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Rogers Family Company has developed a single-serve coffee product that it says is 97 percent biodegradable.

A successful campaign led by chef-turned-activist Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall drew attention to a big problem: In the UK, less than 6 million takeaway hot beverage cups are recycled each year, while 7 million are thrown out each day. The attention led to an increased discount for Starbucks customers who bring their own coffee cups, as well as a call from a British natural plastics manufacturer for an increased focus on bio-based and biodegradable materials. 

Baby products company gDiapers has made false or misleading claims about how its diapers and wipes decompose, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The US Federal Trade Commission has taken action against six companies - ECM Biofilms, American Plastic Manufacturing, Champ, Clear Choice Housewares, Carnie Cap and AJM Packaging - for making false environmental marketing claims.

The organizations cite research undertaken by universities, government agencies, laboratories, plastic trade associations and NGOs that have concluded oxo-degradable plastics are not suited for long-term reuse, recycling or composting. Instead, evidence has shown that these plastics often fragment into small pieces often not visible to the naked eye; those microplastic particles in turn often end up in both soil and oceans.

Emerging evidence suggests oxo-degradable packaging could be more harmful than previously realized.

The ocean's value has been estimated as high as $24 trillion, yet despite its inherent connections to the health and well-being of wildlife, humans, and the global economy, it continues to be overexploited and polluted. Plastic pollution and shark killing are two major problems that could be - at least in part - alleviated by new materials: a seaweed-based biodegradable plastic packaging, and a sugarcane-based alternative to a widely used moisturizer normally derived from shark liver oil.

Walmart has agreed to pay $1 million to settle greenwashing claims that allege the nation's largest retailer sold plastic products that were misleadingly labeled "biodegradable" or "compostable" in violation of California law.

Bio-Tec Environmental has patented a method of creating a layered polymeric plastic or composite. The biodegradable-plastics company has been granted US Patent 8,222,316 and foreign equivalents for this process. Products that combine the patented method with Bio-Tec's patent-pending formulations are under development, the company says.

Italian company Bio-on developed a new bioplastic that is intended to reduce the environmental impact of e-waste from smart phones, computers, and other devices. The substance serves as a platform for electronic circuits and is 100% biodegradable.

UK specialty paper and advanced materials manufacturer James Cropper PLC has unveiled a sustainable alternative to plastic that the company says can carry the weight of an adult and be composted within 100 days. Developed in partnership with Södra, a Swedish forestry cooperative, DuraPulp is a bio-composite material that can be suitable for a variety of applications.

Even if you try to avoid buying plastics, you might be surprised to find it lurks in many common food and beverage containers, including tin cans, disposable coffee cups and even tea bags. On Wednesday, however, the environmental group A Plastic Planet debuted the world's first "Plastic Free Trust Mark" to help shoppers know that their products are packaged entirely without the non-biodegradable material, which harms marine life and has entered the larger food chain.