d₂w® and appears as a droplet logo on many thousands of tonnes of plastic packaging and other plastic products around the world, much of which has been recycled. In some countries, most recently Saudi Arabia, oxo-biodegradable plastic is mandatory for short-life plastic products.

d₂w technology was studied for three years in the Oxomar project, sponsored by the French government, which concluded that plastic made with Symphony's d₂w oxo-biodegradable technology will biodegrade in seawater significantly more efficiently than conventional plastic. See https://www.biodeg.org/subjects-of-interest/agriculture-and-horticulture/the-marine-environment/ 

Following this report, the scientists allowed bacteria commonly found in the open environment access to d₂w oxo-biodegradable plastic containing Carbon 13.  They found Carbon 13 in the carbon dioxide exhaled by the bacteria, proving beyond doubt that the plastic had been bioassimilated by the bacteria.

Symphony has complemented its d₂w and d₂p product ranges with d₂c "compostable resins and products" that have been tested to US and EU composting standards and has invested in Eranova - a French company extracting starch for making plastics, out of algae.

Symphony has also developed the d₂Detector®, a portable device which analyses plastics and detects counterfeit products.  This is useful for government officials tasked with enforcing legislation, and Symphony's d₂t tagging and tracer technology is available for further security.

Symphony has a diverse and growing customer-base and has established itself as an international business with over 70 distributors around the world. Products made with Symphony's plastic technologies are now available in nearly 100 countries and in many different product applications. Symphony itself is accredited to ISO9001 and ISO14001.

Symphony is a member of The BPA (www.biodeg.org) and actively participates in the Committee work of the British Standards Institute (BSI), the American Standards Organisation (ASTM), the European Standards Organisation (CEN), and the International Standards Organisation (ISO).

Further information on the Group can be found at www.symphonyenvironmental.com and twitter @SymphonyEnv   See also Symphony on Instagram. A Symphony App is available for downloading to smartphones.