The biodegradability of a material is a process that depends on the complex biological conditions at the particular site.
Furthermore, only a handful of polymers have the inherent ability to biodegrade in different environments.
Therefore, specific standards and certificates have been developed in recent years to provide a framework for declaring whether or not a product is biodegradable in a particular environment.
Scientific verification and certification of the communication of environmental claims is becoming increasingly important in the context of the Green Claims Directive.
Biodegradability is an environmental claim that needs to be verified by third-party certification.
To improve the understanding of biodegradation and biodegradability and their certification, a group of experts came together a few years ago to develop a poster showing which polymers are biodegradable in which environments according to established standards and certification schemes.
This group includes experts from the nova-Institute (Germany) together with a number of leading experts from Normec OWS (Belgium), Hydra Marine Science (Italy/Germany), IKT Stuttgart (Germany), Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands) and in cooperation with DIN CERTCO (Germany) and TÜV AUSTRIA (Austria/Belgium).
The expert group met again this year to discuss the latest scientific findings in the field of biodegradable polymers and to make sensible changes to the poster.
The general classification on the poster is only supported by tests carried out as part of the certification process.
Therefore, the expert group decided to include the biodegradability of polycaprolactone (PCL) in additional environments: Soil, freshwater, marine and anaerobic conditions.
In addition, DIN CERTCO has published a new certification for marine biodegradability in 2023, based on the ISO 22403 standard, which specifies the requirements for marine biodegradability and is now mentioned on the poster.
A new design of the poster and a more precise definition of biodegradation and biodegradability complete the update for this year.
Read the entire press release now: