To facilitate the procedure of certifying products made of compostable materials, DIN CERTCO maintains registers of constituent materials, intermediates and additives that are either biodegradable as specified in DIN V 54900, DIN EN 13432 or ASTM D 6400 (ASTM D 6868), or otherwise meet the requirements of the certification scheme. Processing companies are thus able to refer to these registers when applying for certification of their products. In this way, applications for certification can be made in a simpler and more economical form. When the result is positive, the material (intermediate or additive) is entered in one of two positive lists, either in the "Register of materials and intermediates approved for the manufacture of certified products made of compostable materials" or in the "Register of additives approved for the manufacture of certified products made of compostable materials". Should the result be negative, a certificate of non-objection may be issued if it has been proven that the material, although biodegradable, does not fully meet the stringent requirements of DIN V 54900, DIN EN 13432 or ASTM D 6400 (ASTM D 6868).
The following criteria are considered for the testing of composting in plastics:
- Composition and/or listing of all ingredients
- Degradation in aqueous environment (taking into account consumption of oxygen and production of CO2)
- Degradation in compost (taking into account the evolution of CO2)
- Testing on a pilot scale
- Testing in a real compost facility
- The maximum thickness of a biodegradable plastic is additionally determined
To find more information about the certification process for products as well as raw materials, semi-finished products and additives click on the following links:
Source: DinCerto
