One of the fastest growing foodservice trends is the shift from traditional disposables and foodservice products to eco-friendly options. When people look for environmentally friendly products, they often come across statements such as biodegradable, degradable and soluble.

The differences between biodegradable, degradable and compostable products and how to make zero waste with environmentally friendly disposable products arouse curiosity.

Biodegradable, compostable and degradable products are made from different materials and degrade under different conditions. Biodegradable refers to a product that is broken down into natural elements, carbon dioxide and water vapor by organisms such as bacteria and fungi. Technically, almost anything is biodegradable, but many things take thousands of years to biodegrade. Whereas, in order to use a biodegradable label, products and materials must be rapidly separated into natural materials. Generally acceptable biodegradation time is between 6-9 months. Biodegradable products decompose much faster than other types of products, decompose into environmentally friendly carbon dioxide, water vapor and organic matter, and are derived from sustainable materials and plant by-products such as corn starch or sugar cane.

Compostable means that a product will decompose into the natural elements, but only in a compost environment. Compostable materials are generally derived from plants and other organic materials such as corn starch, bagasse or PLA plastic. Compostable products have two additional advantages over biodegradable options: they degrade much faster, most in about 90 days, and they also turn into nutrient-rich products that create healthy soil for the earth.

Degradable products, on the other hand, are generally oil-based and are broken down by microorganisms, not organically, but through chemical reactions. Unlike biodegradable products, plastics can decompose in an airless environment such as landfills. However, they do not completely decompose and turn into organic matter. Instead, they break down into microscopic fragments that can still affect the environment. Again, this is risky for the environment. Products take much longer to degrade than biodegradable or compostable materials.

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. Our organization has a trained and experienced staff and advanced technological facilities. In this context, requesting businesses,It also provides compost certification and C-Label (Compost Labeling) compost labeling services.