SGS green mark Series | Making the food industry more sustainable with industrial compostable certification

The negative impact of plastic use on our planet is now widely understood. Harmful to the environment, plastics take hundreds of years to decompose, cannot be infinitely recycled (especially when contaminated with organic waste), and typically do not come from renewable sources. On the other hand, they are cheap to produce and extremely versatile.

Plastic use is certainly integral to the food and hospitality industry. Whether it’s packaging fruit and vegetables in shops or boxes and trays for our takeaways, plastic is used in multiple different ways. A particular concern is its use in straws, cups, cutlery, plates, and even single-serve coffee pods. Once these single-use objects are finished with, they are often simply discarded into general waste because they are contaminated.

The scale of the problem is bewildering. Using the straw as an example, the US National Park Service once estimated that 500 million straws were used every day in the country.   Many of these end up in the environment, with one survey of US coastlines finding 7.5 million straws over a five-year period.  Since then, there have been schemes to reduce the use of plastic straws, but these figures still show the scale of the problem. Once a plastic straw, cup, coffee pod, or serving tray has done its job, it is discarded which makes it a hazard to us and the environment.

However, the reality is that the industry’s reliance on plastic to perform multiple tasks means it is here to stay until a better alternative can be found. 

Biodegradable plastics

One alternative is biodegradable plastic. In 2022, it was estimated global production of biodegradable plastic was 864,000 metric tons. However, continuing demand for plastic and growing calls for greater sustainability mean this figure is expected to jump to 4.605 million metric tons by 2028. 

The advantage of this type of plastic is that, under certain conditions, its organic constituents (polymers and organic additives) will convert into carbon dioxide, water, mineral salts, and a new microbial biomass. 

Compostable plastics

As a subset of the biodegradable plastic category, compostable plastics will decompose in industrial composting facilities. Under controlled conditions for temperature (50-60°C), humidity, and aeration, industrial compostable materials are digested by microbes, typically bacteria, fungi, and their enzymes. The resulting biowaste and compostable polymers can then be used as a source of nutrition – i.e. compost. 

Industrial composting has multiple advantages in terms of sustainability. In effect, it is a form of recycling – turning one product into another. Producing high-quality compost in this way also reduces our reliance on artificial fertilizers and the need for incineration and landfills, thereby lowering greenhouse gas emissions.  

For the food industry, a primary barrier to recycling has often been contamination from organic waste. However, by separating industrial compostable products from other plastic products, we can not only create a valuable product but also improve the quality of compost by reducing the levels of contamination from traditional plastics. 

How do we know if a product is industrial compostable?

The key to separating industrial compostable plastics from other plastics is clear labeling. Without clear labeling there is a risk compostable plastic will just be discarded into general waste or traditional plastic recycling. Alternatively, there is also the risk that non-compostable plastics will be discarded alongside compostable plastics, leading to contamination of the end compost.

Addressing the problem

SGS Industrial Compostable certification helps companies build trust in their compostable products. Available for a wide range of plastic products, from packaging materials to single-material plastic products, this scientific approach verifies the compostability and anaerobic treatability of materials to ensure ultimate biodegradation and disintegration during composting. 

Products are tested in line with a range of internationally recognized standards:

• EN 13432 – packaging – requirements for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation
• ASTM D6400 – standard specification for labeling of plastics designed to be aerobically composted in municipal or industrial facilities
• GB/T 28206 – specifications for compostable plastics

For a product to be considered industrially compostable, it must meet specific requirements. For example, the percentage of ultimate aerobic biodegradation must be greater than 90% during a test period that does not exceed six months, and while organic constituents present at a concentration of less than 1% do not need to demonstrate biodegradability, the sum of these unproven constituents must not exceed 5%.

Once it is clear the product conforms to the requirements for industrial compostability, it is certified for a period of three years, with surveillance testing.

SGS Industrial Compostable green marks

Products certified as industrial compostable can display the relevant SGS green marks on the product, its packaging, and in marketing materials. 

SGS green marks are recognized around the world. They demonstrate the validity of a wide variety of environmental attribute claims, including industrial compostable, bringing trust to markets that have until now been at risk of greenwashing. Every mark contains details of the environmental claim, the standard(s) it has been assessed against (EN 13432, ASTM D6400, and GB/T 28206 for industrial compostable), and a QR code that enables the consumer to verify the label and its claim. 

At a time when concerns over plastic use are growing, and the industry needs to find better alternatives, industrial compostable certification and the SGS green marks are ideal ways to enhance brand reputation while encouraging the recycling of appropriate plastics into a valuable commodity – compost.  

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