Posted on Jul 26th
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Ever picked up a product labeled "biodegradable" or &#;compostable&#; and wondered what it means? You're not alone!
The terms biodegradable and compostable are often used interchangeably. While there is some overlap, they do not mean the same thing!
All compostable products are biodegradable, but not all biodegradable products are compostable.
While it is great that sustainable products are becoming more popular, some of the terms used to describe them aren&#;t always clear. Understanding the definitions of terms such as compostable and biodegradable empowers everyone with the knowledge to make sustainable choices.
It's important that both brands and consumers know the difference. Customers want to know they're making the best choice when purchasing from you. Your customers need to know how to properly dispose of your packaging. Being clear that your packaging is compostable creates confidence in your sustainable brand and allows consumers to make smarter purchasing decisions.
Compostable Definition: What Does Compostable Mean?
Compostable materials break down completely into their basic parts (water, carbon dioxide, and biomass). They will break down in a timely manner at a rate consistent with similar organic materials and will not release harmful residue or toxins.
Products labeled as compostable must be tested to meet US industrial composting standards ASTM D and ASTM D. These standards require that compostable products biodegrade and disintegrate within 90 days and leave no harmful residue. Testing includes a seed germination trial, which ensures the compost produced is not harmful to plant life.
Compostable products add value to the planet's ecosystem by decomposing into nutrient-rich compost. Packaging that is labeled as compostable should be disposed of in a compost bin.
More Information on Elevate Packaging&#;s Composting Standards
Biodegradable Definition: What Does Biodegradable Mean?
If something is biodegradable it can be broken down by naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. Every material will biodegrade, given enough time (even centuries!).
Unlike compostable, the term biodegradable is not regulated. There is no time limit for biodegradation, and no testing is done to ensure that the product is free from dangerous toxins. Ideally biodegradable material will break down quickly and safely, however not every product advertised as biodegradable meets these criteria.
A product labeled as biodegradable without any further context is vague and misleading to consumers. Because this term is so vague, biodegradable products may contaminate compost and should be disposed of in trash collection destined for landfill.
Read More: What is Compost Contamination?
Which is Better, Compostable or Biodegradable?
Both terms describe a natural process for recycling organic waste. All compostable products are biodegradable, but biodegradable products are not always compostable.
The main difference is that compostable products have undergone strict testing to ensure that they break down within a specific time frame and do not release anything harmful into the environment. Biodegradable products have no such requirements, meaning that they may not be as beneficial as they first appear.
Compostable packaging will:
Compostable packaging must adhere to strict standards and has been rigorously tested. Packaging labeled only as biodegradable cannot be composted and must therefore be sent to a landfill.
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Degradable
Contact us to discuss your requirements of biodegradable resin. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
The term degradable defines a broad category of things that are capable of breaking down and disintegrating. There is no standard for how it breaks down, how long it will take, or what it will break down into. It could be safe, but it is most likely not.
Oxo-Degradable
The term Oxo-Degradable is simple greenwashing. Oxo-degradable products are conventional plastic mixed with an additive that helps them disintegrate faster. If you&#;re familiar with the problems caused by microplastics you can see that this is not only a poor solution to plastic waste, but actually incredibly harmful!
Once disposed of, the plastic becomes brittle and quickly fragments into smaller and smaller pieces. Oxo-degradable products produce harmful microplastics by design!
Both degradable and oxo-degradable products are not compostable and are not suitable for recycling. They should be disposed of in a landfill.
How to Choose the Most Sustainable Packaging
Understanding the nuances between "biodegradable" and "compostable" might feel overwhelming initially, but once you're armed with this knowledge, your sustainable packaging decisions become clearer!
Every phase, from sourcing raw materials to the disposal of the product, has an environmental stake. This is where a product life cycle assessment may be helpful &#; it provides a view of a product's full environmental journey, revealing areas for possible sustainable improvements. Curious about how to do this? Dive deeper with our guide on how to conduct a product life cycle assessment.
A circular economy aims to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate materials, and regenerate nature. What Does the Life Cycle of Your Compostable Packaging Look Like? Choosing compostable packaging means you're helping to reduce waste and keep our soil healthy. We're here to help you make the most environmentally friendly choices. Together, we can keep moving towards a world with less waste and more respect for our environment.
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*Originally posted Mar 21st , updated July 26
How do you know if the &#;green&#; disposable plastic products you buy&#;marked bioplastic, biodegradable, compostable, or bioplastic&#;are actually safe for our planet and our health? It&#;s confusing for well-intentioned people. We&#;re here to help.
Plastic is made of artificially created chemicals &#;that don&#;t belong in our world and don&#;t mix well with nature.&#; After we use plastic&#;sometimes only for a few seconds&#;we throw it away. These plastics are a big source of pollution, getting into our food and water, creating toxic health hazards for neighboring communities as part of their production and disposal and killing marine wildlife. While public pressure has made companies appear to be more environmentally friendly, most haven&#;t cleaned up their act. They&#;ve only created more confusing terms, greenwashing their products to make us feel like we&#;re acting responsibly.
The bottom line: the best solution is to avoid single-use plastics, no matter what material they are made from. It&#;s the only real way to prevent pollution and waste. When plastic is unavoidable, it&#;s vital to understand what the labeling actually means. Biodegradable plastics are very rarely recyclable, and biodegradable does not mean compostable&#;so they often up in the landfill. Compostable and bioplastic goods can be a better choice than biodegradable ones, but often still end up in landfills unless you can compost appropriately.
Why? There&#;s an important difference between what makes conventional plastics, biodegradable plastics, and bioplastic&#;and what happens when we&#;re done using them.
Conventional plastics are made from products derived from petroleum. The US Department of Energy reports that plastics are mostly produced from from natural gas processing, and feedstocks derived from refining crude oil&#;these are the ingredients that last forever in our environment. They take hundreds of years to break down and never completely decompose&#;they just become smaller and smaller pieces that are impossible to remove from the environment. Some plastics are known to be toxic, and as they break down, plastic bits become food for organisms up and down the food chain.
Biodegradable plastics are made from the same materials as conventional petroleum based plastics, but with even more chemicals. These extra chemicals cause the plastic to break down more rapidly when exposed to air and light. Some biodegradable plastics fragment rather than biodegrade, due to the addition of oxidizing agents (found in &#;oxo-degradable plastics&#;). By fragmenting, rather than degrading, they break into small pieces which can pollute soils, increase risk of ingestion for animals and end up in our oceans and waterways. These kind of plastics are impossible to recover for recycling and aren&#;t suitable for composting. The prefix &#;bio&#; can be very misleading: plastics do degrade, but not into something biological. It breaks into smaller and smaller pieces of plastic.
Unfortunately, recycling your &#;biodegradable&#; plastics isn&#;t a great answer to this issue. Most biodegradable plastics have a #7 recycling code on them, which places them in the &#;Other&#; category of plastics. #7 plastics are generally not accepted for recycling by local municipal recyclers, due to the addition of chemical additives.
Bioplastics and &#;compostable&#; plastics tend to be made from plant biomass, such as corn starch, sugar cane or wheat, and should either completely and rapidly break down biologically, or be compostable. This means they are supposed to break down into biological elements, unlike conventional plastics. However, while some bioplastics can be composted and do not harm the quality of compost, others leave toxic residues or plastic fragments behind, making them unsuitable if your compost is being used to grow food. Additionally, the use of plant material for bioplastics causes concern including the use of genetically modified crops, and the use of farmland that could be used to grow valuable food crops, deforestation, use of fresh water supplies, soil erosion, fertilizer use (which comes from petrochemical sources), food security and more.
Bioplastics cannot be recycled with standard plastics as the additives in bioplastics can make the recycled product less durable.
Composting bioplastics is also complicated. Most bioplastics will only compost in commercial (municipal) composters. Commercial composters reach temperatures and humidity levels you would be unable to achieve in a standard garden composter, so your bioplastics may never break down at home. Some commercial composters, like those in Northern California, have to remove bioplastics like compostable utensils because even their temperatures and humidity levels will not break down these products.
So, is sending these items to landfill the best way to dispose of them? In a landfill, they won&#;t contaminate recycling or compost streams. But for biodegradation to occur, three basic resources are required &#; heat, light and oxygen. In a landfill site, waste is entombed, creating a complete absence of light and oxygen. If a biodegradable plastic or bioplastic ends up in a landfill site it may never decompose.
It&#;s clear: we can&#;t recycle or compost our way out of the plastics issue &#; and that holds true for new biodegradable plastics and bioplastics. We can make informed decisions and stop waste by buying less, and buying responsibly! Come to our Store for dozens of affordable products and strategies for reducing your reliance on plastic.
Also: check out these Responsible Purchasing Guides for more detailed information on the products mentioned above.
Sources:
https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=34&t=6
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/bioplastics.html
https://www.theguardian.com/environment//may/23/biodegradable-plastic-false-solution-for-ocean-waste-problem
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/cif-green//jun/18/greenwash-biodegradeable-plastic-bags
[Photo credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture on Flickr]
For more biodegradable plastic film manufacturerinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.