Because we serve as the marketing, sales, and account management team for Lastic®, producer of the best home and garden (H&G) compostable-extrusion products, competitors constantly blip on our radars. So naturally, when we find a company that produces an alleged H&G compostable product, we take a deep dive into their product information.
When we delve into the competition's product information, we strive to read between the lines and discern fact from fiction or, better yet, reality from euphemism. When marketing a compostable product, companies must show reasonable ingredient transparency and compostability certifications.
Sometimes, however, web copy on a bioplastic-product maker's site will inundate readers with the virtues of their product's environmentally friendly main ingredient, how much plastic it replaces, how much carbon it absorbs, and so on. But when it comes to the compostability of the product itself, readers and those in the market should look for one thing: the compostability of the end product itself.
What does it mean to be "certified H&G compostable by (insert TÜV Austria, DIN CERTCO, or Australasian Bioplastics Association[ABA])?" In sum, these testing agencies screen for a product's home and garden compostability against two major factors that work in tandem (except for the ABA—they're much more stringent in issuing certifications). They are the degradation percentage and the time it takes for the product to reach that degradation percentage. For example, a product qualifies as DIN CERTCO H&G Compostable against the NF T800:2015 testing standards if it degrades at least 90% in 252 days or less.
Often, a company will have its raw material, i.e., the actual bioplastic, screened for biodegradation. But unfortunately, these companies don't get their application (straws, food boxes, cups) screened for biodegradation. But, wait—isn't a product made from certified home and garden compostable material automatically H&G compostable? While it seems logical initially, the answer is: not necessarily.
The production process significantly changes a bioplastic's thickness, mass, and overall appearance. Producers operating extrusion machines transform granular bioplastics into finished products such as straws, lids, cups, and food boxes. The main point is this: the production process leverages heating and cooling to create finished products. These are heavier and thicker than just a handful of resin pellets used for compostability testing. Thickness and mass profoundly affect product compostability time because aerobic bacteria have difficulties consuming thick products under H&G conditions. So, companies that make products advertised as "H&G compostable because they're made with H&G compostable material" aren't being 100% honest. It's essential to confirm that the product itself qualifies as H&G compostable.
Because the production process transforms a bioplastic into a heavier and thicker end product, companies must screen all products they market as H&G compostable with the reputable agencies mentioned above. When the ABA and DIN CERTCO awarded Lastic® with their respective H&G compostable certifications, they emphasized that Lastic® products with a thickness of 1.17mm biodegrade under their requirements. We urge all consumers to recognize that a product made from H&G compostable material isn't necessarily H&G compostable.
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