In Italy, boating tape company, PROtect, developed a new range of stickers called “PROtect BOW #” for bow number and advertising made of bioplastic films that use renewable resources to reduce environmental impact. At the end of the racing series the sticker removed from the boat can be disposed with the organic waste because made of biodegradable and compostable materials.
According to PROtect, in typical races, some stickers peel off from the hull but if PROtect stickers do come off into the water, then damage to the marine ecosystem is minimized because it rapidly biodegrades in the water. Samples were exposed to marine sediments taken from the coastal area and the biodegradation was followed by monitoring the metabolization carried out by bacteria that “digest” the bioplastic and the biodegradation have been achieved relatively quickly, less than 1 year.
In particular, the biodegradation of the materials tested was more than 90% absolute or relative to a reference material, such as cellulose.
Bioplastic films are suggested for 7/10 days events while for shorter event they recommend stickers made of special paper deriving from sugar cane residue.