New distributor launch held in Jordan

25 September 2018

SYMPHONY ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES PLC

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

New distributor launch held in Jordan attended by a director from the Ministry for the Environment

Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc (AIM: SYM), a global specialist in products and technologies that "make plastic smarter", is pleased to announce the launch of a new distributor in Jordan, EVA Plastic Industries ("EVA").  

EVA is an affiliated company to the Sughayer Group, who specialise in supplying raw materials and additives to the plastics industry in Jordan, Iraq, the Palestinian Authority and Ethiopia.

EVA are licensed to supply d₂w oxo-biodegradable masterbatches in Jordan, and join Symphony's network of distributors in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Lebanon and Egypt, strengthening Symphony's presence in the Middle East.

Michael Laurier, CEO of Symphony Environmental said:

"Symphony's oxo-biodegradable plastic technology aligns with the priorities of the Jordanian government for green economic growth and their circular-economy principles.  As such, we are delighted to announce that we are now working with our new distributor, EVA, to deliver our technology on the ground in Jordan.

"Oxo-biodegradable plastic can be recycled if collected, but if it ends up in the open environment as litter it will degrade much more quickly than ordinary plastic, and will then biodegrade i.e. become a food source for bacteria and fungi who recycle it back into nature."

Symphony's CEO attended the EVA launch that was held on 23 September 2018 and supported by of Dr Mohammed Khashashneh, a director from the Ministry of Environment, who represented Mr Nayef Al Fayez, the Minister for the Environment. Under the Minister's patronage, Jordan has made waste-management and protection of the marine environment a national priority, passing legislation to ensure that single-use plastic bags are made with oxo-biodegradable technology. EVA believe that this legislation should be extended in a similar way to legislation in Saudi Arabia to include other plastic products such as shrink-wrap, pallet-wrap and drinking straws.

At the EVA launch, Dr Mohammed Khashashneh explained that Jordan creates more than 2 million tons of waste, of which 17.5% is plastic. During his speech he confirmed that the Government will be upgrading the enforcement program on plastics and upgrading the qualification of additive suppliers. The event was attended by CEOs from some of the largest plastic producers in Jordan and beyond.

12 countries including Jordan now have a law requiring plastics to be oxo-biodegradable. Countries of the Middle East are leading the way in dealing with plastic waste which has escaped into the open environment and cannot realistically be collected for recycling (which European countries and the US are more focused). The countries of the Middle East do not want to ban plastic, which is essential for everyday living, but they do not want to leave it as a problem for future generations.

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Symphony Environmental Technologies plc

Symphony has developed and continues to develop, controlled-life plastic technology which helps tackle the problem of microplastics by turning ordinary plastic at the end of its service-life into biodegradable materials. It is then no longer a plastic and can be bioassimilated in the open environment. 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. In some countries, most recently Saudi Arabia, oxo-biodegradable plastic is mandatory. 

In addition, Symphony has developed a range of additives, concentrates and master-batches marketed under its d2p® brand, 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, 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. We have also launched d2p anti-microbial household gloves and are developing a range of other d2p finished products for retail sale.

Symphony has also developed the d2Detector®, a portable device which analyses plastics and detects counterfeit products.  This is useful to 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 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 Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association (www.biodeg.org) (OPA), the Society for the Chemical Industry (UK), and the Pacific Basin Environmental Council. Symphony is also a strategic partner of the Commonwealth business initiative, 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 Symphony 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.

BBC World Service film introducing d2w oxo-biodegradable (controlled-life) plastic technology 

From within the UK- http://www.symphonyenvironmental.com/d2w/d2w-brochure-5/

From outside of the UK - http://www.bbc.com/storyworks/the-british-bid/symphony