Trying new films on Chinese lands

Plastics have been of great help in raising China’s farm output. Mulching films, made mostly from polyethylene, are used on millions of hectares of land throughout the country to conserve water and protect crops from weeds. Over the years, as more and more farmers realized that mulching film stabilizes soil temperature, economizes water, and helps cut pesticide use, Chinese usage has boomed, turning the country into the biggest user worldwide by a wide margin. China now consumes more than 1.4 million metric tons of mulching film per year, according to data collected by the big German chemical maker BASF. But the deployment of mulching film on such a grand scale has come at a heavy price. Soil quality has declined alarmingly from the impact of film fragments that sink deep into the ground. This happens because Chinese farmers usually buy the thinnest film, which tends to break down during attempts