certification

Certification To prove a material is compostable it can undergo a testing procedure that verifies that the material will break down completely leaving no harmful residues in the compost. This test programme examines:

• Chemical characterisation for the presence of heavy metals
• Disintegration – composting test that confirms breakdown of the material within a given time scale
• Compost quality – a test that establishes the quality of the compost by growing reference plants in the medium.

It is very important to have independent verification that a product that is described as biodegradable or compostable does actually conform to a performance standard. There are a number of standards worldwide:

• EN13432
• Din Certco V 54900
• Japanese Greenpla scheme
• ASTM D6400-99
• OK Compost + OK biodegradable