Symphony Env. Regulatory News (SYM)

This is a Reach announcement and the information contained is not considered to be material or to have a significant impact on management's expectations of the Company's performance.

3 March 2025

Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc

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

Landmark Ruling on Biodegradable Plastic Legislation

Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc (AIM:SYM), the global specialists in technologies that make plastic and rubber products smarter, safer, and more sustainable, is pleased to announce a historic decision by the Supreme Federal Court ("STF") of Brazil, which upheld Complementary Law 233/2008. This landmark ruling mandates the use of reusable or biodegradable plastic bags in commercial establishments in the City of Piracicaba, marking a significant victory for environmental sustainability and municipal legislative autonomy.

Key Highlights:

1. STF Ruling:

o The STF's ruling confirms the validity of Complementary Law 233/2008, which requires the use of reusable, biodegradable or oxo-biodegradable plastic bags in the City of Piracicaba (population 440,000).

o This ruling has national implications, confirming the validity of similar laws across Brazil.

2. Background and Legislative Journey:

o The law was initially challenged by the São Paulo State Plastic Material Industry Union and held unconstitutional by the São Paulo Court of Justice (TJ-SP) in 2011.

o The STF's ruling on Extraordinary Appeal 732.686 reversed this decision, affirming the law's validity, and emphasising the legislative authority of municipalities on local environmental matters.

3. Implementation and Compliance:

o Following the STF's directive, the São Paulo Court of Justice granted a 12-month compliance period, which expired on 21 February 2025.

4. Environmental Impact:

o The law mandates the use of reusable, biodegradable, or oxo-biodegradable bags in commercial establishments, promoting sustainable practices and environmental preservation. The fact that it mandates oxo-biodegradable bags is particularly important, because the main problem with plastic is that it creates microplastics and can lie or float around for decades. Oxo-biodegradability solves this problem because it enables the bags to safely biodegrade much more quickly if they escape into the open environment. See www.biodeg.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/BPA-Position-paper-1.12.24.pdf. Furthermore. it does not create microplastics, see https://www.biodeg.org/subjects-of-interest/microplastics/.

The President of the Piracicaba City Council, stated: "This victory reinforces the role of cities in protecting the environment and promoting sustainable practices, while respecting the federative principle enshrined in Brazil's Constitution."

Michael Laurier, CEO of Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc, commented: "We are thrilled by the Supreme Federal Court's decision. This landmark ruling is a significant victory for the environment and underscores the importance of sustainable practices. We believe this decision will open up new opportunities for our d2w oxo-biodegradable plastic technology, as it aligns perfectly with the growing demand for practical answer. Symphony Environmental is committed to providing innovative technologies that make plastic and rubber products smarter, safer, and more sustainable. This ruling not only supports our efforts but also paves the way for wider adoption of our eco-friendly solutions across Brazil and beyond.

Brazil is a major economy and consumes more than 7.5 million tonnes of plastic (5 times more than Saudi) and faces significant challenges with plastic waste management, generating 10.68 million tonnes of waste annually and recycling only 1.28%. This makes d2w oxo-biodegradable plastic technology an obvious answer, being low cost and non-disruptive to the supply chain."

Enquiries:

Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc +44 (0) 20 8207 5900

Michael Laurier, CEO

Ian Bristow, CFO

www.symphonyenvironmental.com

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc

www.symphonyenvironmental.com

SYMPHONY'S BUSINESS

Symphony has a diverse and growing customer-base and has established itself as an international business with over 70 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 founder-member of The BPA (www.biodeg.org) and 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 Group can be found @SymphonyEnv See also Symphony on Instagram. A Symphony App is available for downloading to smartphones.

D2W TECHNOLOGY

Symphony has developed over 25 years a biodegradable plastic technology which addresses the problem of persistent microplastics, by turning ordinary plastic at the end of its service-life into a waxy substance which is biodegradable. It is then no longer a plastic and can be bioassimilated in the open environment in a similar way to a leaf without leaving microplastics behind. 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, much of which has been recycled. In some countries, oxo-biodegradable plastic is mandatory for short-life plastic products.

D2P TECHNOLOGY

Symphony has also developed practical and cost-effective ways to upgrade plastic products to provide protection against bacteria, viruses, fungi, insects, odours and fire. See www.d2p.net.