EU standards related to compostable degradation
Through a series of application demonstration projects and extensive experimentation, Germany has introduced the DIN CERTCO decree, which lays out standards for assessing the compostability of fully biodegradable products. The decree is a result of meticulous research conducted to determine the ability of such products to decompose in composting conditions.
Composting and biodegradation of packaging materials play a crucial role in meeting the requirements of the environment and ensuring the safety of life. To ensure rational utilization of energy and resources, the EU has laid down a set of regulations under Directive 94/62/EC. The current standard for compostable and degradable plastics, En 13432, is an integral part of this directive, which outlines the requirements and expected goals for the entire packaging process and all its links. The effective use of compostable degradable plastics in packaging can help to reduce resource consumption. En 13432 is considered a control standard for compostable plastics and specifies specific requirements that any compostable degradable plastic should meet.
A requirement for compostable materials is to adhere to limitations on the concentration of organic substances, heavy metals, and fluorine. This entails a minimum amount of these chemical substances to be present in compostable materials.
The biodegradation performance requirement for composting materials mandates that they must be transformed into carbon dioxide, water, and minerals, with a minimum degradation rate of 90%, within a six-month period under aerobic composting conditions.
There are specific guidelines that dictate the disintegration performance of degradable compost materials. The thickness of such materials must not exceed a certain limit, and if they do, they need to disintegrate into more than 90% within 12 weeks. Under aerobic composting conditions, the fragments of the net should be able to pass through a 22mm sieve. These requirements are in place to ensure efficient and effective composting and degradation of such materials.
The use of compostable decomposed materials or compostable degradable materials has been found to have positive ecotoxicological properties. This is evident from the survival rate and biological properties of specially-selected plants, as they achieve over 90% of their original rate after the introduction of these materials. Therefore, it can be inferred that the introduction of compostable materials has minimal negative impact on the ecological system.