The definitions of biodegradable and compostable are sometimes confusing. Technically, both concepts describe biological processes, but often these terms are used interchangeably.

In recent years, there has been a rising trend in the packaging industry to use biodegradable materials instead of traditional plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene to reduce packaging waste generation. In this context, some bioplastics and cellulosic materials are used.

Bioplastics comprise a group of materials that differ from conventional plastics in that they are biobased, biodegradable, or both.

The fact that a material or product is bio-based means that it is derived from renewable resources. Biobased polymers are generally divided into three classes:

• Polymers derived directly from biomass
• Polymers synthesized from monomers derived from biomass
• Polymers produced by microorganisms

The first group of biopolymers includes those based on polysaccharides (starch, cellulose) and proteins (wheat gluten, soy protein, gelatin). The second group includes, for example, polylactic acid (PLA) produced from lactic acid obtained by fermentation of sugar cane, biopolyethylene from the polymerization of ethylene produced from bioethanol, and bio-polyurethanes containing plant-based polyols. The third group is biopolymers produced directly by microorganisms such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA).

The term biodegradable describes a chemical process in which microorganisms in the environment convert materials into natural substances such as water, carbon dioxide and biomass. There are a variety of media for the biodegradation of materials, such as soil, water, marine environment, digester plants, home composting units and industrial composting plants.

Regarding packaging waste, composting is a viable solution for the recovery of packaging using these materials that meet certain requirements, reducing the need for eventual disposal. For a material or product to be considered compostable, it must be degraded by biological processes to obtain carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass during composting and must not leave toxic residues.

It should be noted that all compostable materials are biodegradable, but not all biodegradable materials are compostable.

In recent years, standard methodologies have been developed to assess the suitability of a material for organic recovery by composting. The EN 13432 standard is one of the most common standards that defines the process and criteria for determining a material to be compostable.

Our organization provides very different certification services for businesses in various sectors and carries out the necessary testing, analysis, control and evaluation activities within this framework. In these works, it always follows domestic and foreign standards, applicable legal regulations and generally accepted practices. In this framework, it also provides compost certification and C-Label (Compost Labeling) compost labeling services to businesses that request it.