TESTING | BIODEGRADABILITY
(eg added to the compost pile), and in D8619, a container (eg a mesh bag) is used, ASTM ex- plained. The field-based test methods will comple- ment ASTM’s lab-based methods for industrial compostability. These test methods are undergoing potential
revisions, and another field disintegration method is also working its way through the standard-setting system, said Okamoto. ASTM is also revising the test method for water
biodegradability to cover different types of water at three different water temperatures. The original D6691 method was written for marine (saltwater) at 30°C. BPI announced a new Commercial & Home
Above:
Aimplas has received recognition from DIN Certco and BPI for its Biodeg- radation and Compostability Laboratory
spotlight,” said Leah Ford, Director of Marketing for CJ Biomaterials, a manufacturer of PHA bio-based polymers. “The 90% experimental threshold accounts for experimental error, few percent carbon remaining tied up in microbial biomass, and the statistical requirements of setting an absolute threshold value. The 90%+ biodegradabil- ity requirement does not imply that 10% of non- biodegradable material remains, or [that] 10% microplastics remain.” Other standard specifications are used in addition to those from ASTM, depending on the region. In Europe, the harmonized standard EN 13432, for example, defines requirements for packaging and packaging materials to be consid- ered biodegradable in industrial composting. This standard uses ISO test methods for biodegrada- tion, disintegration, and ecotoxicity effects. Separate from test methods and standards, but also important for the industry, are third-party certifications by approved testing labs that demon- strate whether a material or product complies with the relevant standard specification. Certification bodies choose which specification they will use. Certification labels include the seedling mark from DIN Certco or TÜV Austria’s OK Compost Industrial or Home labels in Europe, and the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI)’s or Compost Manufacturing Alliance (CMA)’s certification in the US.
New ASTM methods ASTM International approved two new standard test methods last year for field-testing of com- postable products: D8618 and D8619 were developed by the treatment, recovery, and reuse subcommittee (D34.03), part of ASTM’s waste management committee (D34). In D8618, com- postable items are evaluated without a container
16 COMPOUNDING WORLD | May 2026
Compostable Certification program, adding to its existing commercial program. BPI began accepting applications in December 2025. Certification criteria include testing to confirm that products break down completely in the lower temperatures associated with backyard composting environ- ments, using the lab testing requirements in the French NF T 51-800 standard specification. DIN Certco recently released an updated
certification: DIN-Geprüft Home Compostable, which has an expanded scope to include additives, such as colour masterbatches. An alternative disintegration standard, prEN17428, was also added, which must be used to test for disintegra- tion in the organization’s DINplus Home Composta- ble Carrier Bags certification.
Open environment Aimplas, the Plastics Technology Centre in Valecia, Spain, offers services from its Biodegradation and Compostability Laboratory to conduct tests in accordance with the EN 13432 standard and to issue eco-labels that certify a product as biode- gradable or compostable in various environments (industrial composting, home composting, or soil biodegradation), the organization said. Late last year, the lab also received recognition from DIN Certco to run tests to support a label certifying the industrial compostability of organic waste bags. The lab has also been recognized by BPI for tests to allow companies to obtain certifica- tion for home compostability. Last month, Aimplas announced recognition from the Australasian Bioplastics Association and the Japan BioPlastics Association to conduct tests for compostability and soil biodegradation certifications in their respective regions. “Testing biodegradability in marine, freshwater, and soil environments is essential because com- postability certification alone (eg industrial com-
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