John Cameron / Unsplash “Biodegradable” has become one of the most reassuring words in modern packaging. It appears on coffee cups, shopping bags and food containers, implying a promise: this product is better for the environment because nature will eventually take care of it. However, biodegradability is not a simple yes-or-no property. It exists in shades, which we can measure. Biodegradation is a complex process. Microbes and molecules present in an environment such as soil attack a materia