Different Certification Systems

Certification enables consumers to easily identify that a certain product has been independently verified as meeting particular performance requirements, usually through a clearly recognisable logo. 

There are several overseas certification programs for degradable plastics. 

The German, United States and Japanese certification schemes are cooperating to enable international cross-certification of products, so that a product certified in one of these countries would automatically be eligible for certification in another. This would substantially reduce delays and costs for degradable plastics manufacturers and suppliers because the tests required for certification typically 

Some examples of overseas certifications programs and their logos are listed below. Please be aware that Australian Government does not in any way endorse these programs they are provided for reference only  

At the start in 1997 the system was based on the DIN V 54900 [4] prenorm on compostability of plastics. In addition to the norm a certification scheme was published in which some further (technical) rules for certification were specified. These can considered to be a kind of by-law. At the third revision of this certification scheme published in July 2001 [14], the EN13432 [5] and ASTM D6400-99 [54] norms are also mentioned besides the DIN V 54900 as standards along which the compostability can be evaluated. On a few matters of conflict, e.g., heavy metals and test duration of radiolabelled biodegradation tests, the scheme is giving the ultimate guideline for the certification to follow. 

Testing must be done in test laboratories that are approved by DIN-Certco. The approval is based on the EN ISO/IEC 17025-1 standard [78] for quality control and assurance in test laboratories. 

If a packaging material is to be certified the content of it or product which is going to be packed in it, also needs to be evaluated on its suitability for composting. 

For the initial approval a sample of the material or product must also be delivered for archiving and an infrared (IR) spectrum. The latter can considered being a kind of fingerprint analysis for identification. After certain time intervals, (e.g., once in the first year of certification), samples are retrieved from the market for conformity checks. These new samples are submitted to IR analyses, which are used to check the similarity between the retrieved material and the originally certified material. 

More information on the DIN-Certco labelling and certification system can be found on their website [79]. In October 2004 about 45 plastics were certified as well as about 40 product families. The system is mainly used in Germany. 

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There are a number of different PTS systems, and it will be useful to present the main ways in which the systems vary. The differences are with respect to the levels and scope of appheation of data, motion classification, and time units. Essentially, these predetermined time systems are sets of motion-time tables with explanatory rules and instructions on the use of the motion-time values. Most companies require considerable trmning in the practical application of these techniques to earn certification before analysts are allowed to apply the Work-Factor, MTM, or MOST systems. Figure 4 illustrates the derivation of all of these predetermined time systems. 

Hazard identification and risk assessment Depending on the features selected and the environmental conditions assumed for each derived product, the way in which the argument considers the risk posed by hazards could vary (ArgSysHz). Not all hazards may be relevant to all product configurations. Also, the risk assessment results for each applicable hazard may vary due to some variable external or system features. Further, the risk tolerability criteria may vary across products if these products are deployed in different environments with different certification requirements, e.g. civil vs. military applications. 

Chapter 5 gives an overview of the composting process and methods, including up-to-date standardized guidelines for evaluating compostabihty of polymer materials. It also contains information about compost quality standards as well as the description of certification systems for compostability used in different regions in the world (Eirrope, USA, Japan). 

In Japan a certification system has been started by the Biodegradable Plastics Society (BPS), an industry association on biodegradable plastics, which in many aspects is different from the European and American systems. The main focus of the system is biodegradability and environmental safety. Compatibility with a typical biological waste treatment system or disintegration within a specific time period is not an issue at this stage. 

The major difference with the other certification systems lies in the need for toxicological safety data on the material itself (not to be confused with ecotoxicity tests after a preceding composting cycle). In the GreenPla system, the proof of toxicological safety is given by either oral acute toxicity tests with rats or environmental safety tests with algae, Daphnia or fish. Alternatively, the approval as a food additive is also sufficient. 

Sampling is just the beginning of the analytical process. On the way from sampling to the test report a lot of different requirements for high quality measurements have to be considered. There are external quality assurance requirements on the quality management system (e.g. accreditation, certification, GLP), internal quality assurance tools (e.g. method validation, the use of certified reference material, control charts) and external quality assurance measures (e.g. interlaboratoiy tests). 

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