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21 March 2023

SYMPHONY ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES PLC

("Symphony," the "Company" or the "Group")

EU Court Hearing

The case brought by Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc against the Commission, Parliament, and Council of the European Union was heard on 20 March 2023 in the General Court of the EU in Luxembourg.  Symphony's case is that Art. 5 of the Single-use plastics Directive 2019/904 is unlawful and is claiming for losses and reputational damage.

Symphony is represented by Josh Holmes KC and Jack Williams, Barristers from Monckton Chambers, the leading specialists in EU law.

Symphony does not accept that Article 5 applies to its technology, but the confusion caused worldwide by the wording of the legislation is obstructing the adoption of the technology.  For every day it remains in force Symphony suffers loss, but more important, ordinary plastic continues to be used, and thousands of tons of it are getting into the open environment, where it will persist for 50 years or more.

The Court hearing was heard by five judges, including the President of the Court. A written judgment will be delivered in due course, which the Company's legal advisers estimate could be 12 to 15 months after the hearing, and without prior notice.  

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc

www.symphonyenvironmental.com     

d2w- Symphony has developed and continues to develop, a biodegradable plastic technology which helps tackle the problem of microplastics by turning ordinary plastic at the end of its service-life into biodegradable materials.

See https://www.symphonyenvironmental.com/additives/biodegradable-plastic/

It is then no longer a plastic and can be bioassimilated in the open environment in a similar way to a leaf. 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 before it degraded. In some countries in the Middle East this type of biodegradable plastic is mandatory.

d₂p- The Group has also developed a range of additives, concentrates and masterbatches 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 give them 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. The Group has also launched d₂p anti-microbial gloves, facemasks, and toothbrushes and is developing a range of other d₂p finished products for retail sale.

The Group has a diverse and growing customer-base and has established itself as an international business with 74 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 Biodegradable Plastics Association (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.