[EvaH (OP)]

Ranjith asks:

If we know the quantity of and length of time materials biodegrade in everyday products should they be taxed accordingly?
Wouldn't this encourage develop investment into more biodegradable materials?
Perhaps this would make the UK more of a world leader in such tech, and so would profitable in the medium to long term?

What do you think?

[alancalverd]

The most biodegradable stuff is food, most of which is not taxed, and paper, which is not taxed if printed.

The problem with widespread use of biodegradables is that they degrade. If your computer fell to bits in a year, you'd have to make another one, thus wasting energy and materials.  Cotton, wool and leather are compostable, so comfortable everyday clothing is OK, but I wouldn't be happy with a wet suit or a hard hat that couldn't be trusted in the sun and rain. 

I'd prefer to encourage longevity and recyclability.

[Petrochemicals]

Ranjith asks:

If we know the quantity of and length of time materials biodegrade in everyday products should they be taxed accordingly?
Wouldn't this encourage develop investment into more biodegradable materials?
Perhaps this would make the UK more of a world leader in such tech, and so would profitable in the medium to long term?

What do you think?

It's an idea  but it not redress the balance between the cost of glass and metal and plastic cellophane etc, it will just increaced the use of plastic as it is cheaper. In the first place. Not much is biodegradable as it tends to biodegrade, steel cans are about as close as you get and may add considerably to transportation pollution, bags of crisps would be quite a bit heavier for example.

Realistically implementing such things will be difficult without an agreement with at least European reach. Not science, politics! Aluminium could replace much plastic

[Bored chemist]

Fresh cut flowers are about as biodegradable as anything can be, but if they were grown in Africa using water that could have been used to grow food, and then flown to Europe to be sold, they are about as environmentally malevolent as you can get.

[alancalverd]

But economically essential to the grower and seller.

[femaleminer]

We absolutely should tax so much more. Every rope which looses plastic while washing, every fruit or vegetable which could not be planted ecological schould be much more expensive. We should tax everything what destroies our planet, right? Now we can loose money but looking forward to the future otherwise we will loose life.