International Standards for Biodegradability

To meet the requirements of biodegradability under industrial composting conditions (compostable plastics), a plastic must satisfy the primary requirement of complete biodegradability as measured by the microbial conversion of the plastic carbon to CO2 under composting conditions, as discussed in an earlier section. In addition, it has to meet the disintegration and safety criteria to make a claim of compostability. ASTM D6400, ASTM D6868, ISO 17088 and EN 13432 are specification standards for compostable plastics and require  

Biodegradability under composting conditions - compostable bioplastics 

ASTM D6868 Specification for plastics coatings and modifiers of paper and other compostable substrates 

ISO 18606 Packaging and the Environment - organic recycling - focus on packaging 

ASTM D7021 Specification for nonfloating biodegradable plastics in the marine environment 

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BioBag products meet all of the international standards for biodegradability and composting including ASTM D6400 specifications and EN 13432 2000. 

Table 2.2 National and international standards for biodegradable plastics ...

Cortec offers two families of high performance, certified biodegradable packaging technologies based on polyester from corn, Eco Film and Eco Works films and bags. Cortec became the first US manufacturer to complete the Din Certco application and review process for Eco Film and Eco Works film and bag products in March 2005. Eco Film and Eco Works also meet ASTM D 6400 international standards for commercial compostability. 

The noncompliance of these materials with international standards of biodegradability in different environments, the high concern for the increasing presence of plastic debris in the marine environment, even favoured by their tendency to fragment, and their potential negative impact on recyclability of traditional plastics, should prevent this technology from being considered as a preferred industrial option. 

In recent years, there has been some tendency to stay away from terms like biodegradable that are fraught with uncertainty in meaning. Rather, plastics may he labeled compostable if they meet requirements set by national or international standards for this designation. Any material that is compostable is almost always biodegradable, but the reverse is not necessarily the case. 

Funabashi M., Ninomiya F., Kunioka M. Biodegradation of polycaprolactone powders proposed as reference test materials for international standard of biodegradation evaluation method, J. Polym. Environ. 15 (2007) 7. 

Parallel to these regional or national initiatives, efforts were also made on a global level in order to develop truly international norms for biodegradable materials. A working group was created within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to deal with biodegradable plastics and various test methods, which have subsequently been adopted as ISO standards. 

To prove the ultimate biodegradability of a biodegradable polymer and that there is no adverse effect on the user or the environment, as well as to successfully market a plastic material as biodegradable, there are international standards in place according to which these materials can be certified. Both Ecoflex and Ecovio are certified worldwide as compostable and are approved for contact with food. 

IS ISO (1995) ISO 11734. Water Quality -Evaluation of the Ultimate" Anaerobic Biodegradability of Organic Compounds in Digested Sludge - Method by Measurement of the Biogas Production, International Organization for Standardization,... 

ISO 10708,1997, Water quality - Evaluation in an aqueous medium of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of organic compounds - Method by determining the biochemical oxygen demand in a two-phase closed bottle test. International Standard ISO 10708 1997, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Geneve, Switzerland. 

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