 Marketing oxo-degradables as a solution for plastic waste in the environment may make it more likely that items are discarded inappropriately and in marine environments; the fragmentation process made oxo-degradable plastic less likely to be recovered during clean-up exercises.The report was criticised by the Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics Association (OPA), which said the European Commission had failed to understand the difference between oxo-degradable and oxo-biodegradable plastics.The OPA accused the Commission of not listening to evidence relating to the breakdown of oxo-plastics, which it maintained showed the plastic broke down to a molecular level that could be bioassimilated.