BASC sustainable ammo table - shotgun cartridges

[Smudger687]

1 minute ago, Poor Shot said:

Seems like the blame lies mostly at the door of the manufacturers and not BASC. They have had the last few years to make the required changes to their product lineup and have done relatively nothing. While it appears that BASC aren't being entirely honest with their try sustainable ammunition project, they can only work with what the manufacturers can provide. If the likes of Hull and Lyalvale haven't bothered to develop their own bio friendly wad systems then BASC can't do anything about that. 

What we are seeing now is a panicked and rushed move to non toxic and biodegradable wad systems that only a few of the home manufacturers have bothered to put any effort into the development and manufacturing capability for. 

I'd like to know for certain what the latest Hull wad is made of as they did a small advertising campaign not long back to advertise their new water soluble wad (earthy green and fibrous material) and that they had moved away from their previous bio product (brown and smooth to the touch). They do advertise that their new wad is 100% plastic free which would be completely false if they were made from PLA which is a plastic material.   

I was not aware Hull had come out with something new - if you could forward a link that would be helpful. Their hydrowad I was referring to was/is blue, and is not water-soluble. 

0% plastic is just marketing rubbish, bioammo do it too. 

I would agree, but BASC shouldn't be pushing products when they are aware they don't meet specifications, especially when they're the ones that called for it in the first place. They dropped the ball when they announced the lead and plastic ban, and this feels as though they'll clutching at every (alleged) bio-offering as if to say "look guys, there's loads of good biosteels, you lot made a big fuss over nothing!"

[oowee]

Some of this stuff may not be perfect but it has to be right that those that profess to love the countryside do whatever they can to look after it. 

[Poor Shot]

10 minutes ago, Smudger687 said:

I was not aware Hull had come out with something new - if you could forward a link that would be helpful. Their hydrowad I was referring to was/is blue, and is not water-soluble. 

0% plastic is just marketing rubbish, bioammo do it too. 

I would agree, but BASC shouldn't be pushing products when they are aware they don't meet specifications, especially when they're the ones that called for it in the first place. They dropped the ball when they announced the lead and plastic ban, and this feels as though they'll clutching at every (alleged) bio-offering as if to say "look guys, there's loads of good biosteels, you lot made a big fuss over nothing!"

I will find some of the advertising from Hull when I have a chance. It was mentioned in a lot of youtube content at the time by Hull via Ed Solomons and TGS. 

I would disagree that BASC announced the ban. I think the only thing that BASC did was give a heads up on what was coming our way and set out a voluntary transition away from lead and S/U plastics. Whether BASC were involved or not HSE/UK GOV etc were going to be implementing a ban regardless. These multiple rounds of consultations are little but pantomime and process, lead is dead. It's a bit **** to bash BASC for making a decision to head off the ban and start a voluntary transition and sticking with it. I believe that BASC did not, in any way, ban or encourage the banning of lead use in ammunition. Just like many toxic substances before it, lead is slowly being phased out of all products in which it is used. Most solder is now lead free, water piping is copper or plastic, gasoline fuel supplied with alternative octane additives, lead free flashing systems etc.. It was only a matter of time. 

What the manufacturers should have done at the time of the announcement was set to work developing a product lineup for the UK market which catered for all from the antique 12 bore user to the 410 and 28 gauge users. Instead they set about doing almost nothing apart from lining their pockets on the back of increasing the cost of lead products and now we are stuck against a potentially incoming hard stop with very little product development having taken place. Having a very limited, expensive and 12/20 bore only lineup of alternative products is where we should have been 2 or more years ago. By now we should have cost effective alternatives to lead for all popular gauges and a workable and cost effective solution for rifle and air rifle ammunition. 22LR is one of the most popular calibres in the UK, Europe and USA but to date the only lead alternative is wildly inaccurate, scarce and very expensive. Hortonium is a step in the right direction but is still extremely expensive and as yet, not available for general purchase.  

The market for shotgun ammunition in the UK is about to be turned on its head. The first manufacturer to make widely available a cost comparable steel/non toxic and bio wad clay target cartridge will take the market practically overnight. Anyone who has ever played monopoly will know that isn't good and if the solutions comes from outside of the UK then it could spell the end of a lot of the UK cartridge (assemblers) manufacturers. 

[rbrowning2]

All but cardboard wads have issues. either take a long time to degrade or potentially hazardous even the water soluble type probably made from PLA or PVA.  However single use plastic will be around in the environment for many hundreds of years so they are better than using them.

To be eco friendly comes at a cost.

The EU standard frequently suggested is EN 13432 however i doubt any of the current plastic wads meet the standard with each manufacturer going their own way.  It’s a mess.

13432:2000 Packaging: Requirements for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation. Test scheme and evaluation criteria for the final acceptance of packaging. This is a harmonised European standard linked to the European Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (94/62/EC)

various articles

Overview

Most plastics are made from fossil fuels and if not properly managed at their end of life, can accumulate in the environment. This contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.

Alternative plastics, such as biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics may be a more sustainable alternative to fossil-based, non-biodegradable plastics. However, they also present their own sustainability challenges and trade-offs that must be carefully assessed and considered.

The European Commission adopted a policy framework on the sourcing, labelling and use of biobased plastics, and the use of biodegradable and compostable plastics. This was announced in the European Green Deal, circular economy action plan, and plastics strategy.

Objectives

This EU policy framework for biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics aims to contribute to a sustainable plastics economy by

• improving the understanding around these materials and clarify where these plastics can bring genuine environmental benefits, under which conditions and applications
• guiding citizens, public authorities and businesses in their policy, purchasing or investing decisions
• preventing differences at national level and fragmentation of the market by promoting a shared understanding across the EU on the production and use of these plastics

What are biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics?

There is widespread confusion among consumers about these different types of plastics. The umbrella term “bioplastics” is often used to describe very different materials, and the terms “biobased”, “biodegradable” and “compostable” may be misleading.

Biobased plastics are fully or partially made from biological resources, rather than fossil raw materials. They are not necessarily biodegradable or compostable. It is important to examine the full life cycle of biobased plastics, to ensure that they are beneficial to the environment beyond the reduction in use of fossil resources. This includes changes in land use.

Biodegradable plastics biodegrade in certain conditions at their end of life. Compostable plastics - a subset of biodegradable ones – typically decompose in industrial composting facilities, and first need to be collected. Biodegradable and compostable plastics may be made from biological resources or fossil raw materials. These plastics should be used when it is not possible to reduce, reuse or recycle, in line with the circular economy and waste hierarchy principles.

‘Biodegradability of plastics in the open environment’ - Scientific Opinion of the Commission’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors

PLA, PVA.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8588384/

 

[Scully]

Isn’t lead still a component of car batteries, even electric? 

[GunQuarter]

I've put all the information into one page on our website. Including a drop test video. We've tested the hell out of this, it works perfectly and it just needs ammunition manufacturers to pick up the phone and order it (after March next year as machines being built now). https://www.hortonguns.com/?page_id=819 If you want it, contact Hull, Eley, Lyalvale and Gamebore and ask when it is available.